IRT Group

Research Lines

The following sections summarize the main areas being developed by the IRTGroup.

Identification of immunodominant epitopes in autoimmune diseases.

The aim of this research line is to identify and characterize immunodominant T cell epitopes that elicit immune responses associated to different autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Use of tolerogenic dendritic cells to restore self-tolerance in autoimmunity.

It is now clear that dendritic cells (DCs) can be not only immunogenic but also tolerogenic (TolDCs). In particular, immature and semi-mature DCs have been found to have tolerogenic properties, and to induce regulatory CD4+ T cells, becoming in a promising tool to control T cell-mediated autoimmunity.

Immune modulation by regulatory B cells (Bregs) in autoimmune diseases

Our laboratory is dedicated to unraveling the mechanisms involved in the activation of Bregs in their interaction with their target cells, as well as the study of the alterations that these cells present in patients with autoimmune diseases of the rheumatological field, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis.