Defining pathogen sensing in human skin-derived dendritic cells

Lucy's research aims to define the virus-host interactions that are responsible for HIV evasion of innate immune responses in primary human skin- and vaginal mucosal-derived dendritic cells, with a view to understanding the molecular details of events that determine HIV transmission at mucosal surfaces. Lucy aims to characterise the host and viral factors that determine HIV permissibility, and the pathways that lead to activation of the innate immune response at the single-cell level. She will investigate ways to manipulate these interactions to enhance the innate immune response with the aim of better priming a specific adaptive response and suggesting approaches to prevent viral transmission. Her main sponsor for this Fellowship is Professor Greg Towers (UCL), and she will also be working with Professor Vincent Piguet (University of Cardiff) and Professor Teunis Geijtenbeek (University of Amsterdam).