Judi Allen facts for kids

Judith Elizabeth Allen is a British scientist. She is a Professor of Immunobiology at the University of Manchester. Professor Allen is an expert on how the body's defense system, called the immune system, reacts to parasitic worm infections. She was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2023. She has also done important work on a specific type of immune response 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. Her research there looked into special proteins found in a type of bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis.

Research and career

After finishing her studies, Professor Allen worked in the biotechnology field for several years. Then, she joined Imperial College London to continue her research. In 1997, she received a special grant from the Medical Research Council. This allowed her to move to the University of Edinburgh. She became a Professor of Immunobiology there in 2005.

Understanding parasitic worm infections

Professor Allen studies helminthiasis. This is a disease caused by helminths, which are parasitic worms. When these worms infect mammals, they often trigger a type 2 immune response. Professor Allen found special immune cells called macrophages that show this type 2 response. These macrophages are found where the infection is and also in injured body parts.

She also discovered a link between a protein called YM1 and Interleukin 17. Interleukin 17 is a signal that can cause inflammation, which is linked to diseases where the immune system attacks the body.

Research on COVID-19

Judi Allen has also researched the link between a type 2 immune signal, Interleukin 13 (IL-13), and SARS-CoV-2 infection, also known as COVID-19. COVID-19 is a virus that mainly affects the lungs. Patients with severe COVID-19 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 hyaluronan (HA) to build up in the lungs. Her study showed that if IL-13 was blocked, the amount of HA in the lungs decreased. This also made the disease less severe.

Moving to Manchester

In 2016, Professor Allen joined the University of Manchester.

Immune cells and worm infections

In 2023, Professor Allen published a paper about T helper 2 (Th2) cells and nematode worm infections. Nematodes are a type of roundworm. She used mice with different immune systems to see how they reacted to Litomosoides sigmodontis. This is a nematode that infects the chest cavity.

She found that Th2 cells control how certain immune cells, called tissue-resident macrophages, develop from monocytes. This process affects how the body fights the infection. This research shows how important Professor Allen's work is in understanding the body's adaptive immune response.

The immune system and body structure

Judi Allen has also helped show how the extracellular matrix works with the immune system. The extracellular matrix is like the "glue" and support structure around cells in the body. For the body to fight infections and diseases, the matrix and immune system must work together.

Many molecules and relationships help this partnership. For example, the immune system uses signals like chemokines and cytokines to control the extracellular matrix. These signals call white blood cells to areas of injury. Interleukin 13, which Professor Allen has studied, also helps control mucus. Mucus is an important part of the extracellular matrix. Professor Allen's work highlights how important this relationship is for developing new 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.