Metabolic regulation of hepatic immunopathology by myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Immunology and Molecular Pathology
Abstract
Around one third of the world's population are estimated to have been exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and at least 350 million people remain chronically infected. The resulting liver diseases include cirrhosis and liver cancer and are responsible for more than a million deaths every year. Existing therapies rarely achieve a cure. Patients are therefore consigned to long-term treatment, which remains unaffordable for many of the countries where the infection is most prevalent and carries risks of viral resistance and toxicity. Liver cancer is the third commonest cause of cancer-related deaths and treatments for it remain very limited.
Our work is focused on understanding how to boost the body's natural immunity in order to achieve control of HBV and complications like liver cancer. We think that this should be achievable since many adults who get infected with HBV, naturally develop an immune response that controls it successfully for the rest of their lives. It is well known that T cells are critical for controlling viruses like HBV and that their numbers and function are drastically impaired in patients with chronic infection. We have found that one reason their T cells don't expand and work properly is that they are being starved of key nutrients like arginine. Our new findings reveal that another specialised immune cell type called "myeloid-derived suppressor cells" deprives T cells of nutrients and thereby stunts their responsiveness. These suppressor cells help to damp-down immune responses in the liver to stop them damaging this vital organ but in doing so, impair the control of pathogens like HBV.
We now propose to define this process more comprehensively and investigate whether it can be manipulated to treat liver infections and other conditions such as tumours. A thorough understanding of the pathways and mechanisms involved will allow us to tailor therapies that can specifically target myeloid-derived suppressor cells or reverse the defects in "starved" T cells. This approach will be tested in the lab using cells extracted from the blood and liver of patients, in special 3D liver culture systems and in a new model of HBV infection. All samples are taken with fully informed consent and ethical board approval. Liver samples are only taken when there is surplus tissue left from procedures required for diagnosis or treatment.
Our results will not only help with the development of better treatments for HBV and liver cancer, they will also enhance our understanding of how the liver suppresses immune responses. Our findings could therefore be applied to the treatment of other infections that target the liver like malaria and could conversely be harnessed to prevent rejection of liver transplants or to treat autoimmune liver disease.
Our work is focused on understanding how to boost the body's natural immunity in order to achieve control of HBV and complications like liver cancer. We think that this should be achievable since many adults who get infected with HBV, naturally develop an immune response that controls it successfully for the rest of their lives. It is well known that T cells are critical for controlling viruses like HBV and that their numbers and function are drastically impaired in patients with chronic infection. We have found that one reason their T cells don't expand and work properly is that they are being starved of key nutrients like arginine. Our new findings reveal that another specialised immune cell type called "myeloid-derived suppressor cells" deprives T cells of nutrients and thereby stunts their responsiveness. These suppressor cells help to damp-down immune responses in the liver to stop them damaging this vital organ but in doing so, impair the control of pathogens like HBV.
We now propose to define this process more comprehensively and investigate whether it can be manipulated to treat liver infections and other conditions such as tumours. A thorough understanding of the pathways and mechanisms involved will allow us to tailor therapies that can specifically target myeloid-derived suppressor cells or reverse the defects in "starved" T cells. This approach will be tested in the lab using cells extracted from the blood and liver of patients, in special 3D liver culture systems and in a new model of HBV infection. All samples are taken with fully informed consent and ethical board approval. Liver samples are only taken when there is surplus tissue left from procedures required for diagnosis or treatment.
Our results will not only help with the development of better treatments for HBV and liver cancer, they will also enhance our understanding of how the liver suppresses immune responses. Our findings could therefore be applied to the treatment of other infections that target the liver like malaria and could conversely be harnessed to prevent rejection of liver transplants or to treat autoimmune liver disease.
