About this Research Topic
Prof. Alessandro Moretta was a major contributor to the field of immunology and to Frontiers in Immunology, particularly in the domain of natural killer (NK) cells and innate lymphocyte (ILC) biology. In this Research Topic, we would like to honor the memory of Prof. Moretta and pay tribute to his scientific legacy by hosting a tribute collection of articles covering topics that Prof. Moretta pioneered during various periods of his scientific career, which was long, although sadly not as long as it could have been. We aim at collecting articles on seminal work pioneered by Prof. Moretta and how his work and dedication made these discoveries possible, and subsequently influenced the research and career of many scientists.
Articles in this collection will cover different aspects of immunology research in which Prof. Moretta made seminal contributions and will focus on discoveries spanning from the early years of his career, when he was a pioneer in the immunology field, together with his brother Lorenzo and their collaborators, even before he began working on NK cells, to his latest contributions to the field. By focusing on this period, we aim at highlighting the tremendous enthusiasm generated and the research advances made surrounding Prof. Moretta's work.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of Review, Mini-Review, Opinion and Perspective articles on:
• Phenotypical and functional characterization of various T-cell populations (including cytotoxic CD8+ cells) using monoclonal antibodies and the discovery of their heterogeneity.
• “Cosignaling molecules” or “checkpoint molecules” and studies addressing their functions and related signaling pathways.
• Cytotoxic cell subsets such as αβ CD8+ T cells, NK cells and the more recently identified, cytotoxic γδ T cell population.
• NK-cell immunomodulation via Killer Cell Ig-like Receptors (KIRs) and the developments leading to their clinical targeting.
• The activation of NK cells via the so-called “natural cytotoxicity receptors” (NCRs)
• Translational studies following Dr Moretta's pioneering work on NK cells such as i) KIR and NKG2A, and KIR3DL2 and ii) the use of NK typing in haploidentical situations, such as pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
• Translational studies for application in the treatment of solid cancers, such as neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, ovarian cancer and lung carcinoma.
• Immunodeficiency studies.
• Interactions between viruses and NK cells.
Topic Editor Eric Vivier is an employee and shareholder of Innate-Pharma. Topic Editor Daniel Olive is the cofounder and share holder of company Imcheck Therapeutics. All other topic editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.
Articles in this collection will cover different aspects of immunology research in which Prof. Moretta made seminal contributions and will focus on discoveries spanning from the early years of his career, when he was a pioneer in the immunology field, together with his brother Lorenzo and their collaborators, even before he began working on NK cells, to his latest contributions to the field. By focusing on this period, we aim at highlighting the tremendous enthusiasm generated and the research advances made surrounding Prof. Moretta's work.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of Review, Mini-Review, Opinion and Perspective articles on:
• Phenotypical and functional characterization of various T-cell populations (including cytotoxic CD8+ cells) using monoclonal antibodies and the discovery of their heterogeneity.
• “Cosignaling molecules” or “checkpoint molecules” and studies addressing their functions and related signaling pathways.
• Cytotoxic cell subsets such as αβ CD8+ T cells, NK cells and the more recently identified, cytotoxic γδ T cell population.
• NK-cell immunomodulation via Killer Cell Ig-like Receptors (KIRs) and the developments leading to their clinical targeting.
• The activation of NK cells via the so-called “natural cytotoxicity receptors” (NCRs)
• Translational studies following Dr Moretta's pioneering work on NK cells such as i) KIR and NKG2A, and KIR3DL2 and ii) the use of NK typing in haploidentical situations, such as pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
• Translational studies for application in the treatment of solid cancers, such as neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, ovarian cancer and lung carcinoma.
• Immunodeficiency studies.
• Interactions between viruses and NK cells.
Topic Editor Eric Vivier is an employee and shareholder of Innate-Pharma. Topic Editor Daniel Olive is the cofounder and share holder of company Imcheck Therapeutics. All other topic editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.
Keywords: Moretta, NK, ILC
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
