Martin Holland BSc MSc PhD

Senior Lecturer

• Affiliation
• Teaching
• Research
• Publications

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• Keppel Street
• London
• WC1E 7HT
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I graduated in biology from the University of York in 1984. The same year I joined the MRC Clinical Immunology Research Unit, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital (now Imperial College School of Medicine) where we researched auto-immune nephritis. From 1985-7 I studied for an M.Sc. in Immunology at Kings, Queen Mary and Chelsea colleges. In 1987 I joined David Mabey at LSHTM and studied for a Ph.D in cellular immunity following ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. This was followed by two post-doctoral positions in Edinburgh firstly at the Moredun Research Institute in retrovirology with Massimo Palmarini and then the Edinburgh University Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology (now Institute for Infection and Immunology Research) to study intestinal nematode infestations with Rick Maizels. In June 2000 I rejoined the trachoma group at LSHTM to continue studies on the immunology and pathogenesis of trachoma. From 2002 until 2010 I was based at the MRC laboratories in The Gambia and from 2005 led trachoma research based at the MRC laboratories. In June 2010 I returned to the UK and I am currently based at the Keppel Street site with continuing projects in Tanzania, Guinea Bissau and The Gambia.

Affiliation

• Department of Clinical Research

Teaching

I am currently module leader for Clinical Immunology at LSHTM. Previously I have taught Immunology at undergraduate level whilst at the University of Edinburgh. I have supervised a number of B.Sc and M.Sc students from several universities in the U.K and U.S and advised and co-supervised doctoral research students whilst in the The Gambia and at LSHTM.

Research

My current interests focus on the role of immunoregulation in development of trachomatous disease pathology and the characterisation of immune responses to potential C. trachomatis vaccine candidates. In particular we have studied conjunctival gene expression using microarray and quantitative RTPCR. This has led to the development of a number of research areas including investigating the role of NK cells in the response to Chlamydia trachomatis, the contribution of host genetics (in particular the role of KIR/HLA) to disease sequelea and understanding the extent of pathogen diversity and its impact on clinical disease.

I was previosuly based at the Medical Research Council laboratories in The Gambia leading a group field assistants, students and scientists  investigating trachoma. We investigated the immunology of ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis cutting across a number of disciplines ranging from molecular immunogenetics to classical cellular immunology. This work continues through collaboration and with other members of LSHTM staff based in The Gambia.

• Selected publications

• Systemic effector and regulatory immune responses to chlamydial antigens in Trachomatous Trichiasis

  Gall, A.; Horowitz, A.; Joof, H.; Natividad, A.; Tetteh, K.; Riley, E.; Bailey, R.L.; Mabey, D.C.W.; Holland, M.J.

  Frontiers in Microbiology, 2011; 2

• Human conjunctival transcriptome analysis reveals the prominence of innate defence in Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

  Natividad, A.; Freeman, T.C.; Jeffries, D.; Burton, M.J.; Mabey, D.C.; Bailey, R.L.; Holland, M.J.;

  Infect Immun, 2010;

• Co-evolution of genomes and plasmids within Chlamydia trachomatis and the emergence in Sweden of a new variant strain

  Seth-Smith, H.M.B.; Harris, S.R.; Persson, K.; Marsh, P.; Barron, A.; Bignell, A.; Bjartling, C.; Clark, L.; Cutcliffe, L.T.; Lambden, P.R.; Lennard, N.; Lockey, S.J.; Quail, M.A.; Salim, O.; Skilton, R.J.; Wang, Y.B.; Holland, M.J.; Parkhill, J.; Thomson, N.R.; Clarke, I.N.

  BMC Genomics, 2009; 10

• Pathogenic Diversity among Chlamydia trachomatis Ocular Strains in Nonhuman Primates Is Affected by Subtle Genomic Variations.

  Kari, L.; Whitmire, W.M.; Carlson, J.H.; Crane, D.D.; Reveneau, N.; Nelson, D.E.; Mabey, D.C.; Bailey, R.L.; Holland, M.J.; McClarty, G.; Caldwell, H.D.;

  J Infect Dis, 2008; 197(3):449-56

• Susceptibility to sequelae of human ocular chlamydial infection associated with allelic variation in IL-10 cis-regulation.

  Natividad, A.; Holland, M.J.; Rockett, K.A.; Forton, J.; Faal, N.; Joof, H.M.; Mabey, D.C.; Bailey, R.L.; Kwiatkowski, D.P.;

  Hum Mol Genet, 2007; 17(2):323-9

• The Frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein-Specific CD8+ T Lymphocytes in Active Trachoma Is Associated with Current Ocular Infection.

  Holland, M.J.; Faal, N.; Sarr, I.; Joof, H.; Laye, M.; Cameron, E.; Pemberton-Pigott, F.; Dockrell, H.M.; Bailey, R.L.; Mabey, D.C.;

  Infect Immun, 2006; 74(3):1565-72

• Conjunctival FOXP3 expression in trachoma: do regulatory T cells have a role in human ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection?

  Faal, N.; Bailey, R.L.; Jeffries, D.; Joof, H.; Sarr, I.; Laye, M.; Mabey, D.C.; Holland, M.J.;

  PLoS Med, 2006; 3(8):e266

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