• Up-regulate immune response • Down-regulate immune response • Treatment of cancer, infection, autoimmunity, and inflammation
Technical Details:
Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a subset of the CD4 T cell population that down-modulate an immune response. In some diseases, i.e. autoimmunity, Treg activity can prove beneficial by inhibiting a pathological response. However, under other conditions, including but not limited to chronic infection or cancer, Treg activity prevents an effector immune response that might clear the infectious organism or tumor. Under those conditions, inhibition of Treg activity would be desirable. JHU scientists have found a zinc finger binding protein that is preferentially expressed in regulatory T cells, and that down-regulation of this protein blocks Treg function. Generated data demonstrate that either positive or negative regulation of this zinc finder binding protein can modulate an immune response.
Looking for Partners:
Down-regulation of T cell effector function to augment the immune response to cancer and infection and up-regulation of function to down-modulate the immune response for autoimmunity and chronic inflammation.
