Immune Immune Booster #14: In the eye of immune responses with Darren Lee
Jul 8, 2025
Darren Lee, a researcher from UMass Chan Medical School, specializes in ocular immunology and real-time visualization of immune responses in the eye. He discusses the eye's unique ability to manage immune privilege, enabling acceptance of foreign grafts. The role of regulatory T cells in autoimmune uveitis is a focal point, as Lee explains their importance in regulating inflammation. He also shares insights on networking and storytelling for scientists, illustrating how early curiosity shaped his career in immunology.
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Visualizing Eye Immune Responses
- Darren Lee got interested in immunology during a postdoc focused on ocular immunology after graduate studies in yeast genetics.
- He visualized Tregs entering and persisting in the eye during inflammation, revealing immune responses in real time.
Eye's Unique Immune Privilege
- The eye is an immune privileged site, evolved to avoid inflammation which would damage vision vital for survival.
- Immune cells in the eye promote ocular homeostasis by surveilling and maintaining tolerance, not by absence of immunity.
Treg Subsets Control Eye Inflammation
- Different Treg subsets work to chase out inflammation and prevent relapses in autoimmune uveitis.
- Some patients have defects making these Tregs, possibly explaining chronic uveitis and potential remission states.