The goal of our lab is to provide a detailed understanding of the mechanisms, which regulate and control the discrimination between self and non-self, and thereby give rise to cytotoxic T cell immunity specifically directed against tumor targets. The ultimate goals of our research are embodied in the following specific aims:

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1. What are the cellular and molecular elements that enable the immune system to recognize subtle antigenic variations from self to initiate a cytotoxic immune response?

2. How is the specificity of the induced immune response determined? In other words, what is the process by which the presentation of diverse antigens by DC translates to activation of specific effector T cells?

A more complete understanding of the means by which DC and T cells communicate to initiate antigen-restricted tumor immunity, will provide a roadmap for designing novel cancer immunotherapies with greater potency.