The funded project will investigate the role of lipid-mediated T cell responses in breaking immune tolerance. By exploring how lipid antigens generated during Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection contribute to autoimmune disorders, Dr Yi-Ling Chen hopes to bridge a gap in our understanding of immune recognition that diverges from principles governing peptide presentation, and uncover new treatment strategies
Using human tonsil organoids and patient samples from individuals affected by post-streptococcal disease, the team will harness advanced immunological and lipidomic technologies, a strong collaborative network and established in-house platforms to identify fundamental molecular mechanisms and new therapeutic targets that could prevent or mitigate autoimmune complications, amidst a global rise in GAS infection“I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive the ERC Starting Grant to support this research.
This award marks a significant milestone of my scientific development and provides a unique opportunity to explore fundamental and translational questions in T cell immunology and lipid antigen recognition,” said Yi-Ling. “I would like to thank my mentors, my team, collaborators, colleagues, friends and family, whose support has been instrumental in the success of this proposal, as well as the COI Career Development Fellowship opportunity, which has enabled this achievement. I look forward to the discoveries ahead and contributing to the field and to patient benefit.”
About the COI Career Development Fellowship
A Career Development Fellowship (CDF) at the CAMS Oxford Institute (COI) provides a key stepping stone in progressing from a postdoctoral position to an independent group leader. CDFs are expected to establish a productive research team, generate high-quality outputs, and contribute positively to the COI community, while developing leadership skills. Each CDF is supported by a senior affiliate mentor and leads an independent research programme aligned with the COI’s immunology focus and departmental strengths.
About the ERC
The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. Since November 2021, Maria Leptin is the President of the ERC. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe programme, under the responsibility of European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva.
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