Abstract

The elimination of pathogens and pathogen-infected cells initially rests on the rapid deployment of innate immune defences. Should these defences fail, it is the lymphocytes — T cells and B cells — with their antigen-specific receptors that must rise to the task of providing adaptive immunity. Technological advances are now allowing immunologists to correlate data obtained in vitro with in vivo functions. A better understanding of T-cell activation in vivo could lead to more effective strategies for the treatment and prevention of infectious and autoimmmune diseases.

1. Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA Email: ploegh@hms.harvard.edu
2. Present address: Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Suite 671, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA Email: Marianne_boes@hms.harvard.edu

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