DrFiona Culley

Dr Culley is an immunologist working in the fields of respiratory inflammation and infection, and the influence of age on respiratory immunity.

Dr Culley studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, then moved to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to study the immunology of trachoma, performing field work in the Gambia, West Africa. For her PhD at the University of London (LSHTM), she identified novel pattern recognition properties of C-reactive protein, and its exploitation by Leishmania parasites. She moved to Imperial College London to undertake her postdoctoral research, during which she developed her interests in respiratory immunology and inflammation. She identified novel mechanisms of immunoevasion and regulation of respiratory inflammation by helminth parasites with Prof. Tim Williams FRS and Prof Murray Selkirk. Working on respiratory viral infection, in Prof Peter Openshaw’s laboratory, she established the neonatal model of Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection, demonstrating the importance of age in the immune response to respiratory infection. As research lecturer with Prof Dan Davis, she used live cell confocal microscopy to study Natural Killer signal integration during synapse formation.

Dr Culley works in the field of respiratory immunology and inflammation, particularly in the context of RSV infection, and the influence of age on respiratory immunity both in neonates and the elderly. Her research has been funded by the MRC, BMA, The Wellcome Trust, The Rosetrees Trust and Asthma UK.