Rachel Friedman

Dr. Friedman’s lab seeks to understand how T cell pathogenesis and tolerance are controlled at the autoimmune disease site in the pancreatic islets during type 1 diabetes. Dr. Friedman is particularly interested in understanding how interactions between T cells and other cells of the immune system alter the T cell response. The Friedman lab has expertise in in vivo and intra-vital imaging. Using these techniques and others, they work to elucidate the dynamics of the immune response during autoimmunity. Their studies have shown that mononuclear phagocytes in the islets during type 1 diabetes have multiple roles. They can serve as instigators that make T cells more pathogenic, peacekeepers that control the T cell response, and gatekeepers that facilitate entry of T cells into the islets. The Friedman lab is actively working to understand how mononuclear phagocytes mediate these multifaceted roles in regulating T cells in the islets. They are also working to determine how other cells of the immune system alter the T cell response in the islets. Dr. Friedman’s long-term goals are to identify mechanisms that control autoimmune T cell-mediated destruction of beta cells in type 1 diabetes, and to create therapeutics to disrupt these mechanisms.