The study, led by a group of researchers from the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, is the cover theme of this month's Science Immunology magazine.

This research, which lasted for three years, focused on the potential of cellular reprogramming in order to, for the first time, control the responses of the immune system.

According to the research, three proteins (PU.1, IRF8 and BATF3) were discovered which are able to turn skin cells into dendritic cells, known as sentinels of the immune system.