Research / Clinical
Summary
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Diseases/Research Topics
Cancer, Differentiation, T Cell, TNF, TNFR, Tumor, Survival
T cells are instrumental to many immune responses and form a key barrier to effective tumor control. Activation, differentiation, and survival of T cells are largely controlled by events that take place during direct cell-cell interactions with antigen-presenting cells (APC).
Dr. Croft's laboratory is investigating the membrane bound molecules and secreted cytokines that are critical for these events. The research in this laboratory is concerned with a number of protein molecules that are members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family. These molecules are expressed by T lymphocytes and may be crucial for the effective development and function of these cells. The molecules that are being studied most extensively are named OX40, 4-1BB, LIGHT, and Lymphotoxin.
Data from this laboratory has shown that signals from these molecules control the activities and long-term survival of T cells. Specifically, these molecules may be absolutely essential for inducing immunity. Dr. Croft and his colleagues are investigating the role of these molecules in several diseases including asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and also cancer. Specifically, research is being conducted to determine whether inhibiting the activities of the molecules can reduce the response of T lymphocytes and be potential targets for therapeutic intervention in asthma, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
In addition to being therapeutically useful for blocking the so-called autoimmune diseases, another line of research is investigating whether reagents which can stimulate these molecules can be used to increase natural immune responses. This is particularly important for diseases such as cancer in which T cells do not function strongly against the growing tumor. OX40, 4-1BB, LIGHT, and Lymphotoxin are tremendous targets for manipulating the immune response and their therapeutic potential is great.
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