APP/PS1 mice received different immunisation cocktails, 2 of which successfully amplified Aβ specific regulatory T cells. Importantly, an equal number of male and female mice were assessed to account for potential sex differences. Strikingly, amplification of Aβ specific Treg in response to vaccination protocols revealed an unexpected sexual dimorphism. The mechanism by which these T cells become polarised to a Treg lineage specifically in one sex remains unclear and needs further examination. Subsequent analyses revealed that T cells do enter the mice brain in all vaccination groups tested, although these populations were much less abundant than in the lymph nodes from the periphery. Successful vaccinal generation of Aβ specific Treg however did not have the expected impact on Aβ plaque load. These results have not been published yet, but the data produced during the Action have been used as anchoring evidence for grant applications to support future research avenues.
Additionally, the results have been disseminated in internal meetings in the host institution including: 1) in laboratory meetings of prof Marina Lynch group, 2) Glia Club (a monthly gathering of researchers and students from Physiology, Biochemistry and Immunology departments in Trinity College Dublin). The project was also presented externally during a seminar at the Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology in Sophia-Antipolis, France and discussed with researchers at international conferences in 2019 including Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases Congress in Lisbon, Portugal and BNA2019 Festival of Neuroscience in Dublin, Ireland. In collaboration with another MSCA fellow, I have also founded a local network “NeuroInflammation Network Dublin” joined by researchers across all universities in Dublin with similar research interests. The project was also communicated to lay audiences as follow: 1) I designed and facilitated an outreach activity titled: “The immune system fights against Alzheimer’s disease” during the "Science is Wonder-ful!-European Researchers' Night event in Brussels in September 2018, 2) I coordinated and organised a total of 5 workshops for the association Native Scientist, showcasing my research to over French-speaking 120 pupils from 6 to 12 years old leaving in Dublin.
