معرفی
Dr. Louisa James is a Reader in Immunology at the Centre for Immunobiology, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. She joined the institute in 2016 as a Group Leader and Lecturer, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2021, and to Reader in 2024. Dr. James leads the B cell research group and serves as Module Lead for Advanced Immunology (BMD351).
Dr. James obtained her academic qualifications as follows:
- BSc (Hons) in Immunology, King's College London (2002)
- PhD on immune mechanisms of allergen immunotherapy, National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London
She completed post-doctoral training at King's College London under Professor Mark Peakman (Type 1 Diabetes immunotherapy) and later under Professors Hannah Gould and Brian Sutton (antibody responses in allergy).
Dr. James's research centers on B cell memory regulation and microenvironmental influences on B cell development and antibody production. Her group employs cellular, molecular, biophysical, and computational approaches to analyze human B cells and antibody repertoires. Key interests include:
- Mechanisms of B cell memory maintenance in health and disease
- Antibody responses in allergic conditions (asthma, rhinitis)
- B cell roles in autoimmune disorders (Type 1 Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis)
- Respiratory disease pathogenesis (nasal polyps, chronic rhinosinusitis)
Her 2021-2024 publications demonstrate consistent focus on B cell-eosinophil-stromal interactions in type 2 immunity and autoimmune contexts. Using single-cell technologies, her work bridges fundamental immunology with clinical applications, particularly in elucidating antibody class switching dynamics and microenvironmental regulation of B cell responses in respiratory and autoimmune diseases.
Dr. James currently supervises doctoral researchers with funding from charitable foundations:
- Adekunle Adeniran (Horne Family Foundation): EBV and Memory B-cells in Multiple Sclerosis
- Ivy Akehurst (Barts Charity): Inflammation's impact on respiratory pathogen immunity
Former PhD student Grace Howells (2024) completed research on novel antibody generation technologies. She has mentored postdoctoral researchers including Hamish King (now Group Leader at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) and Lou Herman (Barts Cancer Institute fellow).
The B cell group comprises postdoctoral researchers Delphine Thenet (IL-5/nasal polyps industry collaboration) and Jantarika Arora (computational analysis of nasal polyp B cells), alongside clinical fellow Sonay Beyatli. The team utilizes single-cell sequencing, repertoire analysis, and biophysical methods in collaborations targeting therapeutic manipulation of antibody responses.
