Investigating immunity at the CNS borders

Host

María Martínez Lopez, PhD, Immunophysiology Lab

Venue

Seminar Room

Abstract

Although the brain has been historically considered to be devoid of immune cells, we have contributed to studies demonstrating that central nervous system (CNS) border tissues, particularly the dura mater, house a diverse network of immune cells. These border immune cells can respond to circulating cues and have unexpected connections with the gastrointestinal tract.

Bio

Menna Clatworthy read Medicine at Cardiff University, UK, (graduating with honours), completed her professional training in nephrology at Cambridge, and undertook a PhD at the University of Cambridge investigating antibody effector function in autoimmunity and infection. She was awarded the British Renal Association Raine Award and the Academy of Medical Sciences/Medical Research Society Young Investigator Award for this work. She subsequently completed a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship at Cambridge and the National Institutes of Health, USA, gaining expertise in advanced imaging techniques in Ron Germain’s lab. She is a clinician scientist and divides her time between clinical work as a nephrologist and research in cellular immunology. Her lab has two overlapping areas of interest; understanding the regulation of B cell activation and antibody effector function and investigating tissue immunity across organs and disease states. This work ranges from experimental medicine studies in patients, in collaboration with industry partners, through to basic immunology studies, using murine models. The lab has a strong emphasis on integrating the use of primary human tissues into all studies, ensuring translational relevance, and includes collaborations with colleagues at the Wellcome Sanger Institute utilising genomic and transcriptomic technologies to understand tissue-resident immune cells. Her scientific achievements have been recognized by election to the Academy of Medical Sciences (2020), the Learned Society of Wales (2020) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (2022).

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About the CR Colloquia Series

Champalimaud Research (CR) Colloquia Series is a seminar programme organised by the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown to promote the discussion about the most interesting and significant questions in neuroscience and physiology & cancer with appointed speakers by the CR Community.