Controlling inflammation in chronic disease

Inflammation is a fundamental response to danger in all-higher organisms. It is a rapid and robust response, designed to kill pathogens and limit the spread of infection. Macrophages are elemental cells of the innate immune system, tasked with tissue surveillance and pathogen destruction. As key proponents of inflammatory responses, activated macrophages elicit temporally-controlled programs of cytokines in order to mount robust immune responses and then to promote tissue repair. The differential expression of many cytokines and their varied time of release allow macrophages to tailor their inflammatory responses for different pathogens, tissues and situations. Just how cytokine expression is normally programmed with such precision is not fully understood. Defining the underlying molecular regulators of inflammation and cytokine release is imperative for extending our knowledge of inflammatory systems and for applications aimed at infection and immunity for a wide range of organisms. Our team aims to identify key regulators of inflammatory responses. Our research entails multiple approaches including proteomics, structural biology, protein biochemistry and cell imaging.

Traineeships, honours and PhD projects include

• The function of pTRAPs in Toll-like receptor (TLR) driven inflammation
• The regulation of Src family kinases in TLR signalling
• Characterisation of Rab-PI3K functions in macrophages
• The role of integrin in lupus and kidney diseases