Dr Joanne Konkel, Inaugural Lister Lecture: Tissue-specific control of immune responses in the oral mucosa
| Dates: | 4 February 2020 |
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| Times: | 11:30 - 12:30 |
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| What is it: | Lecture |
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| Organiser: | Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Dr Joanne Konkel |
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Maintaining integrity of mucosal barrier surfaces, the major interfaces between our inside body and the outside world, presents unique challenges to the immune system. Each barrier surface must perform its distinct physiological function whilst controlling commensal microbes, and responding appropriately to environmental insults and pathogen challenge. In the face of these challenges, the immune system is carefully tailored to barrier environments creating highly specialised immunosurveillance networks that police these sites. Recently, tailoring of immune responses at barrier sites has been an area of intense research focus, particularly in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and skin. In contrast, the balance of effective immunity and regulation at the mucosal barriers of the mouth, is comparatively understudied. This is a major knowledge gap given that breakdown of controlled immune responses at the gingiva, a key oral barrier, results in periodontitis; the most common inflammatory condition of mankind, which has been linked to the potentiation of multiple inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Our work aims to comprehensively define the immunosurveillance network present in the gingiva, delineate how it develops and functions to maintain gingival barrier health. In particular we are interested in understanding how the barrier environment tailors immune cell functionality to reinforce barrier integrity. In this talk we will discuss the myeloid cell network in the gingiva, outlining our recent data focusing the development and local specialisation of monocytes and macrophages present at the unique barrier site.
All are welcome to attend.
Speaker
Dr Joanne Konkel
Role: Research Fellow
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Michael Smith Building
Manchester
