Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Our laboratory studies how the immune system decides to attack invading microbes or cancer, but not to attack our own organs. Defects in this decision-making process can cause immunodeficiency, cancer, or autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or type 1 diabetes.
The programmed destruction of immune cells is an important part of this decision-making process. By understanding the 'choreography' of immune cell death, we seek to understand how these processes work in health and disease. We will use these insights to design better treatments for immune disorders and cancer.
Research interest
Our lab seeks to understand how the body protects itself from cancer and autoimmune disease. Many mechanisms have evolved to ensure that the immune system does not attack our own tissues; this is referred to as immunological tolerance. Understanding how to modify tolerance mechanisms will open up new therapeutic avenues for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Our work currently focuses on understanding how defects in cell death and immune homeostasis engender disease. We employ novel pre-clinical models, mass cytometry (CyTOF), lightsheet and in vivo multiphoton imaging approaches to address how these processes shape the development and function of T cells in health and disease.
Harnessing new technologies
One particular project we are working on aims to find new therapies for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) using mass cytometry to explore the inner workings of individual cancer cells. This new technology, combined with access to patient samples, gives us an opportunity to understand how cancers become resistant to treatment and presents an exciting opportunity to make a difference to those affected by CLL, the most common blood cancer in Australia.
The project has received almost $300,000 in funding from the Cancer Council Victoria’s Grants-in-Aid program.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Immune cell death
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
Network
Projects
- 1 Finished
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The acetyltransferase KAT7 is required for thymic epithelial cell expansion, expression of AIRE target genes, and thymic tolerance
Heinlein, M., Gandolfo, L. C., Zhao, K., Teh, C. E., Nguyen, N., Baell, J. B., Goldfarb, Y., Abramson, J., Wichmann, J., Voss, A. K., Strasser, A., Smyth, G. K., Thomas, T. & Gray, D. H. D., 21 Jan 2022, In: Science Immunology. 7, 67, p. eabb6032 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
4 Citations (Scopus) -
Blockade of the co-inhibitory molecule PD-1 unleashes ILC2-dependent antitumor immunity in melanoma
Jacquelot, N., Seillet, C., Wang, M., Pizzolla, A., Liao, Y., Hediyeh-zadeh, S., Grisaru-Tal, S., Louis, C., Huang, Q., Schreuder, J., Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes, F., de Graaf, C. A., Thia, K., Macdonald, S., Camilleri, M., Luong, K., Zhang, S., Chopin, M., Molden-Hauer, T., Nutt, S. L., & 17 others , Jul 2021, In: Nature Immunology. 22, 7, p. 851-864 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
63 Citations (Scopus) -
Mesenchymal stromal cell apoptosis is required for their therapeutic function
Pang, S. H. M., D’Rozario, J., Mendonca, S., Bhuvan, T., Payne, N. L., Zheng, D., Hisana, A., Wallis, G., Barugahare, A., Powell, D., Rautela, J., Huntington, N. D., Dewson, G., Huang, D. C. S., Gray, D. H. D. & Heng, T. S. P., 11 Nov 2021, In: Nature Communications. 12, 1, 19 p., 6495.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access45 Citations (Scopus) -
Deep profiling of apoptotic pathways with mass cytometry identifies a synergistic drug combination for killing myeloma cells
Teh, C. E., Gong, J. N., Segal, D., Tan, T., Vandenberg, C. J., Fedele, P. L., Low, M. S. Y., Grigoriadis, G., Harrison, S. J., Strasser, A., Roberts, A. W., Huang, D. C. S., Nolan, G. P., Gray, D. H. D. & Ko, M. E., 1 Jul 2020, In: Cell Death and Differentiation. 27, 7, p. 2217-2233 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
23 Citations (Scopus) -
Nfkb2 variants reveal a p100-degradation threshold that defines autoimmune susceptibility
Wirasinha, R. C., Davies, A. R., Srivastava, M., Sheridan, J. M., Sng, X. Y. X., Delmonte, O. M., Dobbs, K., Loh, K. L., Miosge, L. A., Lee, C. E., Chand, R., Chan, A., Yap, J. Y., Keller, M. D., Chen, K., Rossjohn, J., La Gruta, N. L., Vinuesa, C. G., Reid, H. H., Lionakis, M. S., & 5 others , 27 Oct 2020, In: Journal of Experimental Medicine. 218, 2, 19 p., e20200476.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
11 Citations (Scopus)