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Cambridge Immunology Network

 

Research

Immune regulation in inflammation and cancer

T cells drive immune activation and promote clearance of infections and cancer. However, their function can also provoke autoimmune and allergic inflammation. The immune system therefore employs a variety of suppressive mechanisms, known as immunoregulatory mechanisms, to restrain excessive T cell activation. Immunoregulatory mechanisms also suppress beneficial anti-tumour T cell responses to drive deleterious immunosuppression in cancer. Immunoregulatory mechanisms therefore function as ‘brakes’ on immune activation and have important consequences in inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Our research aims to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning immunoregulation and cancer immunosuppression. Fundamental discovery in the field of immunoregulation will pave the way for new therapies aimed at manipulating immune function in patients with autoimmunity and cancer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Our lab utilises cutting-edge molecular immunology, functional genomics and mouse genetics to enable discovery and characterisation of novel host immunoregulatory mechanisms (see Research). We are particularly interested in immunoregulatory mechanisms that control the differentiation and function of CD4+ and CD8+ conventional T cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. The lab, led by Dr Rahul Roychoudhuri, is located at the Babraham Institute and the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge and works closely with collaborators within both the University and broader Cambridge immunology community. Our science benefits from access to the world-class research facilities of the University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute.

 

We are looking for passionate new PhD students, Postdocs, and Master’s students (more info)!

Publications

Key publications: 

For a full list of publications see: http://roychoudhurilab.org/publications/

BACH2 drives quiescence and maintenance of resting Treg cells to promote homeostasis and cancer immunosuppression. Grant FM*, Yang J*, Nasrallah R, Clarke J, Sadiyah F, Whiteside SK, Imianowshi CJ, Kuo P,
Vardaka P, Todorov T, Zandhuis N, Patrascan I, Tough D, Kometani K, Eil R, Kurosaki T, Okkenhaug K, Roychoudhuri R (2020). J Exp Med (in Press).

A distal enhancer at risk locus 11q13.5 promotes suppression of colitis by Treg cells. Nasrallah R, Imianowski CJ, Bossini-Castillo L, Grant FM, Dogan M, Placek L, Kozhaya L, Kuo P, Sadiyah F, Whiteside SK, Mumbach MR, Glinos D, Vardaka P, Whyte CE, Lozano T, Fujita T, Fujii H, Liston A, Andrews S, Cozzani A, Yang J, Mitra S, Lugli E, Chang HY, Unutmaz D, Trynka G,
Roychoudhuri R (2020). Nature (in Press).

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ inhibition promotes antitumor responses but antagonizes checkpoint inhibitors.
Lim EL, Cugliandolo FM, Rosner DR, Gyori D, Roychoudhuri R, Okkenhaug K
JCI Insight 2018 3 (11). [PDF]

BACH transcription factors in innate and adaptive immunity.
Igarashi K, Kurosaki T, Roychoudhuri R
Nat Rev Immunol 2017 17 (7): 437-450. [PDF]

Ionic immune suppression within the tumour microenvironment limits T cell effector function.
Eil R, Vodnala SK, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Sukumar M, Pan JH, Palmer DC, Gros A, Yamamoto TN, Patel SJ, Guittard GC, Yu Z, Carbonaro V, Okkenhaug K, Schrump DS, Linehan WM, Roychoudhuri R, Restifo NP
Nature 2016 537 (7621): 539-543. [PDF]

Oxygen Sensing by T Cells Establishes an Immunologically Tolerant Metastatic Niche.
Clever D, Roychoudhuri R, Constantinides MG, Askenase MH, Sukumar M, Klebanoff CA, Eil RL, Hickman HD, Yu Z, Pan JH, Palmer DC, Phan AT, Goulding J, Gattinoni L, Goldrath AW, Belkaid Y, Restifo NP
Cell 2016 166 (5): 1117-1131.e14. [PDF]

BACH2 regulates CD8(+) T cell differentiation by controlling access of AP-1 factors to enhancers.
Roychoudhuri R, Clever D, Li P, Wakabayashi Y, Quinn KM, Klebanoff CA, Ji Y, Sukumar M, Eil RL, Yu Z, Spolski R, Palmer DC, Pan JH, Patel SJ, Macallan DC, Fabozzi G, Shih HY, Kanno Y, Muto A, Zhu J, Gattinoni L, O'Shea JJ, Okkenhaug K, Igarashi K, Leonard WJ, Restifo NP
Nat Immunol 2016 17 (7): 851-860. [PDF]

The transcription factor BACH2 promotes tumor immunosuppression.
Roychoudhuri R, Eil RL, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Sukumar M, Grant FM, Yu Z, Mehta G, Liu H, Jin P, Ji Y, Palmer DC, Pan JH, Chichura A, Crompton JG, Patel SJ, Stroncek D, Wang E, Marincola FM, Okkenhaug K, Gattinoni L, Restifo NP
J Clin Invest 2016 126 (2): 599-604. [PDF]

The interplay of effector and regulatory T cells in cancer.
Roychoudhuri R, Eil RL, Restifo NP
Curr Opin Immunol 2015 33 (): 101-11. [PDF]

Type I cytokines synergize with oncogene inhibition to induce tumor growth arrest.
Acquavella N, Clever D, Yu Z, Roelke-Parker M, Palmer DC, Xi L, Pflicke H, Ji Y, Gros A, Hanada K, Goldlust IS, Mehta GU, Klebanoff CA, Crompton JG, Sukumar M, Morrow JJ, Franco Z, Gattinoni L, Liu H, Wang E, Marincola F, Stroncek DF, Lee CC, Raffeld M, Bosenberg MW, Roychoudhuri R, Restifo NP
Cancer Immunol Res 2015 3 (1): 37-47. [PDF]

BACH2 represses effector programs to stabilize T(reg)-mediated immune homeostasis.
Roychoudhuri R, Hirahara K, Mousavi K, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Bonelli M, Sciumè G, Zare H, Vahedi G, Dema B, Yu Z, Liu H, Takahashi H, Rao M, Muranski P, Crompton JG, Punkosdy G, Bedognetti D, Wang E, Hoffmann V, Rivera J, Marincola FM, Nakamura A, Sartorelli V, Kanno Y, Gattinoni L, Muto A, Igarashi K, O'Shea JJ, Restifo NP
Nature 2013 498 (7455): 506-10. [PDF]

 

 

Dr Rahul  Roychoudhuri
Not available for consultancy

Affiliations

Classifications: 
Departments and institutes: 
Person keywords: 
FOXP3
epigenetics
BACH2
T cells
phosphorylation
regulatory T cells
CD4
lymphocytes,
signalling
tumour immunology
CD8
mouse immunology
gene regulation
cancer immunology