The prestigious Discovery Awards scheme from global charitable foundation Wellcome provides funding for researchers pursuing bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing.
Professor Hashem Koohy leads a systems immunology research group in the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit (TIDU) at the University of Oxford. His research sits at the intersection of T cell immunology and artificial intelligence, developing new machine learning tools and utilising existing technologies to decode the fundamental principles of adaptive T cell immunity.
T cells are a type of white blood cell with a crucial role in our adaptive immune system, identifying and eliminating potential threats such as viruses or cancer cells. However, sometimes T cells mistakenly attack the body's own healthy tissues and cells – a pattern commonly seen in autoimmune diseases.
T cell responses are triggered when T cells interact with target antigens. The ability to computationally map T cells to their target antigens holds enormous potential for personalised precision medicine, but this capability remains a significant scientific challenge.
In this Wellcome-funded project, Koohy's group will collaborate with the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol to identify target self-antigens for regulatory T cells (Tregs) – a specialised subpopulation responsible for maintaining immune balance. The team will focus on understanding how Tregs contribute to the autoimmune "friendly fire" that occurs in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The ultimate goal is to provide new insights into MS development and identify more effective treatments and prevention strategies.
Professor Koohy said:
Computational identification of self-antigen triggers of Tregs in MS represents a critical step toward understanding the drivers and development of this devastating disease.
This knowledge will be essential for clinical applications and drug discovery for treatment and other interventions. The insights we generate will also be transferable to other diseases and contexts. This funding reflects the importance of multidisciplinary collaborative projects in tackling serious human health challenges.
See more details about the award on Wellcome's website: Decoding the targets of brain regulatory T cells