Tufts Researcher Jillian Richmond Studies T‑Cell Balance in Human and Canine Skin Disease

Jillian Richmond, Ph.D., an assistant professor of comparative pathobiology at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, has spent more than two decades investigating how T cells regulate immunity. She explains that an imbalance—either insufficient activity or over‑activation—can lead to tumors or autoimmune attacks, respectively. Her current work focuses on the skin, where humans and other primates have roughly twice as many T cells as in the bloodstream.

Richmond’s research highlights the similarity between human and canine lupus, a condition in which T cells attack skin cells and hair follicles. Dogs develop a form of lupus that closely resembles discoid lupus erythematosus in people, making them valuable models for studying the disease. By exploring how to boost T‑cell responses against tumors while dampening harmful autoimmunity, the study aims to inform new treatments for skin disorders in both people and pets.