Join us for the Spring Series
of the St Mary’s Infection & Immunity Seminars (hybrid)
Dr Joanne Konkel
Biography
Maintaining immune homeostasis at barriers sites is a considerable challenge. These sites, such as the oral mucosa, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, skin, and lung, are the front line between the external world and the internal body. Not only must each barrierperform its physiological function, but it must do this whilst simultaneously controlling the commensal organisms that live at these sites and effectively responding to environmental insults and pathogen challenge. The immune system ensures barrier integrity in the face of these challenges and is carefully tailored to each barrier creating highly specialized immuno-surveillance networks that safeguard these sites. My group is interested in the oral barriers of the mouth, in particular the gingiva, a key oral barrier and tooth supporting structure. Loss of effective immune control at the gingiva results in the development of Periodontitis, the most common chronic inflammatory condition in humans. Importantly, this prevalent oral inflammatory disease poses a threat to overall systemic health as it has been linked to the exacerbation of a plethora of other inflammatory conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, delineating the local signals tailoring immune cell development and function at the gingiva would not only promote the development of better therapies for periodontitis, but would also have implications for the treatment of other inflammatory conditions. I will present some of our work detailing the local training of immune cells within the gingiva, highlighting novel cues that modulate and train gingiva immune responsiveness.
please join us in person:
Location – Roger Bannister LT, 1st Floor, Medical School Building, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place
or on your computer, mobile app or room device
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Meeting ID: 382 493 283 667
Passcode: du27zU
