PhD
Dr Claire Pearson completed her PhD in immunology at the National Institute for Medical Research in London.
She then completed post-doctoral training with Professor Fiona Powrie in Oxford, and stayed in the lab to become the laboratory manager. In addition, she helped to set up the Oxford Centre for Microbiome Studies, which aims to support non-specialists in performing their research into the microbiome. Dr Pearson is now the Senior Gnotobiology Scientist.
The microbiome is a diverse community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that reside inside and around your body, and are particularly abundant within the intestine. In recent years it has become apparent that these gut bacteria can have a profound effect on immune system development and activation, and that a dysregulation of the microbiome plays a role in the onset of inflammatory diseases, both within the gut and at other body sites. Dr Pearson’s research aims to understand how the intestinal immune system interacts with the microbiome, and what happens when the normal balance between the two is disturbed.