Overview
Dr. Vijayanand’s lab employs genomics tools to understand, diagnose and treat pulmonary disease such as asthma, lung cancer and infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus.
His laboratory has developed a number of techniques to study the molecular profiles of circulating and airway immune cells from patients with asthma and other diseases, using fewer cells than previously possible.
Dr. Vijayanand oversees a large-scale effort to map epigenomic modifications in more than a dozen different types of human immune cells from normal individuals to understand how epigenetic variations cause susceptibility to disease. For many human diseases, large-scale genomic studies have identified common genetic variants that occur more frequently in people with cardiovascular, autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious diseases, diabetes and asthma than in those without these diseases. However, it has been difficult to pinpoint which genetic changes are truly relevant to disease, or in what specific cell types the genetic variation has the largest effect on one’s health. Mapping the epigenome will enable scientists to zoom in on those genes with the greatest likelihood to contribute to disease, and the cell types in which they act, and therefore will help identify novel therapeutic targets.
Featured publications
Comprehensive Characterization of Difficult-to-Treat Asthma Reveals Near Absence of T2-Low Status.
Divergent metabolic programmes control two populations of mait cells that protect the lung
JAML immunotherapy targets recently activated tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells.
Intratumoral follicular regulatory T cells curtail anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy.
Lab Members
Pandurangan Vijayanand, M.D., Ph.D.
William K. Bowes Distinguished Professor Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Center for Sex-based Differences in the Immune SystemResearch Projects
Cancer Immunology
In 2013, Dr. Vijayanand teamed up with Professor Christian Ottensmeier at the Cancer Center, University of Southampton, UK, to
Genetic basis of immune-mediated diseases
While an enormous number of genetic variants have been associated with risk for human disease, how these variants affect
Role of T cell in allergy and Asthma
Selected References Grégory Seumois, Ciro Ramírez-Suástegui, Benjamin J. Schmiedel, Shu Liang, Bjoern Peters, Alessandro Sette, Vijayanand P (2020). Single-cell
Role of T Cells in Viral Infections (Including SARS-CoV-2)
Selected References Kusnadi A, Ramírez-Suástegui C, Fajardo V, Chee SJ, Meckiff BJ, Simon H, Pelosi E, Seumois G, Ay
From the lab
New research points to ‘stem-like’ T cells as culprits in ulcerative colitis
LJI scientists zero in on T cells that may drive autoimmune disease in human patients
Researchers discover potentially cancer-fighting T cells within some pediatric brain tumor patients
New research suggests a small group of pediatric brain tumor patients may benefit from immunotherapy
Army of specialized T cells may trigger asthma attacks in older men
International team zeros in on immune cells responsible for some hard-to-treat asthma cases
Awards & Honors
- 2010 Walter Travel Award for presenting at a Keystone Symposium
- 2008 Peel Medical Trust Travel Fellowship Award, United Kingdom
- 2007 GSK National Clinician Scientist Fellowship Award, United Kingdom – 5 year period
- 2007 Wessex Medical Research Prize - Best published work in Bio-Medical Science, University of Southampton.
- 2007 Scientific Lung Day Graz Prize - Best Translational Lung Research in Europe, Graz University, Austria, Europe.
- 2006 Annual Post Graduate Conference Prize - Best oral presentation, University of Southampton.
- 1997 Dr.A.L.Mudaliar Merit Scholarship for higher education training
- 1995 Gold Medal Honours in Diabetes and Endocrinology
- 1995 Second Certificate of Honour in Medicine
- 1995 First Certificate of Honour in Paediatrics
- 1994 Gold Medal and Certificate of Honour in Ophthalmology
- 1994 First Certificate of Honour in Pathology
- 1994 Gold Medal and Certificate of Honour in Immunology & Microbiology
- 1993 Gold Medal and Certificate of Honour in Pharmacology
- 1992 First Certificate of Honour in Physiology
- 1992 Gold Medal and Certificate of Honour in Anatomy and Histology
- 1991 Arignar Anna Scholarship Award for excellence in higher secondary examination.