Contact Details

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow,
Division of Structural Biology,
Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine,
Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK

Telephone: (+44) (0)1865 287550
E-mail: maria@strubi.ox.ac.uk

Research Areas

My group focuses on aspects of both Innate and Adaptive Immunity across species.

Understanding the Molecular Nature of Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmunity

We study the molecules that are implicated in multiple sclerosis and have deciphered, in atomic detail, interactions between components of the human immune system and the infections that trigger relapses. Our results show that in a population susceptible for multiple sclerosis, common ailments ranging from the common cold to food poisoning have the potential to trick the immune system into attacking self tissue. We use both in vitro and in vivo tools to identify disease determinants. To look inside the microscopic world of the molecules of our body and understand their interactions, a machine the size of five football pitches called a synchrotron is used to shine high energy X-rays on biological crystals one billionth of a meter wide. The data we generate this way is used to create three dimensional reconstructions of the molecules implicated in immune response and we have so far shown that the basic molecular determinants that underpin disease onset is a handful of atoms (out of many thousands present) that look the same between a pathogen and human tissue. Our results indicate that although it is feasible to suggest who is likely to develop the disease in their lifetime (based on genetic screening), it becomes near impossible to predict if, when and how it will progress. However, having mapped the causative interactions, we are more likely to develop treatments that could target and mute those immune cells that are likely to promote disease.

Colony Collapse Disorder in the context of Innate Immunity

In the honey bee, as in other insects and indeed higher vertebrates, an arsenal of specialized molecules is constitutively resident on or near the cell surface for the express purposes of recognizing and reacting to pathogens. However, we know very little of their structure or their interactions with other molecules. We use recombinant full length proteins or domains therein which we further purify and crystallize. Diffraction-worthy crystals are then used to collect X-ray data and the resulting atomic models are compared against known structures. This process should allow us to usefully analyze the relative efficiency of aspects of the immune system of the honey bee.

The term Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) describes the loss of bee hives due to the disappearance or death of mature worker bees leading to the depopulation and ultimate death of a honey bee colony. Although the causes of CCD are multi-factorial, environmental parameters uniformly appear to affect the efficiency of the honey bees’ immune responses, rendering individuals vulnerable to infections. We hope that by understanding how their immune system 'sees' pathogenic invasions we can contribute towards prevention and/or intervention strategies to ensure their continued well being.