Holly Webster
PhD Student

Holly completed her PhD in 2021, writing up through the pandemic, and graduating brilliantly. She is currently a postdoctoral scientist working with Kevin Maloy, and planning an exciting move to London in the near future. Check out her super cool papers!

"Having grown up just outside Glasgow I have been fortunate enough to enjoy everything that the city has to offer, whilst also enjoying the scenic countryside. I like discovering new places and cultures, so traveling is a very important part of my life. In addition, other activities I enjoy include taking my chocolate lab (Hector) on long walks, reading and spending time with my family and friends.
 
I completed my undergraduate degree in Immunology at the University of Glasgow, during my degree, I enjoyed every opportunity to carry out lab work and developed an interest in mucosal immunology. In my final year, I carried out a supervised laboratory research project in the state-of-the-art research labs at the University, investigating atypical chemokine receptors in the gut.  It was during this time I knew that I had more to offer as an independent researcher and the project Georgia had was great and really interested me and luckily, I have now joined the Perona-Wright lab!
 
My Research
 
Helminth infections occur in approximately 1.5 billion people per year and have a huge impact on health and wellbeing in endemic areas. Understanding the details of the complex immune response these parasites elicit may have important implications for future vaccine programmes and for other allergic and inflammatory conditions.
 
Helminth infections promote a strong Th2 immune response. The project I will be starting over the coming weeks aims to investigate Th2 cytokine signalling in the immune response to the intestinal helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus, more specifically looking at the regulatory cytokine IL-10 and the role that it plays in promoting a Th2 response. Furthermore, the project will also aim to establish how IL-10, in this setting, modulates its target cells molecularly and as the project progresses to also investigate this in the context of co-infections."