Judi Allen facts for kids

Judith Elizabeth Allen is a British scientist who studies how our bodies fight off diseases. She is a Professor of Immunobiology at the University of Manchester. Professor Allen is an expert on how special immune cells, called macrophages, react when our bodies are infected by parasitic worms. She was even chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2023, which is a big honor for scientists! She has also done important work on a type of body defense called "type 2 immunity."

Early Life and Education

Judi Allen went to Bates College for her first degree. Later, she studied for her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. For her PhD, she looked closely at tiny proteins in a type of bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis.

Research and Career

Before becoming a professor, Judi Allen worked in the biotechnology field for several years. Then, she joined Imperial College London to do more research. In 1997, she received a special grant from the Medical Research Council. This allowed her to move to the University of Edinburgh, where she became a Professor of Immunobiology in 2005.

Fighting Parasitic Worms

Professor Allen studies helminthiasis, which is a disease caused by helminths, also known as parasitic worms. When mammals (like humans or animals) get these infections, their bodies often start a "type 2 immune response."

Judi Allen found a special kind of immune cell called a macrophage. These macrophages have a unique way of reacting to these worms. They are found both where the infection is and in injured parts of the body. She also discovered a link between a protein called YM1 and Interleukin 17. Interleukin 17 is a signal that can cause inflammation, which is sometimes linked to diseases where the body attacks itself.

Understanding COVID-19

Judi Allen has also researched the connection between a type 2 immune signal, Interleukin 13 (IL-13), and SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes COVID-19. COVID-19 affects the lungs, and people with the virus often have high levels of inflammatory signals called cytokines.

Professor Allen helped find that IL-13 can make COVID-19 worse. It does this by causing more of a substance called hyaluronan (HA) to build up in the lungs. Her study showed that if you stopped IL-13 from working, the amount of HA in the lungs decreased. This also made the disease less severe.

In 2016, Professor Allen joined the faculty at the University of Manchester.

Immune Cells and Worms

In 2023, Professor Allen published another important paper. This research looked at how special immune cells called T helper 2 (Th2) cells react to nematode (another type of worm) infections. She used mice with different immune systems to see how they responded to a worm called Litomosoides sigmodontis. This worm infects the chest cavity.

She found that Th2 cells control how certain immune cells, called tissue-resident macrophages, develop from other cells called monocytes. This development affects how the body fights the infection. This research helps us understand how our adaptive immune system works to fight off invaders.

The Body's Teamwork

Judi Allen has also shown how important the relationship is between the extracellular matrix and the immune system. The extracellular matrix is like the "scaffolding" or "glue" that holds our cells and tissues together. For our bodies to fight off infections and diseases, this scaffolding and the immune system must work together.

Many molecules and connections help this partnership. For example, the immune system uses signals like chemokines and cytokines to control the extracellular matrix. These signals can call white blood cells to an injury site. Interleukin 13, which Allen studied with COVID-19, also helps control mucus. Mucus is an important part of the extracellular matrix. Professor Allen's work highlights how crucial this teamwork is for developing new ways to treat diseases, called immunotherapies.

Awards and Honours

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB)
• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• Member of European Molecular Biology Organization
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
• Honorary Professor of University of Edinburgh

Selected Publications

• Donlan, Alexandra N.; Sutherland, Tara E.; Marie, Chelsea; Preissner, Saskia; Bradley, Benjamin T.; Carpenter, Rebecca M.; Sturek, Jeffrey M.; Ma, Jennie Z.; Moreau, G. Brett; Donowitz, Jeffrey R.; Buck, Gregory A.; Serrano, Myrna G.; Burgess, Stacey L.; Abhyankar, Mayuresh M.; Mura, Cameron (2021-08-09). "IL-13 is a driver of COVID-19 severity". JCI Insight. 6 (15). doi:10.1172/jci.insight.150107. ISSN 0021-9738.
• Finlay, Conor M.; Parkinson, James E.; Zhang, Lili; Chan, Brian H. K.; Ajendra, Jesuthas; Chenery, Alistair; Morrison, Anya; Kaymak, Irem; Houlder, Emma L.; Murtuza Baker, Syed; Dickie, Ben R.; Boon, Louis; Konkel, Joanne E.; Hepworth, Matthew R.; MacDonald, Andrew S. (2023-05-09). "T helper 2 cells control monocyte to tissue-resident macrophage differentiation during nematode infection of the pleural cavity". Immunity. 56 (5): 1064–1081.e10. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2023.02.016. ISSN 1074-7613.