Defining the microenvironmental regulators of spleen function and immunity

脾是几乎所有脊椎动物都存在的重要器官，也是诱导全身免疫反应的关键部位。目前的脾生物学范式大多来自啮齿类动物的研究，但人类脾的细胞生物学仍然缺乏明确的定义。该项目利用新的工具、先进的转录学和成像技术，旨在揭示人类脾中基质细胞的功能，并确定脾基质细胞在长寿免疫中的基本作用。预期的结果是建立澳大利亚的研究能力，并产生对我们从根本上了解脾和这种组织在免疫系统中的作用具有重要意义的新知识。

The spleen is an important organ that is present in almost all vertebrates and is a critical site for the induction of systemic immune responses. The current paradigms of spleen biology are mostly derived from rodent studies, but the cellular biology of the spleen in humans remains poorly defined. Using novel tools, advanced transcriptomics and imaging techniques this project aims to reveal the functions of stromal cells in the spleen in humans and to define the fundamental roles of spleen stromal cells in long-lived immunity. The anticipated outcomes are to build Australia’s research capacity and to generate new knowledge of significance for our fundamental understanding of the spleen and the role of this tissue in the immune system.