Orchestration of the Th2 response by dendritic cells

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Key questions remain to be answered as to the relative contribution that specific components of the immune system make in shaping the nature of the developing immune response. Dendritic cells (DC) represent a highly specialised type of immune cell that play a decisive role in orchestration of this process. Such direction is critical, since the consequences of mounting an inappropriate immune response can be extremely damaging. However, in contrast to increasing awareness of the mechanisms by which pathogens such as bacteria or viruses activate DC, little is known about how they respond to more complex organisms. Schistosome worms are complex multicellular parasites that cause chronic disease in millions of people and the distinctive type of immune response that they induce is intimately involved in the development of many of the symptoms that accompany infection. The goal of our studies is to identify the fine detail of the mechanisms by which DC are able to direct the immune response to schistosomes and other pathogens that induce a similar type of reaction. Once we have this information, it will enable us to design novel drugs and vaccines against any condition in which the immune response is ‘unbalanced‘.