Salerno aims to better understand how signals from a T cell’s environment determine the role it adopts and how that function is maintained over time. Her work focuses on the molecular mechanisms that regulate protein production within immune cells.
By uncovering fundamental mechanisms that control T-cell identity and function, this research could ultimately contribute to the development of more effective vaccines, improved cancer immunotherapies, and new treatments for immune-related diseases.
The ERC Starting Grant will enable Salerno to expand her research programme and establish a multidisciplinary team bringing together expertise in immunology and RNA biology.