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Mucosal Immunology Research Group

Mucosal Immunology Research Group

Key terms

Mucosal immunology, gut, lung, microbiome, diet, lung transplantation, lung fibrosis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Research Overview

The Mucosal Immunology Research Group, led by Professors Marsland, Harris and Westall, is focused on understanding the fundamental principles in health and disease of the gut, lung and nervous system. Projects span the space from discovery using preclinical models of host-microbe interactions and inflammation through to high performance computational approaches to identify clinical biomarkers and development of novel drug candidates.

2022 Mucosal Immunology Research Group

Group Heads

Meet the team

Mechanistic Mucosal Immunology

Dr Olaf Perdijk
Dr Christina Begka
Dr Anh Thu Dang
Dr Aidil Zaini
Dr Rossana Azzoni
Alana Butler
Ryan Wang
Rhiannon Grant
Bailey Cardwell
Sanya Middha

Biomarker and target discovery. Multi-omic analysis of clinical cohorts

Céline Pattaroni
Giulia Iacono
Carmel Daunt
Matthew Macowan
Roxanne Chatzis
Zack Shihan Zhang

Lung Transplantation

Dr Sanda Stankovic
Ellie Reilly
Giulia Iacono
Carmel Daunt

Lung Fibrosis

Dr Jade Jaffar
Dr Christina Begka
Dr Anh Thu Dang
Alana Butler
Bailey Cardwell

Major Research Themes

Mechanistic Mucosal Immunology

Host-microbe interactions underpin health and the development of disease; our goal is to discover novel pathways through which these interactions could be targeted to improve health.

Central to this are our barrier tissues, such as the gut, lungs and skin that are rich in immune cells that interact directly with our environment and where finely tuned neuro-immune crosstalk modulates both the local tissue and feeds information back to the central nervous system. Diet, the microbiome and metabolites are key players that we aim to harness in order to modulate mucosal immunity and promote a healthy homeostasis.

Recent Publications

Small intestinal resident eosinophils maintain gut homeostasis following microbial colonization. Ignacio A et al. Immunity 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.05.014. Epub 2022 Jun 15
Gut-derived short-chain fatty acids modulate skin barrier integrity by promoting keratinocyte metabolism and differentiation. Trompette A et al. Mucosal Immunology 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41385-022-00524-9
Microbial regulation of intestinal motility provides resistance against helminth infection. Moyat M et al. Mucosal Immunology 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41385-022-00498-8
Microbial metabolism of L-tyrosine protects against allergic airway inflammation. Wypych TP et al. Nature Immunology 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41590-020-00856-3
Microbiome-induced antigen-presenting cell recruitment coordinates skin and lung allergic inflammation. Ubags ND et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.06.030
Hookworms Evade Host Immunity by Secreting a Deoxyribonuclease to Degrade Neutrophil Extracellular Traps. Bouchery T et al. Cell Host & Microbe 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.01.011
Dietary Fiber Confers Protection against Flu by Shaping Ly6c- Patrolling Monocyte Hematopoiesis and CD8+ T Cell Metabolism. Trompette A et al. Immunity 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2018.04.022

Key reviews

Enteric neuroimmune interactions coordinate intestinal responses in health and disease. Wang H et al. Mucosal Immunology 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41385-021-00443-1
The emerging roles of eosinophils in mucosal homeostasis. Shah K et al. Mucosal Immunology 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41385-020-0281-y
The influence of the microbiome on respiratory health. Wypych TP et al. Nature Immunology 2019. doi: 10.1038/s41590-019-0451-9
Microbes, metabolites, and the gut-lung axis. Dang AT, Marsland BJ. Mucosal Immunology 2019. doi: 10.1038/s41385-019-0160-6

Biomarker and target discovery. Multi-omic analysis of clinical cohorts

Advances in high performance computing and bioinformatic pipelines have created opportunities to integrate data modalities at unprecedented levels.

We employ data-driven approaches to identify genes, lipids, metabolites, proteins and microbes that play central roles in health and disease. In particular, longitudinal samples from lung transplantation recipients, lung explant tissue and birth cohorts power our research into chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), progressive fibrotic lung diseases (e.g. idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)), asthma, wheeze and cystic fibrosis.

Recent Publications

Early life inter-kingdom interactions shape the immunological environment of the airways. Pattaroni C et al. Microbiome 2022. doi: 10.1186/s40168-021-01201-y
Early-Life Formation of the Microbial and Immunological Environment of the Human Airways. Pattaroni C et al. Cell Host & Microbe 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.10.019
Lower airway microbiota associates with inflammatory phenotype in severe preschool wheeze. Robinson PFM, Pattaroni C. et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.12.985

Lung Transplantation

The success of lung transplantation is critically dependent upon harnessing the host’s immune response to transplantation through the use of immunosuppressive medications.

Despite this, survival following lung transplantation remains limited by the development of “break-though” rejection, and, conversely, infectious episodes in the immunosuppressed transplant recipient. We seek to better understand this fine balance between over- and under-immunosuppression through cellular assays that define both the allo-immune and anti-microbial immune responses.

Recent Publications

Transcripts associated with chronic lung allograft dysfunction in transbronchial biopsies of lung transplants. Parkes MD, Halloran K, et al. Am J Transplant. 2022 Apr;22(4):1054-1072. doi: 10.1111/ajt.16895
A prevalent and culturable microbiota links ecological balance to clinical stability of the human lung after transplantation. Das S, Bernasconi E. et al. Nature Communications 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22344-4
Cytomegalovirus replication is associated with enrichment of distinct γδ T cell subsets following lung transplantation: A novel therapeutic approach? Stankovic S, Davey MS, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020 Nov;39(11):1300-1312. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2020.08.014
Molecular T-cell‒mediated rejection in transbronchial and mucosal lung transplant biopsies is associated with future risk of graft loss. Halloran K, Parkes MD, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020 Dec;39(12):1327-1337. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2020.08.013
Airway microbiota signals anabolic and catabolic remodeling in the transplanted lung. Mouraux S. el al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.06.022
Airway Microbiota Determines Innate Cell Inflammatory or Tissue Remodeling Profiles in Lung Transplantation. Bernasconi E. et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201512-2424OC

Lung Fibrosis

Lung fibrosis underpins a number of clinical conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Despite the recent introduction of anti-fibrotic therapies, many of these lung conditions continue to demonstrate progressive fibrosis. Performing studies on human lung tissue, we aim to better understand both the initial and on-going drivers of lung fibrosis.

Recent publications

Coagulation factor-XII induces interleukin-6 by primary lung fibroblasts: a role in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? Jaffar J, McMillan L, el. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2022 Feb 1;322(2):L258-L272. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00165.2021.
Inhibition of NF-κB by ACT001 reduces fibroblast activity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Jaffar J, Glaspole I, et al. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Jun;138:111471. doi: 0.1016/j.biopha.2021.111471.
CXCR4+ cells are increased in lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Jaffar J, Griffiths K, et al. Respir Res. 2020 Aug 26;21(1):221. doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01467-0.

Department of Immunology

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Mucosal Immunology Research Group

Key terms

Research Overview

Group Heads

Meet the team

Graduate Research projects

Publication list

Follow us on Twitter

Major Research Themes

Mechanistic Mucosal Immunology

Recent Publications

Key reviews

Biomarker and target discovery. Multi-omic analysis of clinical cohorts

Recent Publications

Lung Transplantation

Recent Publications

Lung Fibrosis

Recent publications