OTIS

Kennedy

Oxford Translating Immunological Synapse

AIMS

Our goal is to further develop the quantitative analysis of the immunological synapse as a diagnostic tool for human translational research and a platform for evaluation of future therapeutics. In order to achieve these goals as soon as possible, we aim to increase the through put of our immunological synapse analysis platform and decrease the number of cell needed so we can make better us of patient cells from diseased tissues, such as rheumatoid synovium. We have developed a high throughput immunological synapse analysis and initially applied this to a kinase inhibitor screen for effects on immunological synapse features in Th1 effector T cells.

This work is supported by a prestigious Principal Research Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research and a Clinical Fellowship from Celgene. The PRF to Mike Dustin, "Translating the immunological synapse” provides core funding for this efforts and supports collaborative work with the nearly Target Discovery Institute and the Oxford Protein Production Facility.

The Clinical Fellowship supports a early stage clinician scientist under supervision of Peter Talyor, Graham Ogg and Mike Dustin.