Richard Group

Richard Group
Richard Group
Arianne Richard
Tenure Track Group Leader
Richard Group

Research Summary

We aim to understand how T cells sense and integrate information from both infection and the physiological environment to generate appropriate immune responses.

T cells play a critical role in the immune system, fighting both infections and cancers. When a T cell first recognizes a pathogen, it is stimulated to multiply, and its daughter cells differentiate into specialized cell types. These differentiated cells include effector cells that fight the current infection and memory cells that defend against future reinfection. The ability to generate both of these responses is critical for a healthy immune system.

Differentiation outcomes are not uniform, but rather can differ in cell number and the balance of specialized cell types that differentiate. We are interested in the factors that influence differentiation outcomes, including the initial encounter with a pathogen and the interactions that T cells have with other cells and their environment as they move within lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs. A better understanding of these factors can ultimately inform the design of therapeutics that aim to achieve specific types of T cell responses, including vaccines and cancer immunotherapeutics.

Our work combines experimental models of infection with single-cell genomics and computational biology to investigate how pathogens and the immunological environment shape T cell responses.

We always welcome informal enquiries about opportunities within the lab.

 

Key Publications on Current Work

Divide and conquer: phenotypic and temporal heterogeneity within CS8 T cell responses

Open Access symbol

Richard AC
Frontiers in Immunology
PMID:35911755


 

Stimulation strength controls the rate of initiation but not the molecular organisation of TCR-induced signalling

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Ma CY, Marioni JC, Griffiths GM, Richard AC
eLife
PMID:32412411


 

T cell cytolytic activity is independent of initial stimulation strength

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Richard AC, Lun ATL, Lau WWY, Göttgens B, Marioni JC, Griffiths GM
Nature Immunology
PMID:30013148


Arianne's Publications on ORCID

Group Members

Arianne Richard

Tenure Track Group Leader

Caleb Cole

Visiting Student

Ross McKenzie

PhD Student

Andrew Muir

Postdoc Research Scientist

Veera Panova

Postdoc Research Scientist