Background:
The intestinal tract is constantly challenged with foreign but innocuous food particles. Tolerance to these antigens is an active process that involves several immune cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and T cells. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to contribute to tolerance of ingested antigens in mice as well as in preventing intestinal inflammation in humans. Failure of tolerance mechanisms can lead to an overactive immune system and food allergies.

Project:
We are looking for a motivated student to carry out in vitro co-cultures between T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) from different tissues/knockout mice and/or pre-treated in different conditions in order to see what can affect intestinal T cell IL-10 production. The project would include the following techniques:

1. Sterile work with primary mouse cells
2. Flow cytometry
3. qPCR
4. ELISA of cell culture supernatants
5. Isolation of cells from mouse intestine

Prerequisites:
1. At least a 3-month commitment.
2. Field of study related to cellular/molecular biology.
3. Previous experience with sterile technique preferred but not required.