Analyzing T-Cell Ion Channels to Understand Immune Cell Variations
From July 2021 I have been conducting research about T-cells (immune cells) and how they change with relation to ion channels. My research has been evaluating how viruses can use ion channels to increase the chance of survival in host-cells. Specifically, I have focused on SARS-CoV-2 and two of their specific proteins (envelope and membrane).
The idea is that since virus have the ability to create and change ion channels in cells, they may be able to manipulate the immune response for cells. To do this, I implemented cell models that incorporated potassium, sodium, and calcium ion channels. These models allowed me to simulate and analyze the ion flow within T-cells, providing insight on how the cell reacts with different changes.
As of now, my research is progressing towards paper publication. This will help alert more people of the research and hopefully use the findings from the paper to guide future work.