Contact information
Research groups
Marcin Pekalski
Senior Research Associate
After completing an MSc in Molecular Biology at Jagiellonian University and doctoral studies in Immunology at the University of Newcastle, I moved to the University of Cambridge to take up a Senior Research Associate position. I am currently based in the DIL at the University of Oxford where I am using my research experience in linking genetic and environmental determinants of autoimmunity with immune system function and developing T1D immunotherapies. This has led to a number of insights into T cell biology and two mechanistic trials using IL-2 as an intervention.
After discovering antimicrobial receptors on recent thymic emigrants in neonates and adults, I hypothesised peripheral Treg induction to commensal mimotopes as the regulatory mechanism, entangled with thymic Tregs, conferring tolerance to human epitopes. I am particularly interested in linking the causal role of microbial dysbiosis, an environmental trigger of T1D, with host genetics (HLA class II, INS, PTPN22 and IL-2 pathway) and the immune repertoire (TCRs) against commensal mimotopes, in the aetiology of T1D*.
I am currently designing mechanistic microbiome intervention studies and am co-author of the synbiotic trial at GPPAD and lead for microbiome studies at PTChA. In this way, I am applying my experience in prevention strategies to eradicate diseases linked with microbiome pathologies, in particular T1D, generating insights into the biology of the host-microbial interaction.
Key words: host-microbial interaction, autoimmunity, immunology, T cells, RTEs, Tregs, synbiotic, immunotherapy, HLA class II, TCR, IL-2, holobiont, dysbiosis, mimotope, mimicry
Principal Investigator of Polish Society of Autoimmune Diseases:http://ptcha.pl/en/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=85gPSaAAAAAJ&hl=en
* A. Rubio García, A. Paterou, M. Lee, H. Slawinski, L.S. Wicker, J.A. Todd, and M.L. Pekalski. 2019. Peripheral tolerance to insulin is encoded by mimicry in the microbiome. bioRxiv
Key publications
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Neonatal and adult recent thymic emigrants produce IL-8 and express complement receptors CR1 and CR2
Journal article
Pekalski ML. et al, (2017), JCI Insight, 2
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Cells with Treg-specific FOXP3 demethylation but low CD25 are prevalent in autoimmunity
Journal article
Ferreira RC. et al, (2017), Journal of Autoimmunity, 84, 75 - 86
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IL-21 production by CD4+ effector T cells and frequency of circulating follicular helper T cells are increased in type 1 diabetes patients
Journal article
Ferreira RC. et al, (2015), Diabetologia, 58, 781 - 790
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Postthymic Expansion in Human CD4 Naive T Cells Defined by Expression of Functional High-Affinity IL-2 Receptors
Journal article
Pekalski ML. et al, (2013), The Journal of Immunology, 190, 2554 - 2566
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Regulatory T Cell Responses in Participants with Type 1 Diabetes after a Single Dose of Interleukin-2: A Non-Randomised, Open Label, Adaptive Dose-Finding Trial
Journal article
Todd JA. et al, (2016), PLOS Medicine, 13, e1002139 - e1002139
Recent publications
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Macropinocytic entry of isolated mitochondria in epidermal growth factor-activated human osteosarcoma cells
Journal article
Patel D. et al, (2017), Scientific Reports, 7
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Cells with Treg-specific FOXP3 demethylation but low CD25 are prevalent in autoimmunity
Journal article
Ferreira RC. et al, (2017), Journal of Autoimmunity, 84, 75 - 86
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Neonatal and adult recent thymic emigrants produce IL-8 and express complement receptors CR1 and CR2
Journal article
Pekalski ML. et al, (2017), JCI Insight, 2
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Human IL-6R hi TIGIT − CD4 + CD127 low CD25 + T cells display potent in vitro suppressive capacity and a distinct Th17 profile
Journal article
Ferreira RC. et al, (2017), Clinical Immunology, 179, 25 - 39
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In-depth immunophenotyping data of IL-6R on the human peripheral regulatory T cell (Treg) compartment
Journal article
Ferreira RC. et al, (2017), Data in Brief, 12, 676 - 691