Our overall research goal is to understand how immune cells influence brain function in health and disease. We use that information to identify new treatment approaches aimed at preserving human brain health, enhancing resilience to disease, and promoting brain repair after injury.  

Immune cells we study include those involved in both innate and adaptive immune activity, but we focus on microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, and related macrophages. These cells have important roles in tissue development, homeostasis, inflammation and repair. 

Stroke and vascular dementia are major clinical disorders of interest – we are particularly interested in how microglia and macrophages influence the brain’s response to acute or chronic vascular damage  

We study interactions between the brain and immune system at multiple spatial scales, including local cell-to-cell signalling within the brain, longer distance brain-body neuroimmune communication pathways involving nerves, and migration of circulating immune cells to the brain. 

Research approaches and methods include human brain tissue profiling, in vivo preclinical disease models, cellular immunophenotyping, neuroimaging, in vitro cultures including human iPSC, -omics, bioinformatics. 

Most projects in the lab fall under three major themes: 

• Microglial development, regulation and diversity   

• Myeloid cells in ageing, stroke and vascular dementia 

• Brain-body neurommune signalling