Through her research, she seeks to better understand the mechanisms that regulate antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses and their subsequent differentiation into long-lived, functional memory T cells. Her lab has published numerous findings on the role of cytokines, particularly Interleukin-15, in the generation and maintenance of memory CD8 T cells. IL-15 also enhances responses by cytotoxic cells and has potent anti-tumor properties. Currently, the lab is attempting to identify mechanisms that regulate IL-15 responses in the tumor microenvironment and by IL-15 agonists used in cancer immunotherapy. Ultimately, the insights Dr. Schluns gains by unraveling these mechanisms could be used to guide development of new cancer vaccines and tumor immunotherapies.