Welcome to the Streeck Laboratory!
We study CD4 T cell responses and the role they play during HIV-infection, with an eye towards how these responses may be manipulated for an HIV vaccine.
HIV-1 preferentially infects CD4+ T helper cells, which play a crucial role in the orchestration of the immune system. The main function of CD4+ T helper cells is to direct and focus immune responses to maximize anti-pathogenic processes, while suppressing non-essential immune responses. In particular, the efficiency of CD4+ T cell help has been strongly associated with the efficacy of virus-specific CD8+ T cell function. Understanding exactly how CD4+ T helper cells coordinate the immune system and respond to immune challenges are likely crucial to the development of an effective HIV vaccine.
New studies from our laboratory demonstrate that HIV-1-specific CD4+ T helper responses are able to critically improve HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells in their functionality but also to successfully inhibit viral replication. For more information, please see our Research and Publications pages.







