Dr. Renan V. H. de Carvalho is defining the mechanisms that enable B cells to mature into long-lived antibody-producing immune cells.
Long-lived plasma B cells (LLPCs) are antibody-secreting machines generated after both infections and vaccines. These essential cells play important roles in long-lasting, protective immunity. During an immune response, thousands of different versions, or clones, of these cells arise and undergo multiple rounds of selection. The majority die, but a few are selected to become long-lived, and the determinants and bottlenecks that define the final composition of the long-lived cells remain unknown.
Dr. de Carvalho hypothesizes that certain LLPC clones are already “imprinted” with a program that confers a significant advantage towards longevity. Not only would defining this prorgram lead to better vaccination strategies (especially for HIV and other infectious diseases), but it could also contribute to a better understanding of lymphomas and plasma cell cancers like multiple myeloma. Ultimately, Dr. de Carvalho aims to answer these outstanding questions and improve our understanding of the fundamental rules that lead certain plasma cells to become long-lived antibody producers in order to improve therapies for cancer and other diseases.
Projects and Grants
Investigation of the rules governing plasma cell longevity
The Rockefeller University | Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma | 2023 | Gabriel Victora, PhD
