Gillian Margaret Griffiths

Professor Gillian Margaret Griffiths FMedSci FRS is a leading British cell biologist and immunologist currently serving as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Yale School of Medicine. She remains affiliated with the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) while transitioning her research group to Yale. Her work focuses on the mechanisms of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte secretion and killing, with implications for cancer therapies and rare genetic diseases.

• BSc in Biochemistry from University College London
• PhD in Molecular Immunology from University of Cambridge (1983), advised by Nobel laureate César Milstein

Griffiths' research investigates specialized secretion mechanisms in immune cells, particularly cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, which deliver lethal hits to virally infected or cancerous cells. Her lab uses live-cell imaging and genetic studies to dissect how these cells function, with applications in immunotherapy and organelle biology. Strategic themes include Intracellular Infections, Organelle Biology, and Rare Genetic Diseases.

Her recent publications (2024) explore diverse topics such as protein complex assembly, lysosomal dynamics, autophagy regulation, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. These studies often intersect with her broader expertise in secretion and cellular membrane dynamics.

• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) since 2013
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
• Buchanan Medal (2019) from the Royal Society
• Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow

Griffiths mentors a team of postgraduate students and researchers in her lab, including Yukako Asano, Claire Ma, Martin Limback-Stokin, Gurpreet Dhaliwal, Megan Glover, Gordon Frazer, and Yuxuan Lin (Kaite). Her lab collaborates with senior investigators at CIMR and Yale, advancing studies on immune cell dynamics and therapeutic translation.