Dr Rebecca Dearman
Summary
Contact details:
Michael Smith Building|Oxford Road|Manchester|M13 9PT
Research interests
My research interests are at the interface between immunology (how our body protects us from infection), allergy (when our immune system is overprotective and causes harm) and toxicology (adverse health effects caused by foreign materials). Allergy is an important disease affecting up to 1 in 10 individuals, and is increasing. Allergy is also the most frequent form of adverse health effect (toxicology) impacting on the immune system.
Small reactive chemicals can cause allergic reactions in skin or lung and some proteins can cause asthma or food allergy. The research goals are to understand why only some chemicals and proteins cause allergy, what drives the different types of allergic responses and the cells and molecules involved, including whether preferences for the type of allergic responses can be imprinted on the immune system. One example is whether the pattern of sugar molecules on proteins plays a key role in promoting an allergic response.
This research should lead to the development of new and improved methods for the identification and characterisation of allergens, and also provide information about which cells and molecules are important, providing opportunities for new treatments of immune and inflammatory diseases.
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Highlight publications
- Dearman, R. & Kimber, I (2009). Animal models of protein allergenicity: potential benefits, pitfalls and challenges. Clin Exp Allergy, 39(4), 458-68. eScholarID:105737 | PMID:19178540 | DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03194.x
- Cumberbatch, M., Singh, M., Dearman, R., Young, H., Kimber, I. & Griffiths, C (2006). Impaired Langerhans cell migration in psoriasis. J Exp Med, 203(4), 953-60. eScholarID:105761 | PMID:16567387 | DOI:10.1084/jem.20052367
- Dearman, R., Alcocer, M. & Kimber, I (2007). Influence of plant lipids on immune responses in mice to the major Brazil nut allergen Ber e 1. Clin Exp Allergy, 37(4), 582-91. eScholarID:105762 | PMID:17430356 | DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2007.02689.x
- Dearman, R., Cumberbatch, M., Maxwell, G., Basketter, D. & Kimber, I (2009). Toll-like receptor ligand activation of murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Immunology, 126(4), 475-84. eScholarID:105784 | PMID:18778283 | DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2567.2008.02922.x
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