The regulation of antibody: A systems approach

该项目汇集了沃尔特和伊丽莎·霍尔医学研究所的一组研究人员，研究人体如何调节抗体的产生来对抗疾病。抗体由b细胞产生，对免疫系统的功能至关重要。B细胞在体内循环，寻找感染的迹象。当它们遇到入侵者时，它们在其他免疫细胞的帮助下成熟为产生抗体的细胞。一小部分细胞被留作“记忆细胞”，如果将来再次发生同样的感染，这些细胞可以迅速变成产生抗体的细胞。这是疫苗接种的基础。该项目旨在通过研究B细胞形成或发挥作用所需的基因，了解B细胞如何转变为产生抗体的细胞。我们将研究免疫系统不活跃或过度活跃的动物，以找出产生抗体的过程中哪一部分出了问题。利用这些信息，我们希望最终能够研究人类体内产生抗体细胞的疾病（如过敏、哮喘、风湿性关节炎和白血病），从而能够确定问题的确切原因，并提出治疗方案。这一信息也可用于改善疫苗接种的结果，当需要增强抗体反应时。

This program brings together a team of researchers from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to study how the body regulates antibody production to fight disease. Antibodies are made by B-cells and are essential for a functional immune system. B cells circulate in the body, searching for signs of infection. When they encounter an invader, they mature, with the help of other immune cells, into antibody-producing cells. A small proportion of the cells are set aside as _memory� cells that can rapidly become antibodyproducing cells should the same infection occur again in the future. This is the basis of vaccination. This program aims to understand how a B cell changes into an antibody-producing cell, by studying the genes that are known to be required for the cells to form, or to do their work. We will study animals whose immune systems are under- or over-active, to find out what part of the antibody-producing process is faulty. Using this information, we hope eventually to be able to study diseases of antibody producing cells in humans (as occur in allergy, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and leukaemia), to be able to identify the precise cause of the problem, and to suggest a therapy. This information may also be used to improve the outcome of vaccination where an enhanced antibody response is desired.