Email: christopher.duncan@ncl.ac.uk

Research profile and key clinical specialties

My group studies the type I interferon (IFN-I) system and how it governs both antiviral immunity and sterile inflammatory disease.

Having discovered several novel inborn errors of this system in humans (see an example below), we are exploring IFN-I’s contribution to a range of human pathology at the molecular and cellular level, via CRISPR edited mouse and pluripotent stem cell models.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also been profiling host responses to SARS-CoV-2 in human airway models and assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunity.

Two key publications

• Severe type I interferonopathy and unrestrained interferon signaling due to a homozygous germline mutation in STAT2. Duncan CJA, Thompson BJ … Hambleton S, Briggs TA. Sci Immunol. 2019 Dec 13;4(42):eaav7501.
• Immunogenicity of standard and extended dosing intervals of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Payne RP, Longet S, Austin JA, Skelly DT… Duncan CJA*, Richter A*, Carroll M*, Screaton G*, de Silva TI*, Turtle L*, Klenerman P*, Dunachie S*; PITCH Consortium. Cell. 2021 Oct 16:S0092-8674(21)01221-6. *Co-senior author

Possible PhD projects

Exploiting iPSC and mouse models of (1) IFN-I neuropathology and (2) viral defence of the airway (influenza, SARS-CoV-2) (3) Profiling COVID-19 vaccine responses.

More information

I supervise integrated academic trainees, hold a Wellcome Career Development Fellowship and have reviewed for MRC and ERC panels.

Keywords: type I interferon, IFN-I, antiviral, immunity, inflammatory, pathology, pluripotent, SARS-CoV-2, airway, neuropathology, Christopher, Duncan, Newcastle

Related