Matt Dickinson

I am a DPhil student co-supervised by Professor Hal Drakesmith, my primary supervisor being Professor Persephone Borrow in the Nuffield Department of Medicine. My DPhil research focuses on the role of cytokines of the TGF-β superfamily in HIV-1 infection.

Type I interferons, another family of innate cytokines, are known to mediate antiviral activity that restricts HIV-1 replication and impairs virus transmission; and are also involved in driving immune activation and apoptosis, contributing to HIV-1 pathogenesis. Previous work from the Drakesmith lab has demonstrated parallels between the type I interferon system and the SMAD system (the canonical signalling pathway of TGF-β superfamily ligands), and has shown that they intersect at both the level of signalling and downstream gene expression, with implications for innate antiviral immunity. I am addressing the induction of TGF-β superfamily cytokines during HIV-1 infection, and their putative roles in HIV-1 control and pathogenesis.

I graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015 with a BVSc in Veterinary Science, and a BSc in Virology & Immunology. During my BSc I undertook a research project in T cell signalling in the lab of Professor Christoph Wülfing. I am a qualified veterinary surgeon and a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Having worked in full time veterinary practice prior to my DPhil, I continue to maintain my clinical work on a part-time basis.