The Human Immune System: How Do Our Bodies Defend Us from Pathogens, as well as from Ourselves?

The mycobacterium that causes tuberculosis infects one-third of world’s population. Despite our efforts, it remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and drug resistance is on the rise. Thus, there is a need for novel antibiotics that exploit new drug targets. My research focuses on the Mycobacterium marinum model of infection in zebrafish, which allows us to study the disease rapidly, safely, and at earlier stages of disease progression. We have discovered a mycobacterial gene we call TmID (pronounced 'timid'), which affects mycobacterial ability to survive in our bodies.

All the cells in our body contain thousands of molecular machines called proteins, which carry out almost all biological processes that are essential for life. Many diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration are caused when these protein machines go wrong. Scientists are developing new technologies to selectively destroy cellular proteins with the hope of understanding cell biology and curing disease.

The brain contains cells called “microglia” that can eat other cells. During development, microglia eat connections between nerve cells in order to sculpt the brain according to experience. Too little of this may result in autism, and too much: schizophrenia. During neurodegeneration, the microglia become hyperactive and eat whole nerve cells.