IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-A human tonsil organoid platform to model TLR-driven B cell differentiation and heterogeneity in SLE

A human tonsil organoid platform to model TLR-driven B cell differentiation and heterogeneity in SLE

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker discussed developing a human tonsil organoid model to study B-cell behavior in lupus, especially the double-negative 2 (DN2) population linked to autoantibody production. They explained how TLR7 and TLR9 stimulation may drive different immune outcomes: TLR7 appears to promote inflammatory DN2, germinal center, plasma blast, and plasma cell expansion, while TLR9 may restrain these responses. Using tonsil samples, the team built and refined organoid cultures with cytokines, TLR ligands, CD40L feeder cells, fibroblasts, and 3D matrix support. Early two-dimensional setups showed limited differentiation, but the 3D organoids better reproduced B-cell maturation and revealed that TLR9 reduces expansion of pathogenic compartments. The model may help test drugs, study lupus biology, and support future gene-editing and RNA-sequencing experiments.

Meta Tag

Date April 18, 2026 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Room 153AB

Session Modeling the Human Immune Response, Sponsored by AAI Clin. Immunol. Comm.

Speaker Rodrigo Cervantes

Track Translational and Interventional Immunology (TI)

Year 2026

Keywords

human tonsil organoid

lupus B-cell behavior

double-negative 2 (DN2) cells

TLR7 and TLR9 signaling

autoantibody production

3D organoid culture

April 18, 2026 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

153AB

Modeling the Human Immune Response, Sponsored by AAI Clin. Immunol. Comm.

Rodrigo Cervantes

Translational and Interventional Immunology (TI)

2026