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TIG - Molecular Engineering Laboratory

Duncan Howie (Postdoctoral Scientist)

Duncan joined the lab following a 5-year post-Doctorate at Harvard University. He is interested in the molecular signals that direct the development of a T regulatory phenotype during "tolerogenic" activation conditions. He is using proteomic and microarray analysis to examine changes in gene expression of T cells that have been induced to acquire a regulatory phenotype with various stimuli. He is also interested in the downstream signalling events in production and maintenance of the T regulatory phenotype, particularly those via the MS4A family of molecules and GITR/GITRL interactions. He is also looking at the role of CD7 ligands in T cell signalling and regulation.

Duncan's publications
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Robert Hilbrands (Postdoctoral Scientist)

Robert is a renal physician with a PhD in clinical islet transplantation obtained at the Diabetes Research Center of the Brussels Free University, Belgium. He obtained a long-term EMBO fellowship and is currently investigating epigenetic mechanisms involved in inducing and stabilizing Foxp3 expression in regulatory T-cells. Understanding these molecular mechanisms will encourage new therapeutic strategies to promote tolerance in transplantation as well as autoimmune diseases.

Jianbo Ma

Jianbo is a research assistant looking at the role of T cell depletion and homeostatic expansion in the induction of tolerance to skin grafts by coreceptor blockade or by lymphodepletion with CAMPATH (alemtuzumab) antibodies. He is also testing various models of acquired immune privilege.

Christian Peter

Christian joined the group as a D.Phil student and his project is to investigate signalling pathways in T cells that induce foxP3 and regulatory T cell function. He has developed and cloned a cell line that strongly induces foxp3 in response to stimulation via the TCR in the presence of TGF-beta and is using it unravel the role of mTOR and nutrient sensing in the control of T cell differentiation. He has now successfully completed and defended his thesis and is in the process of writing up his work for publication.

Kathleen Nolan

Kath has now moved to a Lectureship in Immunology at the University of Manchester.

Kath's publications
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