SIC Seminar with Professor Graham Anderson

Stromal Microenvironments and Their Control of Thymus Function.

We are excited to welcome Professor Graham Anderson, a leading expert in thymus biology and T-cell development, for a special seminar.

Graham Anderson has made groundbreaking contributions to thymus biology, particularly on how the thymic stromal microenvironment regulates T-cell development and immune tolerance. An early milestone was his 1993 Nature paper describing the reaggregate thymus organ culture (RTOC) system, a technique that reassembles thymic stromal cells and thymocyte precursors in vitro to study thymic architecture and T-cell maturation.

Building on this, his research has clarified processes like hematopoietic precursor migration, stromal cell diversity, and thymic epithelial development. Using advanced methods, his lab maps stromal cell subsets and their roles in shaping the T-cell repertoire.

His recent work impacts regenerative medicine, providing insights into thymus repair, immune regeneration, and therapies for autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies. Over decades, Graham Anderson has significantly advanced both basic immunology and clinical applications related to thymus function.

Graham Anderson gained a BSc in Anatomy from the University of Birmingham (1990) and studied under John Owen and Eric Jenkinson for a PhD in Immunology, continuing his thymus research following full tenure (1995). Graham was appointed Professor in T-Lymphocyte Biology (2002) and Professor of Experimental Immunology in (2016).

Memberships include Welcome Trust Expert Review Group, Scientific Advisory Boards in Glasgow and Oxford, and KG Jebsen Centre for Autoimmune Disorders. He advises the Thymus Transplant Programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital and has membership of the European Science Foundation College of Experts. Graham is Visiting Professor at The University of Tokushima, Japan, and was elected Fellow of the Academy of Sciences (2022).

All researchers and immunology enthusiasts are warmly invited to attend.

Note: This seminar will not be offered online