Breakthrough in understanding the genetic basis of immune responses

A US research team with significant involvement from MedUni Vienna has analysed the molecular structures of human T cells, providing an unprecedentedly detailed description of how the immune system works. The results, which have now been published in the top journal "Nature", could help to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapies and find new approaches for the future treatment of a variety of diseases such as autoimmune diseases or cancer. Ralf Schmidt from MedUni Vienna was one of the lead authors of the study. During their research, the scientists delved deep into the DNA of T cells. They identified certain nucleotides - the basic units of genetic information in the DNA - that influence how immune cells react to stimuli. In total, they analysed more than 100,000 such components in almost 400 genes that control essential functions of human T cells. Nucleotides serve as a code for the construction of proteins in cells.