Esther Jones

Esther graduated with a first class honours degree in Biosciences with Industrial Placement from Durham University, before moving to Oxford to commence her DPhil in Molecular and Cellular Medicine.

Here at the Kennedy Institute, she is supervised by Professor Lynn B. Dustin and Professor Christopher Buckley, in collaboration with Professor Jelena Bezbradica Mirkovic. Her DPhil project focuses on autoantigen-autoantibody interactions in the context of Sjögren's disease (SjD). SjD patients often generate antibodies against ubiquitously expressed, intracellular proteins such as TRIM21/Ro52 and TROVE2/Ro60. Her research aims to identify the location and possible upregulation of these autoantigens, and whether alternative cell death pathways such as pyroptosis or necroptosis allow autoantigen release, driving autoimmune responses.

Outside of her DPhil, Esther is an active member of the Oxford University Cross Country Club (OUCCC), co-organising the 2023 Cuppers selection race and 2024 Teddy Hall Relays.