Our Research
We study memory T cell responses, focusing on the signals that control tissue-resident memory T cell differentiation. We want to harness these cells to develop new treatments against infection, cancer, and autoimmune conditions.
Finding the blueprint for memory T cell development
We’re exploring the intrinsic mechanisms governing memory T cell development across tissues, paving the way for enhanced immunity.
Humans need an effective immunological memory response to protect us against disease. For this, we need to train our T cells. Our T cells start out naïve. However, once exposed to antigen, T cells expand and differentiate to resolve an infection. After this, memory T cells form to provide long-lasting protective immunity. There are many different types of memory T cells. They move differently and function differently. Memory T cells make development decisions in response to genetic regulators and environmental signals. Understanding these cell fate decisions provides an avenue to enhance immunological memory responses.
Our laboratory uses advanced lineage tracing tools and epigenetic and single-cell multi-omics technologies to investigate the regulatory cues and intrinsic mechanisms that govern memory T cell development in different tissues. We focus on the transcriptional networks that regulate commitment to various memory T cell lineages.
How memory T cells are shaped by their environment
We’re deciphering the environmental cues around T cells and discovering new pathways to revolutionise future vaccines and immunotherapies.
While most memory T cells circulate in the blood, some stay put; they are not migratory. These tissue-resident cells are our first line of defence against infection – and cancer. Our laboratory is discovering how these tissue-resident memory T cells form a defensive barrier. We are studying their microenvironment to understand how they adapt to different tissues.
We are also investigating the microbiome’s effect on immune cell populations and tissue homeostasis. Our goal is to decipher these extrinsic regulators of TRM cells. This work will help researchers target these cells in future vaccines and immune cell-based therapies
Harnessing protective immune cells for cancer immunotherapy
We’re investigating tumour-resident T cells, leveraging their therapeutic application to create the cancer treatments of tomorrow.
T cells are a critical defence against cancer. Over the past decade, immunotherapies leveraging T cells have revolutionised cancer treatment. But they could be more effective.
A tumour contains a mix of T cells, including non-recirculating cells that reside at the tumour site. These include our tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells and T cells that have become exhausted.
Our research shows that TRM cells provide a first line of defence against cancer and are a positive indicator of patient survival.
Our laboratory investigates how different T cells – including TRM – protect us from cancer. But T cells do not function alone. We are learning how different immune cells interact and function to invoke anti-tumour immunity. Our team is pioneering innovative approaches in spatial biology to map this cellular landscape within tumours. Our goal is to boost the right immune cells for therapeutic potential and offer new treatments for cancer patients.
Unravelling the diversity and function of skin-resident T cells
We’re unravelling the role of T cells in the skin to pioneer new approaches to cure autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, alopecia areata, and vitiligo.
Our skin is a barrier tissue constantly exposed to foreign microbes, driving the accumulation of immune cells in the skin.
Our skin’s T cells are distinct from other T cells (like those circulating in the blood). They are critical to imparting local immune protection and orchestrating tissue repair. However, skin resident T cells can also cause autoimmune conditions.
Our laboratory aims to understand the diverse skin environment. We study the role of skin resident T cells in skin pathologies and autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis, alopecia areata, and vitiligo and investigate new approaches to eliminate pathological cells from peripheral tissues.
Our Technologies
CRISPR/Cas9 Gene editing
Multiomic single-cell technologies
Intravital imaging
Lineage tracing
Mouse/human models
