Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Caitlin O'Brien-Ball

Oxford-BMS Research Fellow

Research Background and Interests

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.