Dr Kesley Attridge

Faculty of Science & Engineering

Kesley graduated from Keele University with a B.Sc in Biomedical Sciences in 2008, before undertaking a Ph.D at the MRC Centre for Immune Regulation at the University of Birmingham. Here, he worked in the laboratory of Professor Lucy Walker, investigating CD4 T cell responses in type-1 diabetes. Before joining the University of Wolverhampton's School of Biomedical Sciences and Physiology in April 2015, Kesley was a postdoctoral research fellow at Oxford University. He is looking forward to getting involved in the vibrant teaching community here, and to furthering his research interests in augmenting T cell responses to cancer.

Cutting out the middleman: Do cancer cells communicate directly with CD4 T cells to establish immunosuppression?

Many cancers are able to suppress the immune system to prevent tumour eradication. However, the extent to which cancer cells directly communicate with immune cells, and indeed the mechanisms utilised, remain unclear. Using a powerful analytical technique called flow cytometry, my project aims to further understand the interactions between cancer cells and immune cells. In doing so, I hope to discover novel ways in which cancer-mediated immune suppression can be prevented, thereby increasing the likelihood of tumours being destroyed by the body’s own defence mechanisms.