Alvaro Roberto Hernandez

PhD thesis: TBC

CD8 T cells are a type of white blood cell that can recognise and kill infected, cancerous, or damaged cells. However, they can sometimes malfunction and attack healthy cells and tissues, contributing to the development of certain diseases. One of these diseases is traumatic brain injury, which is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. Evidence coming from mouse and rat studies suggests that after a traumatic brain injury, CD8 T cells act to aggravate the severity of the injury. However, how CD8 T cells promote the development of pathology after a traumatic brain injury remains unknown. During my PhD, I will investigate what is the mechanism by which CD8 T cells achieve this. In particular, I will determine whether the clonal expansion of CD8 T cells worsens the severity of traumatic brain injury or not.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

Ever since a biologic saved the life of a close family member, I became driven to pursue biomedical research. Then, during my second year of university, I decided to focus on neurological diseases for two reasons. Firstly, I became fascinated by the interplay between the nervous and immune systems. Secondly, I learned that neurological diseases are a massive burden worldwide but lack effective treatments. By researching traumatic brain injury from a neuroimmunology perspective, I will be immersed in a field I find fascinating and, more importantly, will contribute towards understanding a condition that affects millions of people annually and lacks effective treatments.