Fighting JEB – the immune system could be a game changer

Each involves varying degrees of long-lasting inflammation, faulty wound healing, immune system overactivity, and altered responses to infection by germs.

What difference will your work make to people living with EB?

My research will fill a major gap in our current understanding of how the immune system of people with JEB causes them problems. Right now, research uncovering the hidden immune cell processes that take place in the skin blisters of JEB is almost non-existent. By better understanding how these blisters form and what immune system processes take place during both the initial wounding and impaired healing that follows, we can better guide and inform any future treatments.

This might lead to repurposing existing medications, particularly anti-TNF and anti-IL-1b, that could manipulate any unique processes that we reveal. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1b (IL-1b) are proteins in the immune system called ‘inflammatory cytokines’. They can make symptoms worse if there is too much of them in a person’s blood. Medicines made from antibodies to these proteins (anti-TNF and anti-IL1b) have been created and are already being used to treat other conditions. They reduce the effects of these immune system proteins and could potentially improve the outlook of JEB patients.

What does the funding from DEBRA UK mean to you?

When discussing my work with friends and family, they’re often surprised how expensive even simple experiments can be, so I always keep this perspective in mind. I strive to maintain a sense of responsibility to generate meaningful results through my research, knowing it represents the hard work and dedication of many people and may only be possible because of thousands of hours of fundraising. I’m committed to ensuring that my research generates outcomes that can make a real difference.

What does a day in your life as an EB researcher look like?

My morning typically starts with a dose of caffeine, followed by catching up with my lab emails. Then I get on with my research tasks which consist of both computational and lab-based research. I try to maintain a balance between reading scientific literature alongside planning, performing, and analysing new experiments, making sure I stay up to date with any new techniques or technologies that may help me.

Of course, I also understand that maintaining a work-life balance and healthy social life is key to staying sane as a researcher, so I always make time to socialise with my friends both in and out of the lab throughout the week.

Who’s on your team and what do they do to support your EB research?

Due to the crossover of fields involved my project, I’m fortunate to have the assistance of multiple research teams for support in the Blizard institute. My primary supervisor is Dr Emma Chambers who has a history of important immunological discoveries and is based in the Centre for Immunobiology, along with my lab mates Shuwei Zhang and Dr Justyna Sikora. They contribute to the immunological aspect of my project, offering much appreciated camaraderie and input. My co-supervisors, Dr Emanuel Rognoni and Dr Matt Caley, are both based in the Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research and assist with much of the skin aspect. They are heavily involved in studying other DEBRA-funded EB projects and there is often considerable overlap between them, giving me the chance to collaborate with other PhDs or postdocs such as Dr Tom Kirk, Abubkr Ahmed, and Priya Garcha.