Tools development: Illuminating antigen presenters

Through antigen presentation, naïve T cells get instructions to acquire a certain fate.  However, antigen presentation also allows activated T cells to act and instruct specific antigen presenters. Thus, antigen presentation is the beating heart of adaptive immunity, allowing ongoing cross-talk between multiple cell types to achieve immunity and tissue adaptation. 

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Which APCs instruct T cells? Which APCs are instructed by T cells? 

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While tools to allow monitoring of specific T cell responses were invented 20 years ago and revolutionized our understanding of adaptive immunity, identifying which APC presents specific peptides, at the single cell level is still out of reach.

Combining an engineering approach and biochemistry with single-cell RNA sequencing technologies, the Kedmi laboratory aims to develop a method for detecting specific antigen presenters. We believe that with this in hand, we will be able to address fundamental questions in the field of antigen presentation.