The immune system is a complex network designed to protect our bodies from harmful invaders. But sometimes it can turn on us attacking our own cells and in doing so, causing autoimmune disease. Over the last 50 years, research into our immune system has advanced to identify particular drivers that protect us from autoimmune disease. Researchers are learning how these responses are tuned under various environmental and genetic circumstances. Professor Rob Brink is working to understand these fine-tuning aspects and how we can manipulate them through the advent of cheaper and faster DNA sequencing.