I have been interested in the immunobiology of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection for a long time. During my postdoctoral work, I trained under Professor Alan Rickinson with whom I continue to collaborate with to understand how the human issue system deals with persisting infections like EBV. Recent research showing the potential link between EBV and multiple sclerosis (MS) has made me very interested in MS.

Identifying a potential link between EBV infection and MS.

I am an immunologist who is interested in understanding how the human immune system deals with infections and cancers. I lead a team of researchers who have developed various tools to help us understand the role the immune system plays in various human tissues. We have applied these tools in primarily cancers, but are keen to expand this to other diseases like MS.

Most of our understanding of how the immune system works comes from experiments conducted in laboratory models. We need to understand how the human immune system works and how it could be manipulated to get better health outcomes. One of the major challenges so far has been the lack of methodologies to use human tissues to dissect the role of immune cells, largely because of the challenges in accessing tissues and also, in ways they were preserved. However, recent advances in technology platforms have enabled us to fully map cellular interactions within such tissues in great detail. We adapted these technology platforms and have successfully applied them in cancer and are keen to bring this knowledge to help develop better treatments for MS.

Discovery is what is most exciting, and the lack of support (e.g. funding) is often the biggest challenge.