Jonggul John Kim, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Once a T cell recognizes its target, a cancer cell for example, a series of reactions occurs to activate the T cell. This includes the grouping together of molecules that form a microscopic cellular structure known as a LAT cluster. Disrupting the formation of these clusters inhibits T cell activation, indicating that they are important for T cell function. Now, Dr. Jonggul Kim is taking things a step further and determining if the properties of these clusters could be manipulated to enhance T cell activation. In this way, his long-term goal is to provide new design templates for future immunotherapies that change the cellular organization of immune cells.

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