Developmental Immunology
Yuan Group
Our research
Our research addresses important gaps in our knowledge of how nature and nurture shape the formation of a complex and balanced immune system with important implications in life-long health and the origin of B cell cancers.
Our lab has previously identified a critical regulator of fetal lymphopoiesis, LIN28B, that endows hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to regenerate a wider array of B cell subsets compared to their adult counterparts. Building on this work, we are currently working to peel back the layers of the adult B cell repertoire to resolve the division of labour among ontogenically distinct B cell subsets in health and disease. We are particularly interested in exploring the unique properties of neonatally induced B cell memory in the context of immune imprinting and long-term immune homeostasis. Furthermore, we seek to understand the molecular and environmental forces that shape early life immune cell output.
To this end, we have developed an extensive genetic toolkit aimed at establishing causality between developmental and immunological events disparate in time. These include 1) lineage tracing models that stratify the adult B cell compartment based on developmental origin 2) models in which critical effector functions are impaired specifically in B cells of neonatal origin 3) models with various perturbations of the fetal RNA-binding protein LIN28B. These in combination with antigen receptor repertoire analyses, immunization strategies, and cancer models provide a unique path to understand how early life derived B cells can be targeted or leveraged for improved vaccination strategies and immunotherapies.
List of Team Yuan's publications
Team
(name linked to profile in Lund University research portal)
Joan Yuan
Principal Investigator, Joan [dot] Yuan [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Elena Boldrin
Postdoc, elena [dot] boldrin [at] med [dot] lu [dot] serel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
Stefano Vergani
Postdoc, Stefano [dot] Vergani [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Niklas Krausse
PhD student, Niklas [dot] Krausse [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Selene Sodini
PhD student, Selene [dot] Sodini [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Hugo Åkerstrand
PhD student, Hugo [dot] Akerstrand [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Giorgia Montano
Research Engineer, Giorgia [dot] Montano [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
Karin Olsson
Research Engineer, Karin [dot] Olsson [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se
JOAN YUAN
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
Division of Molecular Hematology
Phone: +46 46 222 04 30
Email: Joan [dot] Yuan [at] med [dot] lu [dot] setarget="_self"