Professor Martin Holland
BSc MSc PhD
Professor
of Microbial Immunity
LSHTM
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom
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 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.
Centres
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 at MRC Unit The Gambia and at LSHTM.
Research
My interests focus on the development of conjunctival fibrosis causing scarring and the characterisation of immune responses to potential C. trachomatis vaccine candidates. We are part of a EU Horizon 2020 funded consortium to develop a vaccine against C. trachomatis ocular infections (TracVac) and a member of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research. In particular we have applied genomic scale studies to trachoma examining the conjunctival transcriptome by microarray, RNAseq and high through put quantitative RTPCR. We have also studied ocular bacterial communties using 16S-amplicon sequencing, the global anti-Ct antibody repertoire, and host genetic susceptiblity by GWAS. We have also studied pathogen variation by whole genome sequencing associated with clinical severity, ocular tropism and identified genome wide signatures of selection. This has led to the development of a number of research areas including investigating the role of NK cells in the response to C. trachomatis, the contribution of host genetics (in particular the role of KIR/HLA) to disease and understanding the extent of pathogen diversity and its impact on clinical disease.
I spent 8 years at the Medical Research Council Unit in The Gambia leading a group field assistants, students and scientists investigating trachoma. We investigated the immunology of ocular infection with C. trachomatis cutting across a number of disciplines ranging from molecular immunogenetics to classical cellular immunology. Our work in trachoma endemic populations continues through collaboration with the MRC Unit and with other members of LSHTM staff in The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia.
