Preliminary results indicate the working hypothesis might prove correct. As of today, we have obtained the functional proof in vitro that CCR9 expression on genetically-modified BMDC (bone marrow dendritic cells derived) improves their migration in response to the CCL25 ligand. With that knowledge, we undertook in vivo experiments with modified DCs injected into congenic mice. We observed a higher thymus to spleen ratio in terms of frequency of BMDC cells of donor origin if those were modified by a CCR9-expressing vector, suggesting that modified DCs preferentially migrated to the thymus compared to unmodified DCs. Although the numbers of detected cells are still low, we think that the protocol can be improved. Notably, we began our investigation using the luciferase reporter gene to monitor cell migration in vivo in live animals. The therapeutic phase of this project has been challenging, but encouraging results should be available soon and I look forward to providing a final update this fall.