Leukocyte Trafficking

Ed Group 2019 - 1

Group leaders: Professor Ed Rainger, Dr Helen McGettrick, Professor Asif Iqbal and Dr Myriam Chimen

Overview

Our research aims to understand the mechanisms that regulate recruitment of leukocytes into inflamed tissues during protective resolving responses, and how these processes go wrong in chronic inflammatory and auto-immune diseases.  We have described new pathways which regulate migration of leukocytes into tissue through the endothelial cells which line blood vessels, and the roles of local flow and of the surrounding tissue in defining normal or pathological inflammatory responses.

Cardiovascular Research with Professor Ed Rainger, Dr Asif Iqbal and Dr Myriam Chimen

Latest Group News

Recent press release - http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/04/Newly-discovered-pathway-200415.aspx

Leukocyte Trafficking Group - local environment 4

Our research group

The Group Leads work in a highly collaborative manner with over-lapping projects, using in vitro and in vivo models for studying a variety of factors that influence leukocyte trafficking. In vitro models of the vasculature allow us to visualise the effects of blood flow on the behaviour of endothelial cells, and on the recruitment of leukocytes, platelets and stem cells. We have also developed sophisticated co-culture models to examine how platelets, monocytes or stromal cells (e.g. fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells) regulate the delivery of leukocytes to foci of disease. More recently, we have extended this concept using integrated 3-D multi-cellular models which allow us to track leukocytes through layers of primary human cells and determine their behaviour and ultimately their fate. To complement this work we use transgenic and preclinical models of disease, along with intravital microscopy, to further dissect these processes in vivo and elucidate mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

Leukocyte Trafficking Group - Lipid mediators

Leukocyte Trafficking Group - platelet monocyte interactions

Current Projects

Stromal cells as regulators of inflammation

  • Immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells, specifically in terms of vascular inflammatory responses and leukocyte recruitment (British Heart Foundation Project Grant and BBSRC and MRC PhD studentships)
  • Role of synovial fibroblasts in shaping endothelial responses and lymphocyte recruitment during resolving and persistent arthritis (Arthritis Research UK Career Development Fellowship)

Platelets and inflammation

  • Do platelets exacerbate the atherogenic process by regulating the recruitment, differentiation and inflammatory function of monocytes (British Heart Foundation Programme Grant)
  • Characterisation of blood-borne microvesicles in patients suffering trauma and investigation of their influence on inflammatory and thrombotic responses (NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre)
  • The role of platelet derived microvesicles in regulating the differentiation and inflammatory function of foam cells (British Heart Foundation PhD Studentship).

Role of adiponectin-PEPITEM axis in health and disease

  • Characterising the endothelial cell receptor for PEPITEM, a novel peptide that regulates T cell trafficking during inflammation (Medical Research Council Confidence in Concept Grant)
  • Defining the therapeutic potential of a PEPITEM in RA (Pfizer)
  • Demonstrating the utility of the adiponectin-PEPITEM axis as biomarker to detect RA in very early pre-symptomatic patients (Enterprise Birmingham Fund)

Latest press release - http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/04/Newly-discovered-pathway-200415.aspx

Regulation of leukocyte recruitment

  • The role of Src-family kinases in regulating transforming growth factor-β1 driven platelet and monocyte recruitment to endothelial cells (British Heart Foundation Project Grant)
  • Development of 3-D models using primary human cells to investigate the migration, fate and function of leukocytes entering inflamed tissue

Recent Publications

For full publication lists see:

Staff

Principal Investigators
Professor Ed Rainger
Dr Helen McGettrick 
Dr Myriam Chimen
Professor Asif Iqbal


Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr Matt Harrison
Dr Sahithi Kuravi
Dr Lozan Sheriff

Research Associates
Nichola Adlard

PhD Students
Bonita Apta
Hafsa Munir
Jasmeet Reyat
Lewis Clarke
Aigli Evryviadou

Internal Collaborators
Professor Roy Bicknell
Professor Andrew Bradbury 
Professor Chris Buckley 
Dr Jorge Caamano 
Professor Adam Cunningham 
Professor Andrew Filer 
Professor Jon Frampton 
Dr Paul Harrison
Dr Victoria Heath 
Dr Peter Hewett 
Dr Nick Jones 
Dr Neena Kalia 
Professor Patricia (Trish) Lalor  
Dr Melanie Madhani 
Dr Ashley Martin 
Professor Paul Murray 
Professor Parth Narendran 
Professor Phil Newsome 
Professor Karim Raza 
Dr Yotis Senis 
Professor David Thickett 
Dr Mike Tomlinson 
Professor Steve Watson 
Professor Mark Wheatley 
Dr Steve Young 
Professor Paul Moss 
Dr Warwick Dunn
Dr Shan He


NHS Collaborators
Surgeon Captain Mark Midwinter- Centre for Defence Medicine, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, UK
Mr Naiem Moiemen- Midlands Burn Network, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, UK
Mr Alok Tiwari - Birmingham Vascular Clinics, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, UK


External Collaborators
Professor Philip Calder - University of Southampton
Professor Andrew Dick - University of Bristol
Professor Stuart Egginton - University of Leeds
Professor Lucy Walker - University College London
Dr Jim Middleton - University of Bristol
Professor Nick Morrell - University of Cambridge
Professor Sussan Nourshargh - Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Professor Valerie O’Donnell - Cardiff University
Professor Susan Wong - Cardiff University

Funding Bodies

Useful Links