Caitlin O'Brien-Ball

I initially completed an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences where I quickly developed an interest in immunology, which lead me to apply for a DPhil based at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in the lab of Professor Simon Davis. During my studies there, I used fluorescence and super-resolution microscopy to study early signalling events in T and B cells, in particular, studying the stoichiometry of their immune receptors and the role of ZAP-70 in T cell interactions with model antigen presenting cells.

My current research in the RAF lab focusses on understanding inhibitory signalling in T cells, and how this might be modulated using new protein tools called RIPRs (receptor inhibition by phosphatase recruitment), which can specifically dephosphorylate cell surface receptors. I will be testing how RIPR molecules work, how we can improve them, and how they might be used to prevent or reverse T cell exhaustion.

I was previously chair of the Oxford Immunology Group and enjoy organising and participating in events for the wider immunology community.