معرفی
Dr Claire Jessup is a Senior Lecturer at Flinders University's College of Medicine and Public Health, where she serves as a Full Member of the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute. She heads the Immunomodulation (iMOD) Laboratory, focusing on harnessing the immune system to modulate disease processes.
Dr Jessup holds a PhD from Flinders University (awarded December 2005) and completed an NHMRC CJ Martin Overseas Biomedical Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford University in 2006. She also maintains an adjunct position as Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide since 2012.
Her research program centers on immune modulation of complex cellular interactions in diabetes development, transplant rejection, and oncogenesis. Dr Jessup's laboratory utilizes advanced techniques including flow cytometry, gene therapy, pancreatic islet isolation, immune assays, confocal microscopy, and islet transplantation models. Her work has demonstrated the potential of cellular cotherapy using endothelial progenitor cells to improve islet transplantation outcomes. Current projects investigate the interplay between tissue microenvironment, vasculature, and the immune system, with applications for clinical immunomodulation.
Dr Jessup's recent publications reveal a strong focus on immune receptor signaling, pancreatic cancer microenvironment, islet cell biology, and serotonin regulation in the gut. Her work spans immunology, diabetes research, oncology, and neurogastroenterology, demonstrating interdisciplinary approaches to complex biological problems.
Her scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards including:
- ASI Breakthrough Immunology Award (2022)
- Tim Welborn Mid-career Basic Researcher Fellowship from JDRF Australia (2024)
- Innovative Grant Award from JDRF International (2022)
- Vice Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers (2012)
- South Australian Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2011)
Dr Jessup actively supervises PhD students and has successfully guided Ms Amy Hughes (PhD Dean's Commendation, 2013) and Ms Darling Rojas (Thomas E. Starzl Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2011). She also provides associate supervision for projects on dendritic cells and gene therapy related to pancreatic islets. Her research is supported by major funding bodies including JDRF Australia, NHMRC, Diabetes Australia, Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation, FMC Foundation, and the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.
As leader of the Immunomodulation Laboratory, Dr Jessup directs a research team investigating molecular activation of immune cells in cancer treatment and autoimmune diseases. Her laboratory's work on T lymphocyte activation during Type 1 diabetes, checkpoint inhibitors for cancer immunotherapy, and vascular-endocrine cell interplay during islet transplantation represents cutting-edge research in immunomodulation.
