One function of T-cells is to scan other cells of the body for diseases. No action is taken if a cell is found to be healthy, but if the T-cell detects a disease, an immune reaction needs to take place. The problem in a malfunctioning immune system is that no adequate action is taken against sick cells (for example, cancer cells), or that there is an overreaction to harmless substances (for example, common allergens like pollen).

In this research project, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford and Dr Bernhard Knapp, a former researcher at Oxford who has recently joined UIC Barcelona as a lecturer, investigated the contribution of single amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) to the recognition process of T-cells. For this purpose, experimental techniques as well as computational bioinformatics research tools were used. The findings indicate that the recognition pattern varies and different T-cell receptors recognise the same surface receptor on another body cell in very specific ways. The comparison between two different scanning processes between T-cell receptor (orange) and the surface receptor of another cell (white) is shown in red and blue in the figure below.

Understanding the molecular details of this interaction process will potentially lead to the discovery and development of new drugs in a wide variety of diseases such allergies, cancer and viral infections.