PAW - University of Oxford (IDRM)

The network of thymic stromal cells provides essential niches with unique molecular cues controlling T-cell development and selection. Recent scRNAseq studies uncovered a large transcriptional heterogeneity among thymic epithelial cells (TEC). We deconvoluted by flow cytometry and machine learning known and novel TEC phenotypes and related these by CITEseq to the cells’ individual RNA profiles. This approach identified perinatal cTEC, located these cells within the thymus, displayed their dynamic development and revealed their exceptional efficiency to positively select thymocytes.

Following injury to the heart, millions of immune cells enter the blood. The greater the number of immune cells in the blood following a heart attack, the larger the heart attack and increased risk of mortality. This massive mobilisation is in part mediated by the release of nano-sized envelopes called extracellular vesicles. Naveed will share how proteins on the surface of extracellular vesicles act as an address to mediate across organ communication.