Jorge Caamano

Dr.

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Dr Caamaño supervises doctoral research students on the following areas:

- Immune responses to infection and inflammation in lymphoid organs

- Interactions between the immune system and adipose tissues

- Lymphoid tissue development and function

In the last few years three doctoral researchers have successfully completed a PhD under his supervision. They have moved on to pursue careers in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry.

20002021

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests

Jorge’s group is interested in the cellular and molecular events that mediate the interactions between immune cells and stromal cells that results in lymphoid tissue formation during embryogenesis, and in adults during immune responses and inflammation. For example, the group has demonstrated the function of the Lymphotoxin beta receptor and NF-kB signalling in the maturation of stromal cells during lymph node development (Carragher et al. 2004 J Immunol173:2271-9, White et al. 2007 Blood 110:1950-9, Benezech et al. 2010 J Immunol 184:4521-30). By studying the fat pads that surround lymph nodes they have also shown that interactions between stromal cells from adipose tissues and immune cells leads to the reprogramming of the former to become lymph node stromal cells that have the capacity to support T cell survival ex vivo (Benezech et al. 2012 Immunity37:721-734).

The recent work of the group has investigated the interactions between immune cells and adipocytes that result in the formation of a novel type of lymphoid tissue called Fat Associated Lymphoid Clusters (FALCs) located in the mesenteries, myocardium, and mediastinum. FALCs respond to inflammatory signals that result in an increase in the size and number of clusters (Benezech et al., 2015 Nat Immunol. 16:819-28). We have shown that innate and adaptive immune responses take place in FALCs.

By dissecting the cellular processes in stromal and immune cells during lymphoid tissue formation we would like to understand how to either prevent the formation of ectopic lymphoid tissues during autoimmune diseases and to induce their development to support local immune responses against tumors. This knowledge will aid us in the fight against inflammation, uncontrolled immune responses and cancer.

Biography

Jorge received an MSc degree in Biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1988 he moved to the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, USA to carry out his PhD studies on the function of the P53 tumour suppressor gene in head and neck tumours as part of a joint program with the University of Buenos Aires.

After graduating, he was awarded a postdoctoral scholarship at the Laboratory of Transcriptional Regulation in the Dept. of Oncology at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute in Princeton, USA. During the tenure of his postdoctoral position, he generated a series of genetically modified animal strains to study the role of the Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kB) family of transcription factors. He continued his work on NF-kB in immune responses to infection at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.

In 2000, Jorge was recruited at the University of Birmingham to set up the Stroma-Immune Cell Interaction Group within the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. 

He has received funding from the BBSRC, MRC, the European Union, The Wellcome Trust, and The Royal Society.

Jorge is review editor for the e-journal “Frontiers in Immunology”. He is also a member of the editorial board of the Immunity and Infection section of the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE).

He has organized national and international research conferences in Immunology, and was a member of the advisory board of Unit of Molecular Immunology and Signal Transduction, GIGA-Research at the University of Liege, Belgium (2009).

Qualifications

  • PhD Biochemistry 1992 University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • MSc Biochemistry 1987 University of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

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