Technical Summary
The liver has evolved a highly tolerising environment which preserves the functional integrity of this vital organ in the face of the high antigenic load it receives through the portal venous system. Hepatotropic infections and tumours take advantage of this niche to subvert immune responses. In this proposal we explore the metabolic regulation of hepatic T cell immunity by granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (gMDSC), based on our previous work implicating amino acid starvation in chronic hepatitis B pathogenesis (CHB) (Das, JEM 2008). Our unpublished data suggest that the disparate degrees of immune-mediated tissue injury manifested in this highly prevalent infection may be determined by the differential expansion of gMDSC. Arginase-expressing gMDSC expand transiently in acute resolving HBV, their decrease coinciding with the peak of hepatic injury. In CHB, gMDSC are likewise most increased in those patients replicating HBV without evidence of immunopathology, their expansion correlating with increases in circulating arginase and a depletion of L-arginine.
gMDSC accumulate in the liver and our preliminary data indicate a role for activated hepatic stellate cells in sustaining them. We now propose to characterise which pathological insults drive their expansion in the liver and test the hypothesis that stellate cells, HBV-infected hepatocytes and hypoxia make mechanistic contributions. We find that gMDSC can potently inhibit T cell responses by depriving them of L-arginine; we will further probe the impact of this starvation on T cell signaling, function and amino acid transporters. We will test the postulate that T cells can undergo compensatory changes in amino acid transporters promoting metabolic reprogramming. To investigate the therapeutic potential of gMDSC, we will deplete them (and their metabolic mediators) in mouse models of HBV infection. Our findings will have broad relevance for the understanding and manipulation of hepatic tolerance.
gMDSC accumulate in the liver and our preliminary data indicate a role for activated hepatic stellate cells in sustaining them. We now propose to characterise which pathological insults drive their expansion in the liver and test the hypothesis that stellate cells, HBV-infected hepatocytes and hypoxia make mechanistic contributions. We find that gMDSC can potently inhibit T cell responses by depriving them of L-arginine; we will further probe the impact of this starvation on T cell signaling, function and amino acid transporters. We will test the postulate that T cells can undergo compensatory changes in amino acid transporters promoting metabolic reprogramming. To investigate the therapeutic potential of gMDSC, we will deplete them (and their metabolic mediators) in mouse models of HBV infection. Our findings will have broad relevance for the understanding and manipulation of hepatic tolerance.
Planned Impact
Increasing the responsiveness of patients with immunotolerant HBV infection to therapy
This proposal aims to address the major health and wealth implications resulting from the burden of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Of the estimated 350 million people persistently infected with HBV, a large proportion live in countries that will not be able to bear the cost of long-term suppressive antiviral therapy. Maintenance treatment with costly new drugs for this infection also has major resource implications for the UK, where the prevalence of HBV infection has increased dramatically as a result of immigration patterns. Existing antivirals are potentially toxic in the longterm, particularly since many patients are relatively young and of child-bearing age. This work could allow development of an immunotherapeutic boost to the natural antiviral T cell response that will mean only a finite course of treatment is required. Importantly it raises the possibility of making the large reservoir of highly infectious patients with "immunotolerant phase" HBV infection amenable to treatment.
Improving therapy for HCC
Liver cancer is the third commonest cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and treatment remains very limited. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells, the subject of this proposal, also play an important role in subverting the immune control of liver cancer and liver metastases. A better understanding of the factors drivign their accumulation and their capacity to regulate T cell metabolims and function could therefore help inform new therapeutic approaches for liver cancers. For example, as part of a multinational collaboration funded by the MRC and A/Star, we recently pioneered the first-in-man use of genetically engineered T cells directed against an HBV antigen expressed by the liver cancer cells. The work in this proposal could allow genetic optimisation of the survival and function of such TCR re-directed T cells by altering their response to the metabolic challenges of the liver environment.
Industrial links
My close links with industry will facilitate commercialisation of any findings generated by this work; a number of leading pharmaceutical companies as well as small biotechs are now investing in the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches as a major growth area in viral hepatitis.
Promoting women in science
As chair of our Athena Swan Self Assessment Team I led a successful application for a Divisional Silver Award (2014) and have become very involved in the promotion of women in science. I plan to extend my mentoring role to help more junior female scientists to pursue their careers and reduce the current gender imbalance in senior positions.
Public engagement
UCL is one of only 6 centres in the UK to receive funding from the Beacons of Public Engagement programme set up by HEFCE, Research Councils UK and the Wellcome Trust. We have a Public Engagement Unit that gives support in our interactions with those outside the university.
The MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology at UCL is actively committed to public engagement in order to develop wider public understanding of the work we do and to encourage community participation. As part of this centre, my team and I participate in public engagement activities such as school visits, student placements and public talks. In particular we have helped with visits of classes from several primary schools, introducing the children to concepts about viruses and liver disease and showing them the flow cytometer in action.
