Mechanisms of fate determination and fate inheritance in progeny of stimulated lymphocytes

Adaptive immunity is critical to human health and relies on the controlled proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of lymphocytes in order to generate a targeted, appropriate and effective immune response to threats such as infection or cancer. Using a combination of computational and biological techniques, Hodgkin laboratory has demonstrated that lymphocytes incorporate many different signals when they are activated to program their respective fate outcomes. These cellular fates are transmitted with high fidelity to the progeny of the initial founding lymphocyte population. The mechanisms by which lymphocytes inherit these fates are poorly understood. With the in vitro systems and computational approaches developed in Hodgkin laboratory, we aim to identify cellular and molecular markers to provide insight into this process. This will inform our computational models for predicting lymphocyte behaviour. A greater understanding of this fundamental biological process will help us better utilise existing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and may inform the development of novel technologies to help patients with immune and haematological diseases.