Shiguang Yu, Ph.D.

Autoimmune diseases arise when the immune system reacts against self tissues or organs. Low activity or dysfunction of T regulatory cells can cause autoimmune diseases. Dr. Yu’s recent work demonstrated that T regulatory cells make B cell deficient mice resistant to autoimmune disease. The goal of this study is to test whether the depletion of B cells inhibits autoimmune disease by increasing T regulatory cell activity. The information derived from this study will provide clues for modulating the activity and number of T regulatory cells to inhibit autoimmune diseases.