WEHI Wednesday Seminar hosted by Professor John Silke

Professor Will Wood
Chair in Tissue Regeneration and Repair
, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair
– University of Edinburgh

Detecting Death and Damage; Understanding macrophage migration in vivo

 

Davis Auditorium

Join via SLIDO enter code #WEHIWednesday

Including Q&A session
 

The movement of different types of cells within the body is crucial to such processes as embryonic development, immunity and wound healing. In the body, migratory cells are exposed to a battery of signals from different sources. Cells have to integrate these signals and react to them accordingly.  Drosophila embryonic macrophages are highly motile immune cells that carry out a stereotypical pattern of migration to disperse throughout the developing embryo. They also act as professional phagocytes clearing apoptotic cells through efferocytosis as well as displaying a robust chemotactic inflammatory response to epithelial wounds. We have developed a live imaging assay that allows us to image the dynamic changes within these cells as they undergo their migrations and efferocytic duties within a living embryo.  Using a combination of live imaging and Drosophila genetics we are uncovering how immune cells are able to prioritise competing cues such as wound induced damage signals and ‘eat me’ cues from apoptotic corpses and how exposure to one of these signals influences the cells ability to respond to subsequent cues.

All welcome!