Associate Professor Andrew Lew
Details
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Division: Autoimmunity & Transplantation
Research Overview
The Lew Lab targets local immune responses for islet transplantation in type 1 diabetes and targets dendritic cells to improve or dampen immune responses. As such, molecular, cellular and whole-body immunology skills are used.
Major findings of the Lab
- the key autoantigen in autoimmune diabetes was proinsulin/insulin
- peptide mimicry was identified between autoantigens in human type 1 diabetes
- NOD and B6 IgG2c is an isotype, not an allotype of the BALB/c IgG2a
- role of cross-presentation in DNA vaccination
- targeting lymphoid organs enhances immune responses
- devising of an in vivo model of quantifying cross-presentation using selective suicide of cross-presenting dendritic cells by cytochrome c.
- whereas CD40L on CD4 T cells is important for licensing dendritic cells, we showed that conversely the ability to induce CD40L on dendritic cells explains why only some viruses can elicit killer T cells in the absence of CD4 T cell help.
- success in the prolongation of islet graft survival by genetic modification of islets. Recent verification that this immunosuppression is localised to the graft thereby circumventing systemic effects (susceptibility to infections) and bypassing the toxicity of transplant drugs.
Research Projects
Immunological manipulation for diabetes
Major Publications
- Johnson S, Zhan Y, Sutherland RM, Mount AM, Bedoui S, Brady JL, Carrington EM, Brown LE, Belz GT, Heath WR, Lew AM (2009)
Selected TLR ligands and viruses promote helper-independent CTL priming by upregulating CD40L (CD154) on dendritic cells.
Immunity 30:218 PMID: 19200758 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Lin ML, Zhan Y, Proietto AI, Prato S, Wu L, Heath WR, Villadangos JA, Lew AM (2008)
Selective suicide of cross-presenting CD8+ dendritic cells by cytochrome c injection shows functional heterogeneity within this subset. - Proc Natl Acad Sci 105:3029 PMID: 18272486 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Zhan Y, Gerondakis S, Coghill E, Bourges D, Xu Y, Brady JL, Lew AM (2008)
Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor expression by T cells is reciprocally regulated by NF-κB and NFAT1.
J Immunol 181:5405 PMID: 18832697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Bourges D, Zhan Y, Brady JL, Braley H, Caminschi I, Prato S, Villadangos J, Lew AM (2007)
Targeting the gut vascular endothelium induces gut effector CD8 T cell responses via cross-presentation by dendritic cells.
J Immunol 179:5678 PMID: 17947639 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Londrigan SL, Sutherland RM, Brady JL, Zhan Y, Li R, Estella E, Kay TWH, LEW AM (2006)
Prolonged local expression of anti-CD4 antibody by adenovirally transduced allografts can promote long-term graft survival.
J Gene Med 8:42 PMID: 16075436 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Boyle JS, Brady JL and Lew AM (1998)
Enhanced responses to a DNA vaccine encoding a fusion antigen that is directed to sites of immune induction.
Nature 392:408 PMID: 9537327 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Current Laboratory Members
Faculty Member: Andrew Lew, BVSc MVSc Melb PhD London
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Robyn Sutherland, BSc(Hons) PhD Melb
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Yifan Zhan, BMedSci Jiangxi MMedSci Beijing
Postdoctoral Fellow: Emma Carrington, BSc(Hons) PhD Melb
Postdoctoral Fellow: Sophie Hyun-Ja Ko, MSc Sungkyunky
Research Assistant: Jamie Brady, BSc(Hons) LaT MSc Adelaide
Research Assistant: Manuela Hancock, BAppSc RMIT
PhD Student: Shirley Seah, BSc(Hons) Melb