Reading the Signals
A proper immune response is critical to protect the host against a variety of harmful elements, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and tumor cells. During the past fifteen years, significant progress has been made toward understanding the molecular and biochemical basis of the immune response. Most notable has been the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the activation of T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes, which collectively constitute the major components of antigen-specific immunity. While T-cells respond to antigenic peptides, B-cells are activated by soluble antigens. Despite this difference, the intracellular machinery responsible for cell activation is similar, with both the T- and B-cell antigen receptors termed immunoreceptors.
During his previous work, Dr. André Veillette has made major contributions to the field of immune cell signalling by identifying critical components involved in the normal immune response. Defects in these pathways have been implicated in several types of human diseases, including immunodeficiencies, leukemias, lymphomas and solid tumors.
As Canada Research Chair in Immune System Signalling, Dr. Veillette will dissect the intracellular signalling machinery that regulates immune cell activation, using state-of-the-art biochemical and molecular biology approaches. His research will focus on pathways that are pivotal for normal immune homeostasis. He will use in vivo mouse models to complement his previous work with model cultured cell lines, an approach that will address the physiological relevance of the mechanisms being studied.
Understanding the signalling mechanisms that generate and regulate immune responses will have a major impact on our ability to comprehend - and hopefully our capacity to treat - human diseases that include immunodeficiencies, autoimmune disorders and cancer.