Background
Eleanor Riley graduated from Bristol University with degrees in Cellular Pathology and Veterinary Science. After an internship in Veterinary Pathology at Cornell University (USA) she studied for a PhD in immunology and parasitology in the Department of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Liverpool. She began working on the immunology of malaria in 1985, as a member of the senior scientific staff at the Medical Research Council Laboratories in The Gambia, West Africa. In 1990, Eleanor moved to the University of Edinburgh as a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow. Eleanor moved to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in October 1998 where she is Professor of Infectious Disease Immunology and Head of the Immunology Unit.
Teaching
MSc Immunology of Infectious Diseases - core immunology course and parasite immunology (malaria). MSc Medical Parasitology - core course, immunology of malaria. MSc Microbiology - Immunology of infection. Research
Our work concentrates on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of anti-malarial immunity, the immunological consequences of malaria infection in endemic and non-endemic populations and immuno-epidemiological studies of the relationship between defined immune responses and acquisition of clinically protective immunity. Our aim is to characterise the effector mechanisms of both innate and acquired immunity to malaria, to understand how these mechanisms are induced and how they are regulated in order to promote parasite clearance without inducing immunopathology. We also conduct research oriented to the development and evaluation of anti-malarial vaccines, especially those targeting the asexual, blood stage of the infection. Current projects include (i) mechanisms of cytokine regulation, especially the balance between pro-inflammatory cytokine such as IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-beta (ii) investigation of the role of innately activated cellular immune mechanisms (particularly Natural Killer cells) in resistance to malaria infection (iii) induction and maintenance of T cell memory to liver stage and blood stage parasites (iv) human genetic variation, acquired immunity and resistance to severe malarial disease (v) immunological evaluation of the RTS,S vaccine.
I lead a multidisciplinary research programme encompassing parasitology, immunology, protein chemistry and epidemiology and conduct field work in:
- Tanzania (in collaboration with the National Institute for Medical Research of Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College and University of Copenhagen; the Joint Malaria Programme) studying the relationship between intensity of malaria transmission, burden of disease and acquired immunity. This programme is based at KCMC in Moshi, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, and involves community, hospital and laboratory studies of malaria in the Kilimanjaro, Pare and Usambara mountain ranges of north-east Tanzania.
- The Gambia (in collaboration with the malaria programme at the MRC Laboratories) studying the impact of seasonal malaria transmission on the dynamics of malaria specific T and B cell populations.
- Thailand (in collaboration with the Research Institute for Life Sciences, Chiang Mai University) studying the induction and maintenance of immunological memory in an area of very low endemic malaria transmission.
- Uganda (in collaboration with MedBiotech Laboratories, Kampala), studying the seropeidemiology of malaria in an area of intense, perennial malaria transmission.
Selected publications
- Couper, K.N.; Blount, D.G.; Wilson, M.S.; Hafalla, J.C.; Belkaid, Y.; Kamanaka, M.; Flavell, R.A.; de Souza, J.B.; Riley, E.M.; IL-10 from CD4CD25Foxp3CD127 Adaptive Regulatory T Cells Modulates Parasite Clearance and Pathology during Malaria Infection. PLoS Pathog, 2008; 4(2):e1000004
- Newman, K.C.; Riley, E.M.; Whatever turns you on: accessory-cell-dependent activation of NK cells by pathogens. Nat Rev Immunol, 2007; 7(4):279-91
- Bejon, P.; Lusingu, J.; Olotu, A.; Leach, A.; Lievens, M.; Vekemans, J.; Mshamu, S.; Lang, T.; Gould, J.; Dubois, M.C.; Demoitié, M.A.; Stallaert, J.F.; Vansadia, P.; Carter, T.; Njuguna, P.; Awuondo, K.O.; Malabeja, A.; Abdul, O.; Gesase, S.; Mturi, N.; Drakeley, C.J.; Savarese, B.; Villafana, T.; Ballou, W.R.; Cohen, J.; Riley, E.M.; Lemnge, M.M.; Marsh, K.; von Seidlein, L.; Efficacy of RTS,S/AS01E Vaccine against Malaria in Children 5 to 17 Months of Age. N Engl J Med, 2008; 359(24):2521-32
- Norman, P.J.; Abi-Rached, L.; Gendzekhadze, K.; Hammond, J.A.; Moesta, A.K.; Sharma, D.; Graef, T.; McQueen, K.L.; Guethlein, L.A.; Carrington, C.V.F.; Chandanayingyong, D.; Chang, Y.H.; Crespi, C.; Saruhan-Direskeneli, G.; Hameed, K.; Kamkamidze, G.; Koram, K.A.; Layrisse, Z.; Matamoros, N.; Mila, J.; Park, M.H.; Pitchappan, R.M.; Ramdath, D.D.; Shiau, M.Y.; Stephens, H.A.F.; Struik, S.; Tyan, D.; Verity, D.H.; Vaughan, R.W.; Davis, R.W.; Fraser, P.A.; Riley, E.M.; Ronaghi, M.; Parham, P. Meiotic recombination generates rich diversity in NK cell receptor genes, alleles, and haplotypes Genome Research, 2009; 19(5):757-769
- Walther, M.; Jeffries, D.; Finney, O.C.; Njie, M.; Ebonyi, A.; Deininger, S.; Lawrence, E.; Ngwa-Amambua, A.; Jayasooriya, S.; Cheeseman, I.H.; Gomez-Escobar, N.; Okebe, J.; Conway, D.J.; Riley, E.M. Distinct Roles for FOXP3(+) and FOXP3(-) CD4(+) T Cells in Regulating Cellular Immunity to Uncomplicated and Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria PLOS Pathogens, 2009; 5(4)
- Korbel, D.S.; Norman, P.J.; Newman, K.C.; Horowitz, A.; Gendzekhadze, K.; Parham, P.; Riley, E.M.; Killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) genotype predicts the capacity of human KIR-positive CD56dim NK cells to respond to pathogen-associated signals. J Immunol, 2009; 182(10):6426-34
- Finney, O.C.; Nwakanma, D.; Conway, D.J.; Walther, M.; Riley, E.M. Homeostatic regulation of T effector to Treg ratios in an area of seasonal malaria transmission European Journal of Immunology, 2009; 39(5):1288-1300
- Couper, K.N.; Blount, D.G.; Riley, E.M. IL-10: The master regulator of immunity to infection Journal of Immunology, 2008; 180(9):5771-5777
Full publications listing (since 2001) |