This proposal aims to address the major health and wealth implications resulting from the burden of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Of the estimated 350 million people persistently infected with HBV, a large proportion live in countries that will not be able to bear the cost of long-term suppressive antiviral therapy. Maintenance treatment with costly new drugs for this infection also has major resource implications for the UK, where the prevalence of HBV infection has increased dramatically as a result of immigration patterns. Existing antivirals are potentially toxic in the longterm, particularly since many patients are relatively young and of child-bearing age. This work could allow development of an immunotherapeutic boost to the natural antiviral T cell response that will mean only a finite course of treatment is required. Importantly it raises the possibility of making the large reservoir of highly infectious patients with "immunotolerant phase" HBV infection amenable to treatment.
Improving therapy for HCC
Liver cancer is the third commonest cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and treatment remains very limited. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells, the subject of this proposal, also play an important role in subverting the immune control of liver cancer and liver metastases. A better understanding of the factors drivign their accumulation and their capacity to regulate T cell metabolims and function could therefore help inform new therapeutic approaches for liver cancers. For example, as part of a multinational collaboration funded by the MRC and A/Star, we recently pioneered the first-in-man use of genetically engineered T cells directed against an HBV antigen expressed by the liver cancer cells. The work in this proposal could allow genetic optimisation of the survival and function of such TCR re-directed T cells by altering their response to the metabolic challenges of the liver environment.
Industrial links
My close links with industry will facilitate commercialisation of any findings generated by this work; a number of leading pharmaceutical companies as well as small biotechs are now investing in the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches as a major growth area in viral hepatitis.
Promoting women in science
As chair of our Athena Swan Self Assessment Team I led a successful application for a Divisional Silver Award (2014) and have become very involved in the promotion of women in science. I plan to extend my mentoring role to help more junior female scientists to pursue their careers and reduce the current gender imbalance in senior positions.
Public engagement
UCL is one of only 6 centres in the UK to receive funding from the Beacons of Public Engagement programme set up by HEFCE, Research Councils UK and the Wellcome Trust. We have a Public Engagement Unit that gives support in our interactions with those outside the university.
The MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology at UCL is actively committed to public engagement in order to develop wider public understanding of the work we do and to encourage community participation. As part of this centre, my team and I participate in public engagement activities such as school visits, student placements and public talks. In particular we have helped with visits of classes from several primary schools, introducing the children to concepts about viruses and liver disease and showing them the flow cytometer in action.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Mala Maini (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Schurich A
(2016)
Distinct Metabolic Requirements of Exhausted and Functional Virus-Specific CD8 T Cells in the Same Host.
in Cell reports
Heiberg IL
(2015)
Defective natural killer cell anti-viral capacity in paediatric HBV infection.
in Clinical and experimental immunology
Easom NJW
(2018)
IL-15 Overcomes Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Induced NK Cell Dysfunction.
in Frontiers in immunology
Easom NJW
(2020)
ULBP1 Is Elevated in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Predicts Outcome.
in Frontiers in oncology
Gill US
(2018)
Liver sampling: a vital window into HBV pathogenesis on the path to functional cure.
in Gut
Gill US
(2019)
Fine needle aspirates comprehensively sample intrahepatic immunity.
in Gut
Duriez M
(2017)
Alternative splicing of hepatitis B virus: A novel virus/host interaction altering liver immunity.
in Journal of hepatology
Lampertico P
(2015)
Optimal management of hepatitis B virus infection - EASL Special Conference.
in Journal of hepatology
Maini MK
(2016)
The role of innate immunity in the immunopathology and treatment of HBV infection.
in Journal of hepatology
Cuff AO
(2016)
Eomeshi NK Cells in Human Liver Are Long-Lived and Do Not Recirculate but Can Be Replenished from the Circulation.
in Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
Description | Advisory boards for pharmceutical companies |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Basic Science Interview Committee Member for the Wellcome Trust |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | Through this membership, Mala Maini contributes to the decision-making process of selecting and deciding the most promising people and projects to receive funding for further development of skills and ideas that have the potential to make a difference. |
Description | Consultant for multiple small biotechs and large pharma |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Design of HBV Cure Strategies |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Elected panel member of the International HBV Scientific Advisory Council |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Impact | The goal of the committee is to increase and support research, education and patient advocacy to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of people living with chronic hepatitis. |
Description | Fine Needle Aspiration |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Our demonstration that compartimentalized immunology and virology can be sampled from the liver by a relatively non-invasive technique (fine-needle aspiration) has prompted the use of this in new academic and industry led studies. (reference: Upkar S. Gill US, Pallett LJ, Thomas N, Burton AR, Patel AA, Yona S, Kennedy PTF, Maini MK. Fine needle aspirates comprehensively sample intrahepatic immunity. Gut 2019 Aug;68(8):1493-150) |
URL | https://gut.bmj.com/content/68/8/1493 |
Description | Fine Needle Aspiration |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Our demonstration that compartimentalized immunology and virology can be sampled from the liver by a relatively non-invasive technique (fine-needle aspiration) has prompted the use of this in new academic and industry led studies. (reference: Upkar S. Gill US, Pallett LJ, Thomas N, Burton AR, Patel AA, Yona S, Kennedy PTF, Maini MK. Fine needle aspirates comprehensively sample intrahepatic immunity. Gut 2019 Aug;68(8):1493-150) |
URL | https://gut.bmj.com/content/68/8/1493 |
Description | Medical Research Club: Elected member |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Member of Clinical Fellowship Interview Panel at the Wellcome Trust |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Member of Clinical Fellowship Interview Panel at the Wellcome Trust: contributes to the decision-making process of selecting and deciding the most promising people and research projects to receive funding for further development of skills and ideas that have the potential to make a difference. |
Description | Member of Editorial Board Journal of Hepatology and Journal of Hepatology Reports |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Impact | By being a member of the editorial board, Mala contributes to the process around publishing research papers, reviews and case reports to increase understanding of diseases pertaining to the liver, both at a basic science level and a healthcare level in the goal to improve treatments available for patients. |
Description | Collaborative research funding |
Amount | £147,611 (GBP) |
Organisation | Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 03/2019 |
Description | Collaborative research funding |
Amount | £160,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 03/2018 |
End | 06/2019 |
Description | Discovering the mechanisms underlying HBV persistence in chronic liver disease |
Amount | £1,736,753 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 225198/Z/22/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2022 |
End | 08/2027 |
Description | Enhancement Award |
Amount | £175,008 (GBP) |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2017 |
End | 02/2019 |
Description | Gilead collaborative research funding |
Amount | $234,941 (USD) |
Organisation | Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
Department | Gilead |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2016 |
End | 12/2016 |
Description | Gilead collabroative funding extension |
Amount | $304,225 (USD) |
Organisation | Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 03/2017 |
End | 07/2018 |
Description | HUNTER: Hepatocellular Carcinoma Expediter Network - Co-Lead for immunology WP |
Amount | £5,000,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Cancer Research UK |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Harnessing tissue-resident CD8 T cells to manipulate hepatic immunity |
Amount | £1,838,275 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 214191/Z/18/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2019 |
End | 08/2024 |
Description | Nucleos(t)ide withdrawal in HBeAg negative hepatitis B virus infection to promote HBsAg clearance(NUC-B) |
Amount | £2,007,448 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 14/48/53 |
Organisation | NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2016 |
End | 11/2021 |
Description | Overcoming metabolic checkpoints for T cell immunotherapy of liver cancer |
Amount | £295,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | C9201/A26603 |
Organisation | Cancer Research UK |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 09/2021 |
Description | The effects of short-term incubation of Gilead compounds on human intrahepatic and intestinal leucocytes |
Amount | £306,590 (GBP) |
Organisation | Gilead Sciences, Inc. |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 07/2019 |
End | 08/2020 |
Description | TherVacB |
Amount | € 850,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Commission H2020 |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start |
Description | UCL/Industry Impact Studentship |
Amount | £202,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
Sector | Private |
Country | Global |
Start | 08/2015 |
End | 09/2015 |
Title | Human liver sample processing for intrahepatic hepatic lymphocytes |
Description | We describe an optimised multi-step protocol for the isolation of IHL from perfusate samples and resected/exlpanted tissue samples. We tested this protocol on over 160 healthy and diseased livers, with different ethiologies and histopathology. We also assess the frequencies of IHL subsets in these different livers. |
Type Of Material | Biological samples |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Not published yet/ manuscript in preparation |
Description | 3D cell culture |
Organisation | University College London |
Department | Institute of Liver and Digestive Health |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Provision of samples, multiparametric flow cytometry, immunological expertise |
