A reverse genetics approach for the analysis of tetraspanin CD82

CD82 is a protein found on the surface of most cells in the body, including cells of the immune system. CD82 is well known from cancer studies, as it controls how cancer cells migrate from one part of the body to another, but what CD82 does normally in the immune system is poorly understood. I discovered that CD82 is critical for a healthy immune system as it controls inflammation and is needed to start an immune response. In the future CD82 may be a target to help treat not only cancer but diseases of the immune system such as inflammation.