Professor Laura Mackay

• Key Achievements
• Publications
• Projects
• Research Groups

• Key Achievements

  • Laura has been at the forefront of research into tissue-resident memory T cells, resulting in publications in journals including Science, Nature, Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, Science Immunology and PNAS. Laura has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate) annually since 2019. Her work has been recognised by awards including The Prime Minister’s Prize for Frank Fenner Life Scientist of the Year (2019), the Australian Academy of Science Gottschalk Medal (2019), Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher (2019), The Woodward Medal in Science and Technology (2019), The Michelson Prize for Human Immunology (2018), and the Victorian Young Tall Poppy Award (2016). She serves on Editorial Boards including Cell and Science Immunology, and Strategic Advisory Boards including the Lymphoid Dynamics and HIV Persistence Program in South Africa, and the Singapore Immunology and Inflammation Cluster. Laura is also a permanent co-host on National Triple R Radio science show, Einstein-A-Go-Go. Her research is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation, The Michelson Foundation and commercial partnerships.

  Publications
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  Projects

  • The role of resident memory T cells in barrier immunity and autoimmune disease

    Infections are commonly acquired through barrier tissues such as the skin, gut and lung, hence establishing memory CD8+ killer T cell populations at these sites is critical for effective immune protection. While most memory T cells circulate in the blood, a distinct lineage, termed tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm), resides and remains in peripheral tissues. Laura’s group’s work has shown that these cells form a defensive barrier providing immediate local control of viral infection. Using methods including flow cytometry, histology and intravital 2-photon microscopy, current work focuses on how Trm cells respond following secondary infection, and they are developing novel strategies to boost Trm cell responses, which aim to facilitate the development of strategies to exploit these cells in vaccination settings. Work in the laboratory also aims to understand the role of Trm cells in autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis, and Laura’s group is investigating new approaches to eliminate pathological cells from peripheral tissues.

  • Understanding the regulation of tissue-resident memory T cell development

    Laura’s group’s work has shown that tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm) are phenotypically and functionally distinct to memory T cells in the circulation. They have found that Trm development is a multistep process that requires the action of several molecules, and that these cells acquire a unique transcriptional profile during their differentiation. Using several different infectious models including Influenza, herpes simplex virus, Listeria and LCMV, Laura’s group is investigating the regulatory cues and mechanisms that govern Trm cell development in different tissues, with a focus on the transcriptional networks that regulate commitment to this immune cell lineage.

  • Identifying the mechanisms of immune cell development in peripheral tissues

    It is now clear that ‘tissue residency’ extends past the T cell lineage, and that various immune cell populations including innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and NKT cells, can persist long-term in peripheral tissues. Laura’s group is interested in the role of the tissue microenvironment in shaping these immune cell populations, and are studying the tissue-tropic factors and signals that govern the environmental adaptation of immune cells to different tissues. Their work also investigates common mechanisms that are required to establish tissue residency such as the shutdown of tissue egress, and they are deciphering novel factors required for these processes. Their goal is to provide a molecular framework for tissue-resident lymphocyte differentiation, which will provide a basis for targeting these cells in future immune cell-based therapies. 

  Research Groups

  • Laura Mackay Group

    The Mackay Group studies memory T cell responses, with a focus on the signals that control tissue-resident memory T cell differentiation, and a view to harness these cells to develop new treatments against infection, cancer and autoimmune conditions.

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    Lab Team

    

    • Dr Susan Christo

      Senior Research Officer
    • Dr Thomas Burn

      Research Officer
    • Dr Maximilien Evrard

      ARC DECRA Research Fellow
    • Dr Raissa Fonseca

      ARC DECRA Research Fellow
    • Dr Luke Gandolfo

      Research Officer (Computational Biology)
    • Dr Claire Gordon

      NHMRC Research Fellow and Infectious Diseases Physician, Austin Health
    • Dr Andrea Nguyen

      Research Officer
    • Dr Kelly Paton

      Research Officer
    • Dr Tobias Poch

      DFG Walter Benjamin Programme Fellow
    • Dr Natasha Zamudio

      Laboratory Manager
    • Dr Simone Park

      Honorary Research Fellow
    • Brooke Davies

      Research Assistant
    • Keely McDonald

      Research Assistant
    • Allison Clatch

      PhD Candidate
    • James Dosser

      PhD Candidate
    • Andreas Obers

      PhD Candidate
    • Maleika Osman

      PhD Candidate
    • Justine Seow

      PhD Candidate
    • Joey Kuai

      Masters Student
    • Rachel Evans

      Honours Student
    • Lutfi Huq

      American Australian Association Visiting Scholar

Full University of Melbourne profile