Signal Transduction by the T Cell Antigen Receptor

The research group is dedicated to the study of the intramolecular mechanisms of outside-in signal transmission by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and of its most proximal cytoplasmic interactors that are involved in the diversification of signaling pathways. These studies are fundamental to understand how the TCR signals result in very different outcomes including the differentiation towards pro-inflammatory T cells, regulatory T cells and cytotoxic T cells. The results generated are being exploited from a translational perspective to generate immunomodulatory molecules that can have a significant impact on the treatment of T cell-mediated diseases such as most autoimmune diseases, organ transplant rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Another perspective is the exploitation of the signaling cues gathered from the TCR to generate more potent and more selective Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) a new anti-cancer immunotherapy that is expanding at present. Finally, the group is also investigating the role of RRAS2 a GTPase associated to the TCR that might be involved in the generation of lymphomas and leukemias of T cell, but also B cell, origin.

The TFM offer is to participate in one of the brunches of the projects carried out at the laboratory to generate technical expertise in molecular biology, biochemical and immunological methods, familiarization with the scientific method, and to train in the presentation and discussion of scientific results.