William James
With Dr Sally Cowley, investigating the biology of human tissue macrophages in health and disease
Macrophages, such as the microglia of the brain, play essential homeostatic, remodelling, recycling and defence functions in all the tissues of the body. When they are overwhelmed by specialized pathogens such as HIV-1, or chronic accumulations of debris such as amyloids, notably in neurodegenerative disease, their inflammatory response can result in serious tissue damage. In order to provide a physiologically authentic, yet genetically tractable model for the study of human tissue macrophages, we have developed a technology platform, based on human pluripotent stem cells, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and directed differentiation. As a graduate research student in our laboratory, you will use these methods to investigate the function of defined candidate genes in these pathological processes.
Recent publications
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The molecular reach of antibodies crucially underpins their viral neutralisation capacity.
Journal article
Huhn A. et al, (2025), Nat Commun, 16
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Antiviral and Immunomodulatory Effects of Zafirlukast Against Flaviviruses via Inhibition of the TNF Signaling Pathway.
Journal article
Komarasamy TV. et al, (2025), J Med Virol, 97
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Early inflammation as a footprint of increased mortality risk in infants living with HIV from three African countries.
Journal article
Morrocchi E. et al, (2024), Sci Rep, 14
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Targeting glucose metabolism with dichloroacetate (DCA) reduces zika virus replication in brain cortical progenitors at different stages of maturation.
Journal article
Gilbert-Jaramillo J. et al, (2024), Antiviral Res, 228
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Structural and functional characterization of nanobodies that neutralize Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Journal article
Cornish K. et al, (2024), Open Biol, 14