Dr. Phillip Domeier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. His current research is focused on immune mechanisms that control antibody production. The diversity of the antibody repertoire plays a critical role in defense against pathogens, but without proper regulation, the processes that promote antibody diversification can also leave patients chronically susceptible to allergies and autoimmunity. Highly specific antibodies are produced by B cells that mature in germinal centers, which optimize antibody affinity against pathogens through iterative rounds of proliferation, mutation, and selection. The research program of the Domeier laboratory aims to determine how manipulation of signaling within germinal centers influences the generation of both protective and pathogenic antibody responses. The research goal of the lab is to identify and characterize novel, targetable molecular pathways that amplify protective B cell immunity while preventing the production of pathogenic autoantibodies.