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Dr. Rafi Ahmed, a member of the National Academy of Science, is a world-renowned immunologist whose works during the past decades have been highly influential in shaping our current understanding of memory T cell differentiation and anti-viral T and B cell immunity. His works pioneer the study of T cell memory and exhaustion. The long-term goal of Dr. Ahmed's research is to understand the mechanisms of B and T cell immunological memory and to use this information to develop new vaccines for the prevention and treatment of disease.
In recent years, significant advancements have been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying T cell exhaustion, a state of immune dysfunction that arises in response to persistent antigen stimulation in chronic viral infections and cancers. Dr. Rafi Ahmed’s pioneering research has been instrumental in unraveling the molecular and cellular pathways governing exhausted T cells, particularly the roles of the immune checkpoint molecules in dampening their functionality.
In this seminar, Dr. Ahmed will present his latest findings on T cell exhaustion, highlighting recent advances in immunotherapeutic interventions designed to reinvigorate or manipulate these cells. He will discuss what defines T cell exhaustion, the developmental pathway of stem-like and terminal exhausted T cells, and the novel strategies to enhance anti-viral and anti-tumor T-cell immunity.