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ERC Consolidator Grant for Prof. Dr. Carolyn King
Long-lasting protection against lung infections
Tuberculosis claims more lives than any other infectious disease. It is known that CD4 T cells play a central role in the immune response to tuberculosis, but efforts to target these cells has not yet delivered a successful vaccine candidate. Currently, the only vaccine in use is 100 years old.
Professor Carolyn King from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel is taking a more holistic approach in her research. Her work suggests that CD4 T cells that interact with B cells in the lungs have a better chance of providing long-lasting protection against lung infections. In her project, the immunologist aims to establish a new, complementary perspective on TB, using pioneering new technology to elucidate the function that antibodies and tissue-resident B cells play in infection.
Carolyn King joined the University of Basel’s Department of Biomedicine in 2016 as an SNSF Professor. From October 2022, she will continue her research as a professor at the University of Lausanne.