Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Associate Professor Meredith O'Keeffe is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Driven Immunity in Health and Disease. Meredith received her PhD from Monash University in 1998. She has spent the following 16 years investigating dendritic cell biology, with positions at WEHI, Melbourne, Bavarian-Nordic GmbH, Munich, Germany and the Burnet Institute, Melbourne. Meredith's current research interests include investigating the function of dendritic cells in Lupus disease and malaria infection and examining the development and function of dendritic cells in Myelodysplasia.
Dendritic cells are sentinels of the immune system that produce cytokines and interferons upon sensing danger. They are also professional antigen presenting cells, thereby connecting the innate and adaptive immune systems. Our laboratory investigates how pathogens and their products and/or or self-nucleic acids activate dendritic cells. We aim to decipher how this activation influences the function of dendritic cells. We investigate how this process may differ in different body locations, at different ages and in different disease settings. Major aims are to understand the role of dendritic cells in bone marrow malignancies and in autoimmune diseases such as Lupus.
Research area keywords
- dendritic cells
- immunity
- cytokines
- interferons
- infection
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):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Investigating the immunomodulatory roles of type III interferons in dendritic cells and cancer.
Amiet, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & O'Keeffe, M. (Chief Investigator (CI))
18/05/26 → 19/10/26
Project: Research
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Novel interferon treatment to mitigate serious viral infections
De Weerd, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), O'Keeffe, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Hertzog, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bardin, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Thomas, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Garama, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Leong, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Werder, R. B. (Associate Investigator (AI)), MacDonald, M. I. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Bourke, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Illing, P. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Gough, D. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/26 → 31/12/29
Project: Research
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Non-canonical antigen sources for cross-strain protective influenza immunity
Illing, P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Braun, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lahoud, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), O'Keeffe, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Kedzierska, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Purcell, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Mifsud, N. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/24 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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Deciphering novel cross-talk between innate cytokine receptors
O'Keeffe, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), De Weerd, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Hertzog, P. (Chief Investigator (CI))
ARC - Australian Research Council
30/06/21 → 30/06/24
Project: Research
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Checkpoint receptors expressed by dendritic cells- do they play a role in immunotherapies?
O'Keeffe, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Shackleton, M. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Cancer Australia, Worldwide Cancer Research
1/02/20 → 30/11/23
Project: Research
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Lyn restrains lupus via kinase-independent mechanisms that limit Toll-like receptor activation and type I interferon responsiveness
L'Estrange-Stranieri, E., Gottschalk, T. A., Kong, A. M., Maxwell, M. J., Pang, E. S., Tsantikos, E., Tarlinton, D. M., O'Keeffe, M., Wright, M. D. & Hibbs, M. L., Oct 2025, In: Science Advances. 11, 42, 18 p., eadz1726.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
A Simple and Rapid Protocol for the Isolation of Murine Bone Marrow Suitable for the Differentiation of Dendritic Cells
Song, R., Bafit, M., Tullett, K. M., Tan, P. S., Lahoud, M. H., O’Keeffe, M., Purcell, A. W. & Braun, A., Apr 2024, In: Methods and Protocols. 7, 2, 10 p., 20.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access9 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Context-restricted PD-(L)1 checkpoint agonism by CTLA4-Ig therapies inhibits T cell activity
Oxley, E. P. (Leading Author), Kershaw, N. J. (Leading Author), Louis, C., Goodall, K. J., Garwood, M. M., Jee Ho, S. M., Voo, V. T. F., Park, H. Y., Iaria, J., Wong, L. L. L., Lebenbaum, A. G., Wiranata, S., Pang, E. S., Edwards, E. S. J., D'Silva, D. B., Hansen, J., van Zelm, M. C., O'Keeffe, M., Hogarth, P. M. & Haynes, N. M. & 3 others, , 22 Oct 2024, In: Cell Reports. 43, 10, 20 p., 114834.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access6 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
IKKɛ induces STING non-IFN immune responses via a mechanism analogous to TBK1
Venkatraman, R., Balka, K. R., Wong, W., Sivamani, J., Magill, Z., Tullett, K. M., Lane, R. M., Saunders, T. L., Tailler, M., Crack, P. J., Wakim, L. M., Lahoud, M. H., Lawlor, K. E., Kile, B. T., O'Keeffe, M. & De Nardo, D., 20 Sept 2024, In: iScience. 27, 9, 23 p., 110693.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access17 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Type I interferons induce an epigenetically distinct memory B cell subset in chronic viral infection
Cooper, L. (Leading Author), Xu, H., Polmear, J., Kealy, L., Szeto, C., Pang, E. S., Gupta, M., Kirn, A., Taylor, J. J., Jackson, K. J. L., Broomfield, B. J., Nguyen, A., Gago da Graça, C., La Gruta, N., Utzschneider, D. T., Groom, J. R., Martelotto, L., Parish, I. A., O'Keeffe, M. & Scharer, C. D. & 2 others, , 14 May 2024, In: Immunity. 57, 5, p. 1037-1055.e6 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
25 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
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Monash Antimicrobial Resistance Group (Event)
Lithgow, T. (Chair/Co-Chair), Cryle, M. (Member), Tuck, K. (Member), Traven, A. (Member), Naderer, T. (Member), Rood, J. (Member), Lyras, D. (Member), Peleg, A. (Member), Aguilar, M. (Member), Coulibaly, F. (Member), McGowan, S. (Member), Okeeffe, M. A. (Member), Belousoff, M. (Member) & Heraud, P. (Member)
1 Mar 2017 → 1 Jan 2019Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Membership of industry collaboration/ network
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Immunology and Cell Biology (Journal)
O'Keeffe, M. (Editorial board member)
2016 → Dec 2021Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial responsibility