Peter Eggenhuizen: Autoantigen-specific T regulatory cells halt the progression of lupus nephritis

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. Autoantigen-specific Tregs are known to potently and specifically suppress autoimmunity, indicating their potential to be engineered as a cell-based therapy for autoimmune diseases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its more severe manifestation, lupus nephritis (LN) are associated with auto-reactivity to the Smith (Sm) antigen and HLA-linked to DR15. This work identifies dominant Sm epitopes and Sm-specific T cell receptors (TCRs), which were engineered onto Tregs to make them Sm specific.  This presentation shows the development of Sm-specific Tregs as a potential cell-based therapy for LN.

Peter Eggenhuizen is a research fellow in the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia and co-inventor of the immune tolerance platform in the Treg cell therapies laboratory. Using the insight that antigen-specific Tregs could be used to treat autoimmune diseases, Peter developed the sequence of methodologies for receptor discovery and characterisation, and engineering Treg cell-based therapies for autoimmune diseases like lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune kidney diseases. Peter is passionate about improving treatment outcomes for autoimmune disease patients.