Role of dendritic cell subsets in the induction of central (thymic) tolerance to oral antigens

• Applicant: Dr. Michael Bscheider
• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 249448520

Oral tolerance is an only incompletely understood phenomenon where the immune system seems to no longer react to certain antigens that have been taken up orally before. Local intestinal as well as central thymic processes likely play a role.Antigens are taken up by so-called antigen-presenting cells and subsequently influence the development of T cells. In the proposed project, in vitro and in vivo mouse studies will be used to study which antigen-presenting cells in the intestinal environment take up antigens with defined properties, transport them to target organs (lymph nodes, liver or thymus) and subsequently steer T cell development.These experiments will help to better understand the phenomenon of oral tolerance to make it better usable for therapy or prophylaxis of diseases (such as autoimmune diseases) in humans.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Eugene C. Butcher