The role of microbial-immune system interactions in inflammatory skin disease

The skin serves as a crucial barrier between the internal body and the external environment. Skin performs this function by being a physical blockade, and also by harbouring a multitude of immune cells and mediators. However, beneficial commensal microbes reside in the skin and the immune system must remain tolerant to these, whilst maintaining the ability to respond to invading pathogenic microbes. When this balance is perturbed it results in skin inflammation either due to inappropriate immune responses or susceptibility to infections.

In recent years a research focus has been interactions between the microbiota and the immune system, but the majority of these studies have focused on the gut and only a few have interrogated this in the skin. In skin commensal microbes have been shown to inhibit uncontrolled skin inflammation in response to injury, to regulate the numbers of regulatory T cells present and to regulate the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-17. In addition, populations of commensal microbes are dysregulated in many inflammatory skin diseases, but it remains to be elucidated if this is a causative factor, or a consequence of disease.

Our lab studies mechanisms involved in controlling the balance between being responsive to pathogens, yet tolerant to commensals in skin, with a particular focus on the dysregulation of the immune system in inflammatory skin disease. This project aims to decipher how the immune system in skin is regulated to respond differentially to commensal and pathogenic microbes and to determine if this is a factor underlying inflammatory skin disease. The successful candidate will use pre-clinical models of skin inflammation and clinical samples along with cutting edge technologies such as multicolour flow cytometry, next generation sequencing, imaging and histology.

This project will involve training in techniques such as multicolour flow cytometry, next generation sequencing, imaging, histology and pre-clinical models of disease.

Candidates should have a minimum upper second class (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in immunology or biological sciences. Either holding a Masters degree or having further relevant laboratory experience would be a distinct advantage.