Dr Dianne Cooper
Reader in Inflammation Biology
Centre: Biochemical Pharmacology
Email: [email protected]Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 5643Twitter: @DrDCoop
Profile
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5553-9447
Dianne Cooper is a Reader in Inflammation Biology at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London. Dianne graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1995 with a BSc in Anatomy and Cell Biology and from the University of Bradford in 1997 with an MSc in Biomedical Sciences. She then completed a PhD at the University of Bradford with Prof. Anne Graham. In 2001 Dianne moved to Shreveport, Louisiana to complete a two-year post-doctoral post in the laboratory of Dr Neil Granger at LSUHSC. Dianne joined the Centre for Biochemical Pharmacology in 2003 and was awarded a Career Development Fellowship from Barts Charity in 2004, a Versus Arthritis Career Development Fellowship in 2007 and a Career Progression Fellowship in 2013. She obtained her lectureship in 2013 and her Senior Lectureship in 2018.
Current roles include Deputy Centre Lead for Biochemical Pharmacology and module lead for Drug Design for Pharmacologists for the Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics and Inflammation Therapeutics for the iBSc in Experimental Pharmacology.
Memberships and Awards
- Editor British Journal of Pharmacology
- BIRAs committee member
- LVBF committee member
Research
Group members
- PhD students: Miss Rachael Wright, Miss Beatrice Gittens
Summary
Role of galectins in inflammation
My research focuses on understanding the function of a family of carbohydrate binding proteins, known as galectins, during an inflammatory response. The focus is to understand how galectin expression within the vasculature is regulated during inflammation and how this altered expression regulates leukocyte trafficking in the microcirculation. To date my research has identified an inhibitory role for Galectin-1 in neutrophil and lymphocyte recruitment during acute inflammation. This research is now being expanded to include more complex models of inflammation in order to understand the function of galectins in pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Specific projects include:
- Understanding the role of Galectin-1 in inflammatory arthritis. This project forms the basis of an Arthritis Research UK funded fellowship.
- Role of Galectin-3 in leukocyte trafficking This project forms the basis of a British Heart Foundation funded PhD studentship and aims to address the role of Gal-3 in the trafficking of different leukocyte subsets during acute inflammation.
- Are galectins protective in osteoarthritis This project, in collaboration with Dr Tina Chowdhury, aims to address the role of galectins in osteoarthritis.
Publications
-
Margraf A, Chen J, Christoforou M et al. (2025). Formyl-peptide receptor type 2 activation mitigates heart and lung damage in inflammatory arthritis. nameOfConference
-
Fu H, Vuononvirta J, Fanti S et al. (2025). Publisher Correction: The glucose transporter 2 regulates CD8+ T cell function via environment sensing. nameOfConference
QMRO: qmroHref -
Rolas L, Stein M, Barkaway A et al. (2024). Senescent endothelial cells promote pathogenic neutrophil trafficking in inflamed tissues. nameOfConference
-
Hussain MT, Austin-Williams S, Wright TD et al. (publicationYear). β1-Integrin-Mediated Uptake of Chondrocyte Extracellular Vesicles Regulates Chondrocyte Homeostasis. nameOfConference
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094756
-
Fu H, Vuononvirta J, Fanti S et al. (2023). The Glucose Transporter 2 regulates CD8+ T cell function via environment sensing.. nameOfConference
-
Sabatucci A, Girella A, Di Bartolomeo M et al. (2023). A possible role for G-quadruplexes formation and DNA methylation at IMOOD gene promoter in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. nameOfConference
-
Norling LV, Cooper D (2023). Being old and female is an inflammatory combination. nameOfConference
-
D'Acquisto F, D'Addario C, Cooper D et al. (2023). Peripheral control of psychiatric disorders: Focus on OCD. Are we there yet?. nameOfConference
-
Poston RN, Chughtai J, Ujkaj D et al. (publicationYear). Monocytic Cell Adhesion to Oxidised Ligands: Relevance to Cardiovascular Disease. nameOfConference
-
Krautter F, Hussain MT, Zhi Z et al. (2022). Galectin-9: A novel promoter of atherosclerosis progression. nameOfConference
Collaborators
Internal
- Prof Tim Warner (Blizard)
- Prof Shu Ye (WHRI)
- Dr Robin Poston (WHRI)
- Dr Tina Chowdhury (SEMS)
- Dr Egle Solito (WHRI)
External
- Prof Mitsuomi Hirashima (Kagawa University, Japan)
- Dr Toshiro Niki (GalPharma Inc., Japan)