Recent breakthrough in immunity

Pin-pointing the genetic origins of immune tolerance

Researchers at the Children's Research Centre are the first in the world to have identified all of the genes necessary for immune tolerance, an achievement acknowledged by the Faculty of 1000 as a landmark contribution to the field of immunology. Studies undertaken by the Autoimmune Diseases Stream have uncovered the molecular basis of human FOXP3, the gene responsible for the formation and function of regulatory T cells, known as the "policemen" of the immune system. Being able to isolate all of the genes that are essential for regulatory T cell function has significantly advanced current efforts to remedy the defective genes that cause autoimmune disease in all of its forms.