Dr Bronwen Burton
BSc(Bristol), PhD
Expertise
I am a teaching-focused immunologist, committed to immunology education and equality. I aim to communicate immunology in an engaging and accessible way, including sharing research with a wider audience, beyond the university.
Current positions
Senior Lecturer
School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Contact
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Biography
I am a Fellow of the HEA and have been shortlisted for two University of Bristol Innovative and Inspiring Teaching Awards (group and individual). My pedagogical research interests are currently focused on decolonising and diversifying our curricula, and engaging students with issues of equality in biomedical science research and healthcare. I collaborate with colleagues from across the Faculty and beyond in this work. I also have a growing interest in engaging students with discipline-specific issues around sustainability.
I am fortunate to have been able to share my passion for immunology with members of the public and aspiring students in my role as Outreach & Widening Participation Officer, supporting other staff and students to do the same. I am the academic co-chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee for the School of Cellular and Molecular medicine, working to making our culture inclusive and welcoming for all. The school was awarded a Silver Athena Swan Award in April 2023.
I am a member of the British Society for Immunology’s (BSI) Bristol Immunology Group committee, and am also a member of the BSI Teaching Affinity Group committee.
Research interests
Developing antigen-specific immunotherapy for the treatment of autoimmune disease
Antigen-specific immunotherapy specifically targets the cells of the immune system causing autoimmune disease, preventing these cells from attacking the body's own tissues without compromising normal immune function. In the case of multiple sclerosis, CD4+ T cells mistakenly respond to peptide antigens which are components of the myelin sheath. Antigen-specific immunotherapy involves exposing the immune system to these target peptides in a carefully controlled way, which re-educates pathogenic CD4+ T cells; a process known as therapeutic tolerance induction. Autoimmunity is prevented by causing a switch in self-reactive cells to an anti-inflammatory, IL-10-secreting regulatory cell type. I am interested in strategies to improve development of this approach for the treatment of autoimmunity, including:
- Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying successful tolerance induction
- Optimising dosing strategies to improve immunotherapy
- Adjunct therapies to boost antigen-specific tolerance induction
- Identification of biomarkers of tolerance induction
- Differential regulation of effector T cell subsets by regulatory T cell populations
Publications
Recent publications
23/04/2018Bone marrow transplantation stimulates neural repair in Friedreich's ataxia mice
Annals of Neurology
Variant proteins stimulate more IgM+ GC B-cells revealing a mechanism of cross-reactive recognition by antibody memory
eLife
Cytokine therapy-mediated neuroprotection in a Friedreich's ataxia mouse model
Annals of Neurology
IL-4 enhances IL-10 production in Th1 cells: implications for Th1 and Th2 regulat
Scientific Reports
PKCθ links proximal T cell and Notch signaling through localized regulation of the actin cytoskeleton
eLife
Teaching
Related people
Dr Kelly Hares
Senior Research Associate
Bristol Medical School (THS)
Dr Kevin Kemp
Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience
Bristol Medical School (THS)
Professor Karim Malik
Professor of Molecular Oncology
School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Dr Ruth Mitchell
Senior Research Associate in Genetic Epidemiology
Bristol Medical School (PHS)