 The mouse immune system is remarkably similar to that of humans and in fact much of what we know about immunology comes from a stunning mice. So our immune system is effectively a multitude of white blood cells that act to protect us from infection and it can also be harnessed to defend us from cancer. What my lab seeks to understand is how it is that these cells get mobilized into action. Once we understand this we can also try to manipulate it and that means designing better vaccines against infectious organisms better harnessing the potential of immune cells in the fight against cancer. Unlike all the other organs in the human body the immune system is dispersed and in order to understand that dynamic conversation between these immune cells we need to use a living organism. The beauty of working with mice is that we can look at the interconnectivity of all of these cells in real time in the context of an immune response to infection for example. All the animals used in the search are very well cared for. Our ability to do experiments to understand how the immune system functions depends on the welfare of those animals. Every day is a day of discovery and I am still in awe at the marvel of how the mouse functions as an organism and integrates all of the different aspects of its biology into a living creature and this is really a mirror of what we ourselves really are and that's I think the greatest reward of working with a living creature.