Monash Centre for Inflammatory Diseases

Research - Leukocyte Trafficking Laboratory

The hypotheses which drive the work in our laboratory are that leukocyte recruitment is of central importance in inflammatory diseases, and the mechanisms whereby leukocytes enter sites of inflammation are highly complex and variable depending on the disease process and tissue involved.

The consequences of this research are that developing an understanding of the regulation of inflammation, and particularly leukocyte recruitment specific to each disease, is a requirement for the development of the next generation of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics.

A major focus of this group is the examination of the mechanisms regulating leukocyte trafficking in inflammatory disease, focusing on the contributions of key inflammatory molecules, such as adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines, and signalling molecules, and the tissue specificity of these responses.  Much of this work is performed via extensive collaboration with other laboratories within the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases.

Current work focuses on examination of responses mediated by specific cytokines such as macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF), and tissue-specific responses in the kidney, skin and brain. Much of this work is performed using intravital microscopy and in vivo multiphoton confocal microscopy, in which the microcirculation in inflamed organs is examined and leukocyte function assessed, while normal blood flow is maintained. This provides an unparalleled ability to assess the functional role of inflammatory mediators in controlling leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions and microvascular permeability. 

Unit Personnel

Dr Michael Hickey - Head of Laboratory

Dr Ursula Norman - Research Fellow

Dr James Deane - Research Fellow

Dr Huapeng Fan - Post Doctoral Fellow

Dr Colin Cheng - Post Doctoral Fellow

Ms Sapna Devi - PhD Student

Ms Pam Hall - Research Assistant

Ms Latasha Abeynaike - Research Assistant