News
Press Releases
PUBLICATIONS RELEVANT TO SCIENCE OF THE THYMUS
Thymic cells and central tolerance
Thymic mimetic cells: tolerogenic masqueraders
A review article on how thymic mimetic cells develop and their role in establishing central tolerance to self-tissues.
Thymic epithelial cells co-opt lineage-defining transcription factors to eliminate autoreactive T cells
Paper from Diane Mathis’ lab identifying diverse thymic mimetic cells, the mechanisms underlying their development, and their role in promoting T cell tolerance. (This paper was the inspiration for starting Zag Bio.)
Projection of an immunological self shadow within the thymus by the aire protein
Paper from Diane Mathis’ lab showing that thymically imposed central tolerance controls autoimmunity.
Immunologic self-tolerance maintained by activated T cells expressing IL-2 receptor alpha-chains (CD25). Breakdown of a single mechanism of self-tolerance causes various autoimmune diseases
First definitive identification of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the demonstration that their depletion promotes a broad autoimmune phenotype, including insulitis. Sakaguchi was recently awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology for this discovery.
Type 1 Diabetes
In vitro-expanded antigen-specific regulatory T cells suppress autoimmune diabetes
Small numbers of antigen-specific Tregs slow, and even reverse, disease development in NOD mouse model of Type 1 diabetes.
Editing T cell repertoire by thymic epithelial cell-directed gene transfer abrogates risk of type 1 diabetes development
Demonstration that lentivirus-mediated ectopic expression of an insulin-derived peptide slow or prevent Type 1 diabetes development in NOD mice; evidence for bystander tolerance.
The insulin gene is transcribed in the human thymus and transcription levels correlated with allelic variation at the INS VNTR-IDDM2 susceptibility locus for type 1 diabetes
Demonstration that insulin expression level in the thymus inversely correlates with susceptibility to develop Type 1 diabetes.
