معرفی
Audrey Gérard is an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow of the Kennedy Trust of Rheumatology Research at the University of Oxford, based at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. She leads the Gérard Group, which investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of T cell responses in infection, vaccination, and cancer.
Her educational background includes:
- Ph.D. at the University of the Mediterranean, Marseille, France, supervised by Jacques Nunes and Daniel Olive, focusing on negative regulation of T cell activation.
- Postdoctoral training at the Netherlands Cancer Institute with John Collard, studying polarity proteins and T cell migration.
- Postdoctoral training at UCSF with Matthew Krummel, working on T cell migration in vivo using 2-photon microscopy.
Research interests span T cell immunology, with emphasis on molecular mechanisms governing T cell migration, activation, and intercellular communication during immune responses. Her work employs advanced intravital imaging to dissect spatiotemporal T cell behavior in physiological and pathological contexts, including infection, vaccination, and tumor immunity.
Recent publications (2023-2025) reveal focus on interferon-gamma modulation of T cell function in tumors, biophysical aspects of TCR engagement, and neuronal guidance molecules like Semaphorin 3A in CD8+ T cell suppression. These studies bridge immunology, biophysics, and cancer therapy development.
Scientific awards include:
- Senior Research Fellow of the Kennedy Trust of Rheumatology Research
Dr. Gérard mentors DPhil students through the Kennedy Institute studentship program and DPhil in Cancer Science. Her research is supported by the Kennedy Trust, with open positions indicating active grant funding for T cell dynamics studies.
The Gérard Group utilizes cutting-edge imaging and molecular techniques to explore T cell navigation within complex tissue environments, aiming to develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases.
