Professor Fiona Powrie
Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Director of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Principal Investigator in the Translational Gastroenterology Unit; Fellow of Wadham College
About
Professor Powrie's work focuses on why the immune system, which defends us against harmful micro-organisms, does not attack the numerous beneficial bacteria which inhabit the intestine. Her research has identified a class of cells, called regulatory T cells, that police the immune response in the intestine, preventing it from attacking bacteria that are of benefit to us. Her team has demonstrated that deficiencies in these immune cells can lead to chronic intestinal inflammatory disease, offering new research avenues for the treatment of these conditions.
Expertise
- T cell mediated immune regulation and mucosal immunity
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Gut bacteria
- Colon cancer
Selected publications
- MICROBIOME. Microbiota RORgulates intestinal suppressor T cells (2015)
- Factors influencing success of clinical genome sequencing across a broad spectrum of disorders (2015)
- The alarmin IL-33 promotes regulatory T-cell function in the intestine (2014)
- Innate lymphoid cells sustain colon cancer through production of interleukin-22 in a mouse model (2013)
Media experience
Professor Powrie has experience of working with the media.