Metabolic determinants of neutrophil development and function

Neutrophils are the most numerous white cells in human blood. They carry toxic molecules that are essential for killing microbes but can also have damaging effects on the body. These harmful effects occur when neutrophils become excessively activated, for example in infections such as malaria. Malaria is a potentially fatal infection that resulted in 627,000 deaths in 2020, mostly in African children. Excessive neutrophil activation in malaria can damage blood vessels and contribute to illness and death. Ultimately, Kathryn Fleming wants to identify ways to reduce this damaging neutrophil activity and develop a treatment for malaria-induced organ damage, but first we need to better understand how neutrophil activation is regulated. The Approach: Fleming will apply computer techniques to data from large genetic studies to identify molecules regulating neutrophil activity. She will analyse the molecules present in neutrophils from children with severe and mild malaria. She will then test how these molecules affect the ability of neutrophils to damage cells of blood vessels.

Basic Science

Sep 2022 — Sep 2025

United Kingdom