Laurent Gapin
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, CO·Microbiology & Immunology
Most T cells, the immune system's targeted attackers, recognize protein fragments displayed on MHC molecules. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells work differently.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Genetics
- Topics
MAIT cells
mucosal-associated invariant T cells
innate-like T cells
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Mar 2028
What they work on
- Define how the transcription factors PLZF and Helios maintain human MAIT cell identity by selectively degrading each with the molecular glues CC-647 and DKY-709, then profiling gene expression and chromatin state.
- Determine how PLZF and Helios control MAIT cell effector readiness, tissue homing and metabolic restraint, using metabolic and functional assays on primary human MAIT cells and related innate-like lymphocytes.
- Generate and characterize the MAIT-Boost Knock-In mouse, in which Trav1 and Traj33 replace Trav19 and Traj56, measuring MAIT cell frequency, tissue distribution and function while preserving natural T-cell receptor diversity.
- Assess how the MBKI edits affect T-cell receptor alpha rearrangement and other subsets such as gamma delta T cells and iNKT cells, and test whether more MAIT cells improve melanoma tumor control.
More about the research
They recognize small molecules made by microbes, presented by a molecule called MR1, and they are not restricted by MHC. They respond quickly, settle in tissues, and help with infection control, cancer immunity and tissue maintenance. These features make them candidates for universal, "off-the-shelf" cell therapies. Two projects ask what keeps MAIT cells in their characteristic state in humans, and how to study them in mice, where they are naturally rare.
Why it matters
MAIT cells could serve as the basis of universal cell therapies for infection, cancer and immune-mediated diseases. Learning how PLZF and Helios control their fitness could help researchers engineer MAIT cells that last longer and work better in patients. A mouse with naturally higher MAIT cell numbers would provide a realistic system for testing such strategies, including in melanoma.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Antonia Rotolo
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Microbiology & Immunology
Generate optimized CAR-iNKT cells for solid tumors by pairing high-performing variants of the natural iNKT cell receptor (iTCR) with chimeric antigen receptor constructs that redirect the cells to tumor markers.
Shelton Wright
University of Washington, WA·Microbiology & Immunology·Early-career
Determine the role of gamma-delta T cells, mucosa-enriched T cells that respond rapidly like innate immune cells, in driving lung inflammation during pulmonary melioidosis in vivo.
Peter Aidan Savage
University of Chicago, IL·Microbiology & Immunology
Define the biophysical and structural basis by which T cell receptors from regulatory and conventional CD4+ T cells recognize the same self-peptide displayed on MHC class II, testing whether a more centered binding mode increases signaling sensitivity.
The school
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus: 41 labs on PI Pages, $766M a year on research, 205 research doctorates a year.
More about University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
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