| Abstract: | ["If cells in our bodies are infected by viruses, or become cancerous, then killer cells of the immune system identify and destroy the affected cells. Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are very precise and efficient killers. They are able to destroy infected or cancerous cells, without destroying healthy cells surrounding them. By using cutting-edge imaging, molecular, genetic and biochemical techniques the Griffiths lab aims to uncover the mechanisms controlling secretion of lytic proteins from CTL and natural killer (NK) cells. Their work is aimed to develop ways to control these 'killer' cells and find when killer cells run amok and attack healthy cells in our bodies. Clinical collaborations focus on Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (FHL), a disease in which secretion of lytic proteins from CTLs and NK cells is disrupted, and the cells fail to kill. The lab is part of the Infection, Immunity and Immunophenotyping (3i) consortium with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Kings College London, Oxford and Manchester."] |
