Professor Carola Vinuesa’s research has contributed to understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. She defined the nature of T cell help for B-cells, establishing that follicular helper T (TFH) cells, rather than TH2-cells, are required for antibody production. She also discovered that TFH dysregulation causes autoimmunity, and that TFH cell function is modulated by a unique subset of regulatory T-cells: TFR cells. More recently she uncovered an important role for rare coding gene variants in human systemic autoimmunity.
Professor Vinuesa’s TFH/TFR discoveries are being translated into improving vaccination, eliminating HIV reservoirs, preventing transplant rejection, and treating autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, cancer and allergies.