Understanding the role of regulatory T cells in tissue repair and regeneration

Regulatory T cells, or Tregs, which are an anti-inflammatory immune cell subset, play a key role in tissue healing after injury. In this project, we characterised the role of Tregs in multiple mouse injury models, including bone, muscle and skin injuries. We found that delivering Tregs into injured mouse tissues accelerated their healing, by producing anti-inflammatory factors that promoted macrophages to switch to a pro-repair state. Treg delivery also reduced the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the injured tissue. Overall, this demonstrated the potential of using Tregs as a novel cell-based therapy to improve tissue repair and regeneration.