Senior Research Officer
Dr Emma de Jong obtained her PhD in 2016 from Murdoch University and is now a post-doctoral researcher within the Systems Immunology lab at the Telethon Kids Institute.
Her research falls within in a specialised area combining immunology, transcriptomics and bioinformatics to better understand disease process spanning a wide range of research fields including cancer, asthma, cystic fibrosis and infection.
Through exploratory data analysis techniques, and the integration of large biological data sets with existing prior knowledge, her research aims to pinpoint disease mechanisms and highlight potential avenues for therapeutic intervention.
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Publications
December 2023
Impaired interferon response in plasmacytoid dendritic cells from children with persistent wheeze
Impaired interferon response and allergic sensitization may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a key role in antiviral immunity as critical producers of type I interferons.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Airway Epithelial Research Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Children’s Respiratory Science Lung functionMay 2023Geldanamycin treatment does not result in anti-cancer activity in a preclinical model of orthotopic mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is characterised by its aggressive invasive behaviour, affecting the surrounding tissues of the pleura or peritoneum. We compared an invasive pleural model with a non-invasive subcutaneous model of mesothelioma and performed transcriptomic analyses on the tumour samples.
Children's Cancers Published research Systems Immunology Airway Epithelial Research Subsite: Cancer Sarcoma Translational ResearchJanuary 2023Airway and parenchyma transcriptomics in a house dust mite model of experimental asthma
Lung transcriptomics studies in asthma have provided valuable information in the whole lung context, however, deciphering the individual contributions of the airway and parenchyma in disease pathogenesis may expedite the development of novel targeted treatment strategies. In this study, we performed transcriptomics on the airway and parenchyma using a house dust mite (HDM)-induced model of experimental asthma that replicates key features of the human disease.
Asthma Published research Airway Epithelial ResearchNovember 2022Type I interferon subtypes differentially activate the anti-leukaemic function of natural killer cells
Natural killer (NK) cells have an intrinsic ability to detect and eliminate leukaemic cells. Cellular therapies using cytokine-activated NK cells have emerged as promising treatments for patients with advanced leukaemia. However, not all patients respond to current NK cell therapies, and thus improvements in efficacy are required.
Children's Cancers Published research Sarcoma Translational ResearchJuly 2022Protection against severe infant lower respiratory tract infections by immune training: Mechanistic studies
Results from recent clinical studies suggest potential efficacy of immune training (IT)-based approaches for protection against severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants, but underlying mechanisms are unclear.
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems Immunology Immune system Respiratory viral infections Cancer Immunology and BiologyMay 2022Airway and parenchymal transcriptomics in a novel model of asthma and COPD overlap
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common chronic respiratory diseases, and some patients have overlapping disease features, termed asthma-COPD overlap. Patients characterized with ACO have increased disease severity; however, the mechanisms driving this have not been widely studied.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Systems ImmunologyMarch 2022Retinoic Acid Induces an IFN-Driven Inflammatory Tumour Microenvironment, Sensitizing to Immune Checkpoint Therapy
With immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) having reshaped the treatment of many cancers, the next frontier is to identify and develop novel combination therapies to improve efficacy. Previously, we and others identified beneficial immunological effects of the vitamin A derivative tretinoin on anti-tumour immunity.
Children's Cancers Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Systems Immunology Subsite: Cancer Sarcoma Translational ResearchOctober 2021Biomarker signatures for progressive idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease in which circulatory biomarkers has the potential for guiding management in clinical practice. We assessed the prognostic role of serum biomarkers in three independent IPF cohorts, the Australian IPF Registry (AIPFR), Trent Lung Fibrosis (TLF) and Prospective Observation of Fibrosis in the Lung Clinical Endpoints (PROFILE).
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life ImmunologyJanuary 2021PPARalpha and PPARgamma activation is associated with pleural mesothelioma invasion but therapeutic inhibition is ineffective
Mesothelioma is a cancer that typically originates in the pleura of the lungs. It rapidly invades the surrounding tissues, causing pain and shortness of breath. We compared cell lines injected either subcutaneously or intrapleurally and found that only the latter resulted in invasive and rapid growth.
Published research Systems Immunology Sarcoma Translational ResearchOctober 2021Making a Killer: Selecting the Optimal Natural Killer Cells for Improved Immunotherapies
Over the past 20 years natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies have emerged as a safe and effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia. Unlike T cell-based therapies, NK cells harbor an innate capacity to eliminate malignant cells without prior sensitization and can be adoptively transferred between individuals without the need for extensive HLA matching.
Children's Cancers Published research Systems Immunology Cancer Immunology and BiologyJuly 2021IRF7-Associated Immunophenotypes Have Dichotomous Responses to Virus/Allergen Coexposure and OM-85-Induced Reprogramming
High risk for virus-induced asthma exacerbations in children is associated with an IRF7lo immunophenotype, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we applied a Systems Biology approach to an animal model comprising rat strains manifesting high versus low susceptibility to experimental asthma, induced by virus/allergen coexposure, to elucidate the mechanism(s)-of-action of the high-risk asthma immunophenotype.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Inflammation Human Immunology Systems Immunology Respiratory Environmental HealthApril 2021Unlocking immune-mediated disease mechanisms with transcriptomics
The transcriptome represents the entire set of RNA transcripts expressed in a cell, reflecting both the underlying genetic and epigenetic landscape and environmental influences, providing a comprehensive view of functional cellular states at any given time. Recent technological advances now enable the study of the transcriptome at the resolution of individual cells, providing exciting opportunities to characterise cellular and molecular events that underpin immune-medicated diseases.
Published research Systems ImmunologyJune 2020Assessing the unified airway hypothesis in children via transcriptional profiling of the airway epithelium
Upper and lower airways are conserved in their transcriptional composition, and variations associated with disease are present in both nasal and tracheal epithelium
Published research Systems Immunology Computational Biology Airway Epithelial Research P4 Respiratory Health for KidsMay 2020Bilateral murine tumor models for characterizing the response to immune checkpoint blockade
This protocol describes bilateral murine tumor models that display a symmetrical yet dichotomous response to immune checkpoint blockade
Children's Cancers Published research Systems Immunology Computational Biology Sarcoma Translational ResearchAugust 2019Innate immune activation occurs in acute food protein–induced enterocolitis syndrome reactions
Food reactions in food protein–induced enterocolitis syndrome are predominantly underpinned by activation of the innate immune system
Published research Systems Immunology Food AllergyJuly 2019Sensitization to immune checkpoint blockade through activation of a STAT1/NK axis in the tumor microenvironment
Our results identify a pretreatment tumor microenvironment that predicts response to immune checkpoint blockade, which can be therapeutically attained
Children's Cancers Published research Systems Immunology Computational Biology Sarcoma Translational ResearchDecember 2018Insights into respiratory disease through bioinformatics
Here, we review the basic concepts in bioinformatics and genomic data analysis and illustrate the application of these tools to further our understanding of lung diseases
Asthma Published research Systems ImmunologySeptember 2018Exposure to chorioamnionitis alters the monocyte transcriptional response to the neonatal pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis
Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to inflammation may alter the risk of sepsis in preterm infants partly by modulation of monocyte responses to pathogens
Published research Vaccine Trials GroupFebruary 2018Identification of generic and pathogen-specific cord blood monocyte transcriptomes reveals a largely conserved response in preterm and term newborn infants
These data provide novel insights into the functionality of neonatal monocytes at birth
Published research Vaccine Trials Group