The department is particularly interested in the role of the immune system to fight cancer.
Much effort is spent to better understand the function of the cells comprising the immune system.
Cells of the immune system are characterized by their capacity to rapidly migrate throughout the tissues and to make brief interactions with numerous cell types. For this purpose they are equipped with a variety of adhesion receptors which belong to large multimeric protein complexes at the cell surface that mediate cell contact and communication. To get more insight in the mechanisms that control these cell functions we investigate the molecules after isolating them from cells, or by mutating the cDNA's that encode these proteins and analyzing cells expressing these proteins after cDNA transfection. Questions asked With these tools we aim to get detailed insight in the dynamics of receptor-ligand interactions, particularly those involved in cell adhesion. Employing novel advanced microscopical techniques we aim to study single molecules at the cell surface or after isolation from cells.