Throughout the four summer schools, the ESRs deepened their knowledge of T cell immunology and were introduced to data resources and bioinformatic tools for analysing diverse Big Data sets related to T cells. They gained an understanding of the translational processes involved in taking a drug from discovery to market approval. They were also informed about various career options.
ESRs were equipped with a broad range of technologies relevant to their individual projects, including multi-colour flow cytometry, murine models, various in vivo and in vitro techniques, advanced bioinformatics methods such as programming in R, and imaging technologies.
Key regulatory mechanisms of TRM cells have been identified. It was shown that B cells shape the T cell receptor repertoire, thereby reducing self-reactivity. Epigenetic changes were found to influence TRM cell function in the gut, while HDAC1/2 was found to modulate TRM cell seeding. An intrinsic ageing signature was found in colonic memory T cells to be independent of external factors. The development of TRM cells in the lung was mapped, and a method to assess their metabolic wiring was developed.
The TRM cells associated with human diseases were characterised in the liver, gut, pancreas, and lung. Distinct T cell signatures were identified in response to checkpoint inhibitors. It was found that inflammatory and inhibitory programmes in gut TRM cells were linked to treatment outcomes. The immune architecture of the lungs was analysed, as was the memory formation therein, and platforms were developed to study immune modulators. These findings revealed disease-related features of TRM cells and potential therapeutic targets.
New bioinformatics tools and machine learning approaches were developed to facilitate multi-omics data integration and analysis. These tools allowed sensitive single-cell data integration, T cell receptor motif inference, and improved ATAC-seq workflows. Gene expression prediction and immune QTL mapping were also carried out. Several immune cell atlases were generated, covering topics such as autoimmune diseases, immunotherapy, healthy ageing, and pathogen responses. These outputs produced valuable datasets and tools for studying immune regulation.
The ESRs disseminated their findings by publishing scientific papers and presenting them at numerous conferences and symposia.
