Thesis defense Feline Dijkgraaf | T cells in focus: formation and function of tissue-resident memory

12 January 2021      13.45     Leiden university

"When I first saw memory T cells patrol the skin… that was a eureka moment. We have developed technology to trace this type of immune cell live in human skin. Using a microscope we recorded the cells and their behavior. We also researched the development of memory T cells, which is how we found out that some precursor cells in the blood already seem to know that they will permanently move to the skin. This knowledge can help us develop vaccines and treatment for cancer. I reached my eureka moment after five years of research. Those moments are rare. I loved writing and thinking about my research the most. That’s why I decided to work in science communications: as of last summer I have been working as a scientific editor oncology for Elsevier.” Feline will defend her thesis on January 12.

The thesis:

T cells in focus: formation and function of tissue-resident memory.