Rafi Ahmed

The immune system can remember, sometimes for a lifetime, the identity of a pathogen and respond with much greater vigor upon re-encounter with the same microbe. This immunological memory is the defining characteristic of the adaptive immune response and forms the basis of vaccination against infectious diseases. The major focus of my research is to understand the mechanisms by which immune memory is generated and maintained and how memory cells are created. Our goal is to define the cellular and molecular basis of T and B cell memory and to use this knowledge to develop vaccines that will confer long-term protective immunity. We are also studying the mechanisms of T cell dysfunction during chronic viral infections and developing immune strategies for the treatment of chronic infections.