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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Real Time In Vivo Tracking of Thymocytes in the Anterior Chamber of the Eye by Laser Scanning Microscopy
Published on: October 2, 2018
Exposing T Cell Secrets Inside and Outside the Thymus
1Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
Abstract:
I've had serious misgivings about writing this article, because from living the experience day by day, it's hard to believe my accomplishments merit the attention. To skirt this roadblock, I forced myself to pretend I was in a conversation with my trainees, trying to distill the central driving forces of my career in science. The below chronicles my evolution from would-be astronaut/ballerina to budding developmental biologist to devoted T cell immunologist. It traces my work from a focus on intrathymic events that mold developing T cells into self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted lymphocytes to extrathymic events that fine-tune the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire and impose the finishing touches on T cell maturation. It is a story of a few personal attributes multiplied by generous mentors, good luck, hard work, perseverance, and knowing when to step down.
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