Karoliina Tuomela

I joined the Levings Lab at UBC as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2022 after completing a PhD at the University of Manchester studying immune cell-cancer cell interactions in the context of radiotherapy. Throughout my career, I have been especially interested in understanding cell-cell interactions, mechanisms of immune cell function, and how the balance of inflammation and tolerance is regulated. Overall, my primary aim is to use basic immunology discoveries to advance translational cell therapy research.

My current work is focussed on improving the efficacy of regulatory T cell therapy for use in autoimmunity and transplantation. In both contexts, conventional approaches to immunosuppression can have a profoundly negative impact on patient well-being, leaving individuals susceptible to side-effects ranging from infection to cancer. Regulatory T cell therapy is a more targeted alternative to conventional immunosuppression with the potential for fewer side-effects and maintenance of long-term immune tolerance.

My work in this area has been generously funded by fellowships from JDRF Canada, the Stem Cell Network, the Canucks for Kids Fund Childhood Diabetes Laboratories, and CIHR.