Prof. Paul Klenerman, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford
Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a highly abundant human T cell subset with an unusual phenotype and a range of potential functions in host defence and inflammation. In this talk I will discuss some aspects of “classical” and “non-classical” triggering of these T cells and what we have learned about the different roles they play in vivo, with a focus on viral infections. MAIT cells are one of a range of related unconventional T cell subsets which are enriched in human epithelial tissues and I will introduce some of the common features MAITs share with their “mates”.