Pieces of a Puzzle: T Cell Activation

Talk Overview

Researchers are harnessing the power of the human immune system to create new treatments for challenging diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. In this video, meet one such researcher, Christopher Rudd, Ph.D., an immunologist whose seminal experiments in understanding how T cells respond to diseases in the immune system have led to the development of cancer immunotherapies.

Rudd was the first to identify the role of tyrosine kinases and phosphorylation cascades in the activation of T cells via the T cell receptor. His discovery has led to the development of many different therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells which are designed to treat and cure certain cancers.

The learning objectives for this film include:

1. Learn about the important role that T cells play in our immune response and how they get activated via the T cell receptor.
2. Gain insights into the thought process behind Rudd’s key biochemical experiments that determined the role of tyrosine kinases and phosphorylation in T cell activation.
3. Understand how uncovering the mechanics of T cell activation has led to the development of immunotherapies.

Speaker Bio

Christopher E. Rudd

Christopher E. Rudd, Ph.D. is a professor of medicine at the Université de Montréal where his research focuses on deciphering the signal transduction pathways in T-cells, and how these pathways control immune functions. He received his BSc from McGill University (Canada) and his Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees from University College London (UK).  Rudd began his… Continue Reading