Honorary Research Associate
BSc MSc PhD
Dr. Anya Jones, PhD is an Honorary Research Associate at Telethon Kids and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. Dr. Jones passionately bridges the intricate realms of immunology and bioinformatics as a computational biologist. With 10+ years of research experience in allergies and inflammatory diseases, Dr. Jones has actively contributed to Telethon Kids genomics studies, involving preclinical animal models and birth cohort investigations. Her commitment extends beyond the lab, as she fervently engages in science communication.
A proud participant in the Homeward Bound Global Leadership program, Dr. Jones stands alongside some of the world's brightest female scientists. The program serves as a platform to amplify the voices of women in science leadership—a cause she champions wholeheartedly.
Armed with a PhD in Systems Immunology from the University of Western Australia, Dr. Jones continues to explore the frontiers of scientific discovery. Join her on this exciting journey as she decodes the wonders of the immune system and advocates for greater representation of women in the captivating world of science.
Find Dr Anya Jones on ORCID
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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 functionJuly 2023LPS binding protein and activation signatures are upregulated during asthma exacerbations in children
Asthma exacerbations in children are associated with respiratory viral infection and atopy, resulting in systemic immune activation and infiltration of immune cells into the airways. The gene networks driving the immune activation and subsequent migration of immune cells into the airways remains incompletely understood. Cellular and molecular profiling of PBMC was employed on paired samples obtained from atopic asthmatic children during acute virus-associated exacerbations and later during convalescence.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Subsite: Walyan Children’s Respiratory Science Immune systemJuly 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 2022Remission of peanut allergy is associated with rewiring of allergen-driven T helper 2-related gene networks
The immunological changes underpinning acquisition of remission (also called sustained unresponsiveness) following food immunotherapy remain poorly defined. Limited access to effective therapies and biosamples from treatment responders has prevented progress. Probiotic peanut oral immunotherapy is highly effective at inducing remission, providing an opportunity to investigate immune changes.
Published research Human Immunology Systems Immunology Food Allergy Computational Biology Allergy Cancer Immunology and BiologyMarch 2022Conventional Therapies Deplete Brain-Infiltrating Adaptive Immune Cells in a Mouse Model of Group 3 Medulloblastoma Implicating Myeloid Cells as Favorable Immunotherapy Targets
Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood brain cancer. Mainstay treatments of radiation and chemotherapy have not changed in decades and new treatment approaches are crucial for the improvement of clinical outcomes. To date, immunotherapies for medulloblastoma have been unsuccessful, and studies investigating the immune microenvironment of the disease and the impact of current therapies are limited.
Children's Cancers Published research Brain Tumour Research Cancer Immunology and BiologyDecember 2020Transplacental Innate Immune Training via Maternal Microbial Exposure: Role of XBP1-ERN1 Axis in Dendritic Cell Precursor Programming
We recently reported that offspring of mice treated during pregnancy with the microbial-derived immunomodulator OM-85 manifest striking resistance to allergic airways inflammation, and localized the potential treatment target to fetal conventional dendritic cell (cDC) progenitors. Here, we profile maternal OM-85 treatment-associated transcriptomic signatures in fetal bone marrow, and identify a series of immunometabolic pathways which provide essential metabolites for accelerated myelopoiesis.
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems ImmunologyNovember 2019Immunoinflammatory responses to febrile lower respiratory infections in infants display uniquely complex/intense transcriptomic profiles
the association between infant LRTI and risk for persistent wheeze/asthma in this cohort is generally stronger for fLRTIs than for other infection categories
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems ImmunologySeptember 2019Progressive increase of FcεRI expression across several PBMC subsets is associated with atopy and atopic asthma within school-aged children
The expression pattern of FcεRI on DC and basophils differentiates asthmatic from non-asthmatic atopic children
Asthma Published research Academic Biostatistics Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems ImmunologyJune 2019Personalized transcriptomics reveals heterogeneous immunophenotypes in children with viral bronchiolitis
Dysregulated expression of IFN-dependent pathways after respiratory viral infections is a defining immunophenotypic feature of AVB-susceptible infants
Published research Bronchiolitis Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems ImmunologyNovember 2018Basophil counts in PBMC populations during childhood acute wheeze/asthma are associated with future exacerbations
Our findings suggest that the proportion of degranulated basophils can also be associated with recurrent exacerbations
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems ImmunologyAugust 2018Atopy-dependent and independent immune responses in the heightened severity of atopics to respiratory viral infections: Rat model studies
The co-exposure responses in the Th2high BN incorporated type I interferon/Th1, alternative macrophage activation/Th2 and Th17 signatures
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems Immunology