Research Summary
Understanding how the human immune system responds to disease is key to improving treatments for chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders and infections. Dr. Janilyn Arsenio, Canada Research Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation, is studying how diverse T cells form and function during the early stages of immune responses. (A T cell is a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight disease.)
Arsenio’s work has already uncovered new insights into T-cell behaviour in chronic viral infections. Now, she and her team are using tools like single-cell transcriptomics and systems-based analysis to explore how immune responses differ by sex—which may help explain why certain conditions affect men and women differently. The team’s discoveries could lead to more effective vaccines and treatments that are better tailored to individual immune responses.