Dr Tracy S. P. Heng, BSc(Biomed)(Hons), PhD

Immune Regeneration Laboratory

Research Specialities

My postdoctoral research in the von Boehmer lab (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston) was directed at developing novel strategies for generating antigen-specific regulatory T cells in animal disease models. I continued my postdoctoral training in the Mathis/Benoist lab (Harvard Medical School, Boston), establishing standardised conditions for gene expression profiling of immune cell populations by high-throughput microarray technology. Currently, my research in the Boyd lab is focussed on developing strategies to complement thymic and immune regeneration with emerging therapies for suppressing aberrant immune responses in animal models and humans.

Grants

Chief Investigator, Australian Research Council Linkage Project Grant LP110201169 (Partner Organisation: Mesoblast Limited) (2011-2014).

Publications

Heng TSP, Reiseger JJ, Fletcher AL, Leggatt GR, White OJ, Vlahos K, Frazer IH, Turner SJ, Boyd RL (2012). Impact of sex steroid ablation on viral, tumour and vaccine responses in aged mice. PLoS ONE 7: e42677.

Bezman NA, Kim CC, Sun JC, Min-Oo G, Hendricks DW, Kamimura Y, Best JA, Goldrath AW, Lanier LL; Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2012). Molecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells. Nature Immunology (in press).

Miller JC, Brown BD, Shay T, Gautier EL, Jojic V, Cohain A, Pandey G, Leboeuf M, Elpek KG, Helft J, Hashimoto D, Chow A, Price J, Greter M, Bogunovic M, Bellemare-Pelletier A, Frenette PS, Randolph GJ, Turley SJ, Merad M; Immunological Genome Consortium (2012). Deciphering the transcriptional network of the dendritic cell lineage. Nature Immunology 13:888-899.

Narayan K, Sylvia KE, Malhotra N, Yin CC, Martens G, Vallerskog T, Kornfeld H, Xiong N, Cohen NR, Brenner MB, Berg LJ, Kang J; Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2012). Intrathymic programming of effector fates in three molecularly distinct γδ T cell subtypes. Nature Immunology 13: 511-518.

Malhotra D, Fletcher AL, Astarita J, Lukacs-Kornek V, Tayalia P, Gonzalez SF, Elpek KG, Chang SK, Knoblich K, Hemler ME, Brenner MB, Carroll MC, Mooney DJ, Turley SJ; Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2012). Transcriptional profiling of stroma from inflamed and resting lymph nodes defines immunological hallmarks. Nature Immunology 13: 499-510.

Painter MW, Davis S, Hardy RR, Mathis D, Benoist C; Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2011). Transcriptomes of the B and T lineages compared by multiplatform microarray profiling. The Journal of Immunology 186:3047-57.

Heng TSP, Chidgey AP, Boyd RL (2010). Getting back at nature - understanding thymic development and overcoming its atrophy. Current Opinion in Pharmacology 10: 425-433.

Goldberg GL, Dudakov JA, Reiseger JJ, Seach N, Ueno T, Vlahos K, Hammett MV, Young LF, Heng TS, Boyd RL, Chidgey AP (2010). Sex steroid ablation enhances immune reconstitution following cytotoxic antineoplastic therapy in young mice. The Journal of Immunology 184: 6014-24.

Heng TSP, Dudakov JA, Khong DMP, Chidgey AP, Boyd RL (2009). Stem cells - meet immunity. Journal of Molecular Medicine 87: 1061-1069.

Heng TSP, Painter MW, the Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2008). The Immunological Genome Project: networks of gene expression in immune cells. Nature Immunology 9: 1091-1094.

Sutherland JS, Spyroglou LS, Muirhead JL, Heng TSP, Prieto-Hinojosa A, Prince HM, Chidgey AP, Schwarer AP, Boyd RL (2008). Enhanced immune system regeneration in humans following allogeneic or autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation by temporary sex steroid blockade. Clinical Cancer Research 14: 1138-1149.

Kretschmer K, Heng TSP, von Boehmer H (2006). De novo production of antigen-specific suppressor cells in vivo. Nature Protocols 1: 653-661.

Goldberg GL, Sutherland JS, Hammett MV, Milton MK, Heng TSP, Chidgey AP, Boyd RL (2005). Sex steroid ablation enhances lymphoid recovery following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Transplantation 80: 1604-1613.

Heng TSP, Goldberg GL, Gray DHD, Sutherland JS, Chidgey AP, Boyd RL (2005). Effects of castration in two different models of thymic involution. Journal of Immunology 175: 2982-2993.

Sutherland JS, Goldberg GL, Hammett MV, Uldrich AP, Berzins SP, Heng TS, Blazar BR, Millar JL, Malin MA, Chidgey AP, Boyd RL (2005). Activation of thymic regeneration in mice and humans following androgen blockade. Journal of Immunology 175: 2741-2753.

Book Chapters

Morison J, Heng T, Chidgey A, Boyd R (2011). The immunogenicity of stem cells and thymus-based strategies to minimise immune rejection. In Dr P Fairchild (ed) Immunological Barriers to Regenerative Medicine, Springer Verlag, UK.