The role of NKT cells and lipid stimuli in the development of allergic sensitisation

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This project aims to investigate the influence of lipids from an allergen source to shift towards a Th2 response of allergic sensitisation.Techniques will be developed to isolate and characterise natural killer T (NKT) cells from human blood samples and then co-culture iNKT cells with lipid and/or protein-loaded dendritic cells. The subsequent cytokine response will be measured using assays to determine whether a Th2 response has been produced. These techniques will be applied to allergic and non-allergic blood samples to characterise the lipid-activation profiles of NKT cells in each group.