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Professor of Immunology
Research area
Leukocyte differentiation and ageing in humans.
Research programme
Research summary
My group investigates mechanisms that control the differentiation and senescence/ageing of human T lymphocytes. We were also one of the first to identify human regulatory T cells and show that they are maintained by a high rate of proliferation in vivo.
For the last 15 years my laboratory has focused on mechanisms of immune decline during ageing and we have identified a key role of p38 MAP kinase signalling in regulating both nutrient and senescence sensing pathways in human T cells.
We also developed new technology for investigating immunity in human skin in vivo that have been adopted by other research groups in both academia and the biotech industry. Current collaborations using these methods include those with The University of Arizona, The Rockefeller University (New York) and the National University of Singapore.
The interaction between clinicians and scientists in my group has facilitated the translational aspects of our work that has led to the recent award of a MRC Experimental Medicine Grant (Akbar PI; £3.2 million) to investigate responses to recall antigen challenge in the skin of older humans after blocking p38MAP kinase.
Publications
- Selected publications
- Vukmanovic-Stejic M, Chambers ES, Farinas MS, Sandhu D, Fuentes-Duculan J, Patel N, Agius E, Lacy KE, Turner CT, Larbi A, Birault V, Noursadeghi M, Mabbott NA, Rustin MHA, Krueger J, Akbar AN. Enhancement of cutaneous immunity during ageing by blocking p38 MAPkinase induced inflammation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017. pii: S0091-6749(17)31766-9
- Callender LA, Carroll EC, Beal RWJ, Chambers ES, Nourshargh S, Akbar AN, Henson SM. Human CD8(+) EMRA T cells display a senescence-associated secretory phenotype regulated by p38 MAPK. Aging Cell. 2018. 17(1)
- Lanna A, Gomes DC, Muller-Durovic B, McDonnell T, Escors D, Gilroy DW, Lee JH, Karin M, Akbar AN. A sestrin-dependent Erk-Jnk-p38 MAPK activation complex inhibits immunity during aging. Nat Immunol. 2017;18(3):354-363
- Shih BB, Nirmal AJ, Headon DJ, Akbar AN, Mabbott NA, Freeman TC. Derivation of marker gene signatures from human skin and their use in the interpretation of the transcriptional changes associated with dermatological disorders. J Pathol. 2017;241(5):600-613
- Pereira BI, Akbar AN. Convergence of Innate and Adaptive Immunity during Human Aging. Front Immunol. 2016;7:445 Akbar AN, Henson SM, Lanna A. Senescence of T Lymphocytes: Implications for Enhancing Human Immunity. Trends Immunol. 2016;37(12):866-876
- Müller-Durovic B, Lanna A, Covre LP, Mills RS, Henson SM, Akbar AN. Killer Cell Lectin-like Receptor G1 Inhibits NK Cell Function through Activation of Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase. J Immunol. 2016;197(7):2891-2899
- Di Mitri D, Sambucci M, Loiarro M, De Bardi M, Volpe E, Cencioni MT, Gasperini C, Centonze D, Sette C, Akbar AN, Borsellino G, Battistini L. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade modulates T helper type 17 differentiation and functionality in multiple sclerosis. Immunology. 2015;146(2):251-63
- Rivino L, Kumaran EA, Thein TL, Too CT, Gan VC, Hanson BJ, Wilder-Smith A, Bertoletti A, Gascoigne NR, Lye DC, Leo YS, Akbar AN, Kemeny DM, MacAry PA. Virus-specific T lymphocytes home to the skin during natural dengue infection. Sci Transl Med. 2015;7(278):278ra35
- Vukmanovic-Stejic M, Sandhu D, Seidel JA, Patel N, Sobande TO, Agius E, Jackson SE, Fuentes-Duculan J, Suárez-Fariñas M, Mabbott NA, Lacy KE, Ogg G, Nestle FO, Krueger JG, Rustin MHA, Akbar AN. The Characterization of Varicella Zoster Virus-Specific T Cells in Skin and Blood during Aging. J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135(7):1752-1762.
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RPS Widget Placeholderhttps://research-reports.ucl.ac.uk/RPSDATA.SVC/pubs/ANAKB15?orderby=year