How can we enhance tissue immunity?

tissue adaptations

As the mechanistic principles guiding tissue immunity unfold, the Reina Laboratory will focus on leveraging immune engineering technologies to enhance CD8 T cell functions in disease settings to unlock the next generation of immunotherapies.

We will devise approaches to:

A. Improve tissue infiltration and retention of immune cells by enforcing correct cellular positioning and interactions through the expression and/or delivery of ligand-receptor pairs
B. Manipulate the expression of nutrient transporters and critical enzymes, as well as introduce improvements to cellular detoxification mechanisms to enhance cellular fitness and tissue persistence
C. Develop ex vivo co-culture systems as a platform to screen potential novel compounds that modulate immune function.
These new approaches to control T cell fate and functionality will boost the effectiveness of the next-generation immune cellular therapies.

About La Jolla Institute

The La Jolla Institute for Immunology is dedicated to understanding the intricacies and power of the immune system so that we may apply that knowledge to promote human health and prevent a wide range of diseases. Since its founding in 1988 as an independent, nonprofit research organization, the Institute has made numerous advances leading toward its goal: life without disease. Visit lji.org for more information.

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