Collaborator Contribution | provision of 3D cubes, expertise in cell culture model |
Impact | ongoing |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Clinical Trials: Novel immunotherapies for HCC: Tim Meyer |
Organisation | University College London |
Department | Department of Oncology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Immunological Expertise Processing clinical samples to determine immune correlates associated with the success or failure of novel immunotherapeutics in clinical development for HCC Research Aim: to identify predictors of clinical response and disease progression. |
Collaborator Contribution | Consultant recruiting patients from multiple immunotherapy trials using checkpoint inhibitors in advanced HCC and from one trial using chemotherapy and arginase in advanced HCC. |
Impact | ongoing |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Collaboration with Barts and the London |
Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
Department | Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Analysis of intrahepatic NK cells |
Collaborator Contribution | Provision of liver biopsy material for analysis of intrahepatic lymphocytes |
Impact | Peppa et al PLoS Pathogens 2010 |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Dr. Derek Mann |
Organisation | Newcastle University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In partnership with Becki's new fellowship project, we are building on previous work on neutrophils/gMDSCs in the liver, in the context of cancer metastasis in the liver, setting up new experiments in the context of liver metasasis from melanoma |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing advise and discussing results based on their expertise on neutrophils in the liver and NASH |
Impact | Still ongoing, early stages of this research |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Metabolic transporter analysis |
Organisation | University of Dundee |
Department | Department of Surgery |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Discovery of compensatory uprgulation of nutrient transporters in response to arginine starvation |
Collaborator Contribution | Nutirent transporter functional assays and intellectual expertise |
Impact | Collaborative research findings |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Metabolomics |
Organisation | University of Birmingham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | provision of samples |
Collaborator Contribution | sample processing, metabolomics screening, provision of data for analysis |
Impact | ongoing |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Treatment interuption |
Organisation | University of Barcelona |
Country | Spain |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | immunology expertise |
Collaborator Contribution | liver expertise and sample provision |
Impact | ongoing |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | BSI Career development Webinar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presented a BSI Career development Webinar: editorial and peer review process by senior post-doc Laura Pallett. The goal is to share the experience and skills developped throughout their academic career with other undergraduate and graduate students earlier in their careers (members and non members of BSI). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Gloryanne presented at HCC-UK conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Gloryanne had a talk at HCC-UK conference to talk about some of their findings on some clinical findings on immunotherapy. Title: Real-world experience of the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab for the treatment of advanced HCC in UK-EURAR audit |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Interviewed for BBC Radio4 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | BBC Radio 4 "Today" programme interviewed on the topic of immunotherapy |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09qb0k9#playt=1h32m17s |
Description | Mala Maini presented at the International Liver Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Mala presented work done in the lab. Presentation titled: CD8+ T cell acquisition of the LPS receptor within the hepatic stroma shapes anti-viral/anti-tumour potential |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Mala Maini was an invited speaker to a UCL Division of Medicine International Woman's Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Mala Maini was an invited speaker to a UCL Division of Medicine International Woman's Day to talk about 'A Career in Biomedical Research' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Patient Feedback Sheets |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Maini Lab created and distributes feedback sheets explaining how valuable are the patient's donations and the progress they have allowed the lab to make in our research at the clinics to the patients |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
Description | Snapshot interview for Nature Microbiology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Snapshot interview to coincide with World Hepatitis Day 2018 for Nature Mircobiology |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/users/51449-hugh-thomas/posts/18747-snapshot-mala-mai... |
Description | Twitter account @maini_lab |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We run a very active Twitter account, with over 2K followers, to engage with the scientific and non-scientific community about our research and the research in our field. We share interesting and current research, promote the importance of studying the liver and HCC. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
URL | https://twitter.com/maini_lab?lang=en |
Description | Twitter account to engage a wider audience with work of our lab |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | One postdoc and one PhD student within the lab have created (and run) a TWITTER account (account name: maini_lab) to promote the work of the group and to engage with the general public. Primary aims include: to enthuse the public about research, to engage with Editorial teams/Journals, to be part of a wider discussion on scientific topics and themes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Work Experience Lab Visits |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Maini lab members engage with younger kids and invite them to come visit the lab to talk to them about our research and the academic research career path. They get a tour of the lab and follow the different members to get an idea of the different types of jobs that are carried out in a lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |