John Greenman

Prof Greenman is Professor of Tumour Immunology at the University of Hull and Scientific Director of the Daisy Laboratories.

Coming from an immunology background Prof Greenman is extremely interested in understanding how the immune system is often subverted during carcinogenesis, and more importantly how such knowledge can be used clinically (diagnostically, prognostically or therapeutically). A novel way to combine investigations of both tumour biology and the anti-tumour response is with the advent of an innovative, microfluidic model system for handling tumour tissue that has been developed in collaboration with colleagues in Chemistry. This technology is allowing studies of specific cellular and molecular interactions in real-time in a tissue biopsy, rather than using disaggregated cells.

A second, related, research group focuses on the Immunobiology of Head & Neck Cancer. This unit benefits from the excellent links that have been forged with the surgical unit in Hull, and is based in the Daisy laboratories at Castle Hill Hospital (Hull & East Yorkshire NHS Trust). The aim is to characterise the systemic and intra-tumoural cytokine repertoires together with the enumeration and functional assessment of T regulatory cells; and then correlate these biological parameters with clinical outcome.