Announcing the 2021 Amanda Proudfoot Tribute Award Winner for Advances in Chemokine Biology by a Trainee
Douglas Philip Dyer, PhD
Sir Henry Dale Fellow
Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, UK
Twitter: @tripledougdyer
Dr Dyer undertook his PhD research investigating how an anti-inflammatory protein functions by disrupting the interactions between chemokines and their extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan binding partners. Supervised by Prof. Anthony Day, Dr Caroline Milner and Dr Amanda Proudfoot.
Dr Dyer then went on to focus on the biological importance of chemokine: GAG interactions in leukocyte migration during his postdoc in the lab of Prof. Tracy Handel. During this time, he and his colleagues demonstrated that chemokines have strikingly different interactions with GAGs according to their oligomerisation potential. A collaboration with Dr Ralf Richter’s group then described how chemokines can re-structure these GAG chains, proposing a new mechanism underlying chemokine function.
During his second postdoc, with Prof. Gerry Graham, Dr Dyer focused on the biological role of the chemokine receptors CXCR2, CCR1, CCR2, CCR3 and CCR5 and was part of the team that demonstrated their specificity of function during leukocyte recruitment.
Dr Dyer is now a Wellcome Trust and Royal Society funded Sir Henry Dale fellow leading a group at the University of Manchester exploring the collaboration and biological importance of chemokines and the glycocalyx.
Oral Presentation at Cytokines 2021 Hybrid Meeting: EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX COMPONENTS DIRECTLY FACILITATE CHEMOKINE (CXCL4/PF4) MEDIATED LEUKOCYTE RECRUITMENT, INDEPENDENT OF CHEMOKINE RECEPTORS
Amanda Proudfoot is internationally recognized for her important contributions to the field of chemokine biology. Her research focused on the development of anti-inflammatory and anti-infective therapeutic agents and many of the advances in chemokine biology trace back to seminal discoveries made by her. Her group identified and characterized novel chemokines, including CXCL4 and CXCL8, and cloned the chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2 and CCR4. She provided the first evidence that inhibition of HIV infection of primary macrophages could be achieved through inhibition of CCR5, leading to a new paradigm in the search for HIV inhibitors. Amanda’s research led to the elucidation of several important aspects of the immune system.
Description/Criteria: This ICIS trainee award is dedicated to the memory of Amanda Proudfoot (1949-2019), who is internationally recognized for her important contributions to the field of chemokine biology. This award will be bestowed on an ICIS Student/Postdoc member whose research on chemokine biology has had an impact on the field early in his/her career. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are eligible for this Award. This annual award is presented at the annual ICIS Meeting. Funding for this award is provided by friends and colleagues of the late Amanda Proudfoot. READ MORE
Award: $1,500 and a plaque made possible through the generosity of the friends and colleagues of the late Amanda Proudfoot. The Awardee will be invited for an Oral presentation during the Meeting.