Immunologists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified a biological pathway that selectively controls how key immune cells, called T follicular helper cells, mature into functional components of the immune system.
Immunologists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified a biological pathway that selectively controls how key immune cells, called T follicular helper cells, mature into functional components of the immune system.
The finding offers the promise of developing drugs to activate the metabolic pathway to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines, including those that protect against COVID-19. Such medications could stimulate the immune system to respond more vigorously following immunization to produce more antibodies against a virus or bacterium.
The work also lays the foundation for drugs that dial down the pathway to alleviate autoimmune diseases such as lupus. In such disorders, an overactive immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues.
Led by Hongbo Chi, Ph.D. of the Department of Immunology, the researchers published their findings today in Nature.
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Image: Hongbo Chi, Ph.D., of the St. Jude Department of Immunology, identified a biological pathway that selectively controls how key immune cells mature into functional components of the immune system. (Credit: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)
