Milka Sarris

Cell movement is essential for animal development, wound healing and defence from infection. We are interested in how cell movement is guided to functional destinations. We focus on cells of the immune system (leukocytes), which are remarkably capable of traversing different tissue environments and migrating on demand to sites where their antimicrobial function is needed.

Our aim is to understand how leukocyte motion is organised at sites of tissue damage to generate inflammatory responses. Neutrophils are the first cells to be recruited to damaged loci where they execute important antimicrobial functions, such as phagocytosis or secretion of microbicidal compounds. However, excess neutrophil accumulation and inflammation can cause collateral tissue damage and be detrimental for tissue integrity. How do these cells organise their recruitment to achieve the right magnitude of an inflammatory response? What are the chemical and physical cues that allow them to distinguish damaged from healthy tissue? How do they interpret and integrate these signals? How do they make key decisions such as which way to go, how long to stop and whether to call for reinforcements? If we can understand the logic of neutrophil migratory decisions in their complex native environments, we would be better placed to predict and manipulate the behaviour of these cells in therapeutic settings.

To address these questions in mechanistic detail in vivo, we exploit the zebrafish larva, whose small size and transparency make it ideal for high-resolution in vivo imaging. We record leukocyte dynamics using advanced microscopy techniques and use quantitative and statistical methods to determine how these are modulated by chemical and physical signals. We combine this with a variety of genetic, optogenetic or chemical manipulations, to functionally link molecular, cellular and tissue parameters of leukocyte guidance. Through this integrated approach, our goal is to obtain a better understanding of how leukocytes interpret complex environmental cues to generate effective immune responses.

Collaborators

Kristian Franze (PDN, Max Planck Nuremberg)
Ewa Paluch (PDN, University of Cambridge)
Daniel Irimia (Harvard University)
Martin Welch (Biochemistry, University of Cambridge)

Lab members

Hazel Walker
Hugo Poplimont  (PhD student)
Antonios Georgantzoglou (post-doc)

Past members

Kim Westerich
Caroline Coombs (PhD student)
Alexis Crockett
Morgane Boulch