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Lauren Ehrlich studies the development of immune cells called T cells and the implications of T cell leukemia, autoimmunity, and COVID-19. Her laboratory is currently collaborating with investigators and clinicians at Dell Medical School to investigate immune responses that correlate with the disease severity in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, she is studying the links between SARS-CoV-2 infection and autoimmunity. T cells are known to be master regulators of the adaptive immune system, essential for coordinating appropriate immune responses to pathogens and responsible for immunologic memory that protects against recurrent infections. T cells develop in the thymus, where they encounter a wide variety of stromal cells within a supportive microenvironment, collectively referred to as thymic stroma. The interactions between thymocytes and stromal cells are mutually dependent for proper development and maintenance. Deviations from normal thymocyte-stromal interactions are thought to contribute to diseases like T cell leukemia and autoimmunity, areas of significant importance in current immunology research.
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