Panagiota Vardaka

Germinal centers are transient structures that form following infection and immunisation in secondary lymphoid organs, such lymph nodes. Activated B cells that enter a germinal center reaction ultimately differentiate into memory B cells or plasma cells. They undergo class-switch recombination to acquire different effector functions and somatic hypermutation to increase their BCR affinity and get selected in a process called affinity maturation. Germinal centers are essential structures for the establishment of B cell immunological memory. On the other end, germinal center reaction results in the generation of plasma cells that secrete high amounts of antigen-specific antibodies. Memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells establish long-lasting humoral immunity.

My background in immunology and haematological mature B cell cancers has triggered my interest in understanding the unelucidated mechanisms governing a germinal center reaction and the factors determining plasma cell and memory B cell fate commitment and differentiation.

Prior to joining the research group of Prof. Oliver Bannard in Oxford, I conducted my PhD studies with Prof. Reuben Tooze and Dr. Gina Doody in the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, at the University of Leeds. During my time there, I investigated the effect of B cell lymphoma-derived oncogenic combination MYC and BCL2 overexpression on the process of plasma cell differentiation.