The composition of memory T cell pools change dramatically over time in terms of their phenotype, function, and anatomical distribution. However, we have little understanding of the implications of these changes for T cell immunity.

To address this issue, we are investigating the function and efficacy of different memory CD8+ T cells subsets in vivo (using an adoptive transfer approach) and the mechanisms underlying the phenotypic switches that occur in memory T cell pools.

We also plan to identify defects that accumulate in memory CD8+ T cell populations with increasing time.