Molecular mechanisms controlling polarised secretion at the immunological synapse

Gillian has pioneered the use of cytotoxic T lymphocytes from patients with genetic disorders to study cell biology in a specialised cell type. Through an integrated approach combining genetic, biochemical and imaging approaches, her lab has shown that immune cells use lysosomes as secretory organelles, that the centrosome has a unique role in driving formation of the immune synapse, and that Hedgehog signalling is important for this. Her long-term vision is to understand the molecular mechanisms that control polarised secretion from cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and how these fit together to ensure accurate delivery to the immunological synapse.