The metabolic state and energy source of an immune cell can profoundly affect its behaviour and the outcome of the immune response.
However, how immune cell metabolism varies in human autoimmune disease and lymphoma is largely unknown. Our research focuses on the role of immune cell metabolism in the often-severe autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and lymphoma. Understanding this is important, because it has the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies.
We are also interested in how immune cell metabolism varies in space and time, and at the single cell level. Our work combines advanced mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging techniques with established immunological tools and models to understand this. Again, we seek to explore how this varies in autoimmune disease, and to determine the underlying mechanisms responsible.
Our team
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Alex Clarke
Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow
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Matheswaran Kandasamy
Postdoctoral Scientist
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Yavuz Yazicioglu
DPhil student
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Julia Johnstone
DPhil student
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Antony Psarras
NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Rheumatology
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Robert Mitchell
DPhil student
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Hana Andrew
Research Assistant in Immunology
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Sinibaldo Romero Arocha
DPhil student
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Alex Clarke
Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow
Supported by
Selected publications
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Dynamic mitochondrial transcription and translation in B cells control germinal center entry and lymphomagenesis.
Journal article
Yazicioglu YF. et al, (2023), Nat Immunol, 24, 991 - 1006
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Asparagine availability controls B cell homeostasis
Preprint
Yazicioglu Y. et al, (2023)
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B Cell Metabolism and Autophagy in Autoimmunity
Journal article
Raza IGA. and Clarke AJ., (2021), Frontiers in Immunology, 12
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Interferon inducible X-linked gene CXorf21 may contribute to sexual dimorphism in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Journal article
Odhams CA. et al, (2019), Nat Commun, 10
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Autophagy in the renewal, differentiation and homeostasis of immune cells.
Journal article
Clarke AJ. and Simon AK., (2019), Nat Rev Immunol, 19, 170 - 183
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B1a B cells require autophagy for metabolic homeostasis and self-renewal.
Journal article
Clarke AJ. et al, (2018), J Exp Med, 215, 399 - 413
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Autophagy is activated in systemic lupus erythematosus and required for plasmablast development.
Journal article
Clarke AJ. et al, (2015), Ann Rheum Dis, 74, 912 - 920