Fiona Powrie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Fiona Margaret Powrie
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) Luton, England |
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for | Work on Regulatory T Cells |
| Awards |
|
| Academic career | |
| Institutions |
|
| Thesis | Functional analysis of rat T cell subsets |
| Doctoral advisor | Don Mason |
| Academic advisor | Robert L. Coffman |
Dame Fiona Margaret Powrie is a leading British scientist. She was born in 1963. She is known for her important work on how our immune system works. She especially studies special cells called Regulatory T Cells.
Currently, she is the head of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford. This institute focuses on understanding and treating diseases that affect joints and muscles.
Contents
Studying the Immune System
Fiona Powrie started her science journey by studying biochemistry. She went to the University of Bath. After that, she earned a special degree called a DPhil. She did this at the University of Oxford. Her research was done in Professor Don Mason's lab.
Discovering Regulatory T Cells
Early in her career, Fiona Powrie worked with Don Mason. They studied different types of T cells in rats. T cells are like tiny soldiers in our body. They help fight off infections.
Their work showed that some T cells were "peacekeepers." These cells could stop other immune cells from causing harm. These special cells are now called Regulatory T cells (Tregs). Her research was very important for understanding how our immune system stays balanced.
Understanding Gut Inflammation
After her DPhil, Powrie continued her research in California. She started studying how the immune system affects the gut. The gut is another name for our intestines. Sometimes, the gut can become inflamed. This means it gets swollen and painful. Diseases like Crohn's disease cause this.
She developed a special way to study this in mice. This helped scientists learn more about gut inflammation. She found that certain immune signals, like IFN-γ and TNF-α, made inflammation worse. She also discovered that other signals, like IL-10 and TGF-β, could help prevent it. Her work showed how important Tregs are in keeping the gut healthy.
How Tregs Help Treat Diseases
When Fiona Powrie returned to the University of Oxford, she kept studying Tregs. Her lab found that Tregs could not only prevent gut inflammation. They could also help cure it once it had started.
She was also one of the first scientists to find Tregs in human blood. This was a big step. It confirmed that these important "peacekeeper" cells exist in people too. Her discoveries have opened doors for new ways to treat diseases. These include conditions where the immune system attacks the body by mistake.
Awards and Recognition
Fiona Powrie has received many awards for her scientific work.
- In 2009, she became the first Sidney Truelove Professor of Gastroenterology at Oxford.
- She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2011. This is a very high honor for scientists.
- In 2012, she received the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine. This is a major international award for medical research.
- In 2022, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This honor was given for her great contributions to medical science.
