Summary
SUMMARY
I completed my PhD in Melbourne, Australia, under the supervision of Profs Peter Doherty and Stephen Turner, investigating how CD8 T cells fight viral infection. I then moved to the UK to work with Prof. Doug Fearon at the University of Cambridge to study lymphoid fibroblasts, discovering their important role in regulating immune homeostasis and the generation of adaptive immunity. I subsequently worked with Dr. Michelle Linterman at the Babraham Institute, where my work explored the developmental origins of lymphoid fibroblasts, how pulmonary fibroblasts promote local immunity during viral infection, and how ageing affects the ability of fibroblasts to support immune responses. I moved to Imperial College in January 2020 (timing!), where I maintain my interest in how fibroblasts regulate the immune response.
CURRENT RESEARCH
Our lab is interested in how fibroblasts contribute to the generation and maintenance of adaptive immune responses. We are particularly interested in the germinal centre reaction, a coordinated immune response that leads to the generation of long-lived high-affinity antibodies that are key contributors to how vaccines are able to limit infections.
Currently, we are investigating how vaccine formulation impacts on the function of lymph node fibroblasts and how this contributes to the initiation and maintenance of the germinal centre response, with a view to finding ways to use this information to make vaccines more effective. This is particularly relevant in older people, for whom vaccines are often less effective. That's why we are also investigating how advanced age negatively impacts on the ability of lymphoid fibroblasts to support immune homeostasis and the generation of immune responses during vaccination.
FUNDING
I previously held a Future Leader fellowship (now: Discovery fellowship) from the BBSRC (2016-2019) and am currently supported by a Career Development Award from the MRC (2021-2026) and a Seed Award from the Dunhill Medical Trust (2022-2023).
RESEARCH AREAS
Fibroblasts, Germinal centre, Vaccines
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
2022 Targeting TLR4 during vaccination boosts MAdCAM-1 lymphoid stromal cell activation and promotes the aged germinal center response. Denton AE, Dooley J, Cinti I, Silva-Cayetano A, Fra-Bido S, Innocentin S, Hill DL, Carr EJ, McKenzie ANJ, Liston A and Linterman MA. Science Immunology 7(71):eabk0018. PMID: 35522725 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abk0018
open acccess link: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-475/full
2021 Lymphoid stromal cells - more than just a highway to humoral immunity. Cinti I and Denton AE. Oxford Open Immunology 2(1):1-12 (review) https://academic.oup.com/ooim/article/2/1/iqab011/6283601
Publications
Journals
Denton AE, Dooley J, Cinti I, et al., 2022, Targeting TLR4 during vaccination boosts MAdCAM-1+ lymphoid stromal cell activation and promotes the aged germinal center response, Science Immunology, Vol:7, ISSN:2470-9468, Pages:1-17
Linterman MA, Denton AE, 2021, Selenium saves ferroptotic TFH cells to fortify the germinal center, Nature Immunology, Vol:22, ISSN:1529-2908, Pages:1074-1076
Cinti I, Denton AE, 2021, Lymphoid Stromal cells - more than just a highway to humoral immunity, Oxford Open Immunology, Vol:2, ISSN:2633-6960, Pages:1-12
Biram A, Winter E, Denton AE, et al., 2020, B cell diversification Is uncoupled from SAP-mediated selection forces in chronic germinal centers within Peyer's patches, Cell Reports, Vol:30, ISSN:2211-1247, Pages:1910-1922.e5
Vanderleyden I, Fra-Bido SC, Innocentin S, et al., 2020, Follicular regulatory T cells can access the germinal center independently of CXCR5, Cell Reports, Vol:30, ISSN:2211-1247, Pages:611-619.e4