Our Research
Our research group studies human mononuclear phagocytes, including dendritic cells, monocytes and macrophages. We are interested in the ontogeny and function of these cells at the maternal-fetal interface. We use a range of technologies such as flow cytometry, CyTOF, single cell RNA sequencing and confocal microscopy.
Current research topics include:
Changes in placental macrophages from first trimester to full term
Mechanisms used by placental macrophages to fight infection
The role of monocytes and dendritic cells in driving arthritis
Key Publications:
Subset-defining markers reveal the phenotype and functional properties of human embryonic macrophages, Hofbauer cells. Thomas JR, Appios A, Zhao X, Dutkiewicz R, Donde M, Lee C, Naidu P, Lee C, Cerveira J, Liu B, Ginhoux F, Burton G, Hamilton R.S, Moffett A, Sharkey A, McGovern N. Journal of Experimental Medicine (2021) PMID: 33075123
Human foetal dendritic cells promote prenatal T-cell immune suppression through arginase-2. McGovern N, Shin A, Low G, Low D, Duan K, Yao LJ, Msallam R, Low I, Shadan NB, Sumatoh HR, Soon E, Lum J, Mok E, Hubert S, See P, Kunxiang EH, Lee YH, Janela B, Choolani M, Mattar CNZ, Fan Y, Lim TKH, Chan DKH, Tan KK, Tam JKC, Schuster C, Elbe-Bürger A, Wang XN, Bigley V, Collin M, Haniffa M, Schlitzer A, Poidinger M, Albani S, Larbi A, Newell EW, Chan JKY, Ginhoux F. Nature (2017). PMID:28614294
Dr Naomi McGovern
Principal Investigator