The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

  • Research Groups

    Current Projects

    • The role of tissue-resident memory T cells in barrier immunity, cancer and autoimmune diseases

      Infections are commonly acquired through barrier tissues such as the skin, gut and lung, hence establishing memory CD8+ killer T cell populations at these sites is critical for effective immune protection. Likewise, an effective local memory CD8+ T cell response is critical to cancer immunosurveillance, preventing the development and spread of solid tumours. While most memory T cells circulate in the blood, a distinct lineage, termed tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, resides and remains in peripheral tissues. Our group has shown that these cells form a defensive barrier providing immediate local control of viral infection and cancer recurrence. Our current research focuses on developing novel strategies to boost TRM cell responses, and therefore exploit these cells in settings such as vaccination and cancer immunotherapy. Work in our laboratory also aims to understand the role of TRM cells in autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis and alopecia areata and investigate new approaches to eliminate pathological cells from peripheral tissues.

    • Identifying the mechanisms of immune cell development in peripheral tissues

      It is now clear that various immune cell populations including T cells, innate lymphoid cells and NKT cells can establish tissue residency and persist long-term in peripheral tissues. Our group is interested in the role of the tissue microenvironment in shaping these immune cell populations and are studying the tissue-tropic factors and microbial signals that govern the environmental adaptation of immune cells to different tissues. We are also investigating the effect of commensalism and microbial experience on immune cell populations and tissue homeostasis. Our goal is to decipher the molecular framework for tissue-resident lymphocyte differentiation, which will provide a basis for targeting these cells in future immune cell-based therapies.

    • Whole body analysis of human T cell development and function

      The majority of T cell responses occur in tissues; however, current knowledge of human T cells is largely derived from blood. In collaboration with the Australian Donation and Transplantation BioBank (ADTB), our group studies the T cell landscape in multiple lymphoid, visceral and barrier sites from research-consented organ donors. We seek to investigate immune cell distribution across the body and understand the pathways that guide T cell differentiation and maintenance in diverse tissue sites. Our work aims to better-inform the development of immunotherapies that modulate tissue-based cellular responses.


    Lab Team

    Laura Mackay Group

    • Laboratory Head, Theme Leader in Immunology
    • Senior Research Officer
    • Dr Ali Zaid
      Senior Research Officer
    • Dr Thomas Burn
      Research Officer
    • ARC DECRA Research Fellow
    • Dr Raissa Fonseca
      ARC DECRA Research Fellow
    • Senior Research Fellow
    • Dr Josh (Hyun Jae) Lee
      Research Officer
    • Dr Kelly Paton
      Research Officer
    • Dr Tobias Poch
      DFG Walter Benjamin Programme Fellow
    • Dr Natasha Zamudio
      Laboratory Manager
    • Dr Pirooz Zareie
      ARC DECRA Research Fellow
    • Honorary Research Fellow
    • Keely McDonald
      Research Assistant
    • Allison Clatch
      PhD Candidate
    • James Dosser
      PhD Candidate
    • Rachel Evans
      PhD Candidate
    • Louis Hua-Yi Lee
      PhD Candidate
    • Andreas Obers
      PhD Candidate
    • Maleika Osman
      PhD Candidate
    • Justine Seow
      PhD Candidate
    • Hongjin Lai
      PhD Candidate (Visiting Scholar)
    • Joey Kuai
      Masters Student
    • Chloe Low
      Honours Student