T cells and bacteria: Friends and Foes
Interactions between the host and its microbiota influence many aspects of immunity, including responses of T cells against infection and cancer. Sammy will discuss the impact of the microbiota on T cell differentiation and memory, outlining a role of microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids in promoting oxidative metabolism and stemness of CD8+ T cells and effector function CD4+ T cells, and will examine their relevance in cancer, infection and immunopathology.

Sammy’s research seeks to advance our understanding of how immune responses are initiated, tailored to the specific conditions associated with a given infections or disease, and eventually tuned down when the initial threat is overcome. While his work focusses on the fundamental underlying principles, ongoing efforts seek to apply these insights to the development of better therapies against infections and cancer. Specific areas include DC function in infection and immunity, molecular signal integration by DC and how these signals are decoded by T cells, cell death regulation during infections by myeloid cells and T cells, the relationship between the microbiome, its metabolites and T cell immunity.
Date: 17 July 2025, 13:00
Venue: NDM Building, Headington OX3 7FZ
Venue Details: NDMRB Seminar Rooom
Speaker: Prof. Sammy Bedoui (Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity)
Organising department: Centre for Medicines Discovery
Organiser: Prof. Paul Brennan (Centre for Medicines Discovery)
Host: Prof. Paul Brennan (Centre for Medicines Discovery)
Part of: NDM Research Building Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Stephanie Deacon