Andrew Morrison

ESR20- Development of immune competent lymph node on chip model including lymph node stromal cells, lymphocytes, and dendritic cells.

Andrew was born in Scotland and studied at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in June 2018 with a First Class MSci in Immunology & Pharmacology. Here, he was awarded the Immunology/Pharmacology prize for outstanding academic achievement. 

During his degree, Andrew completed an industrial placement with Novartis in Basel, Switzerland, where he worked in the Autoimmunity, Transplantation and Inflammation (ATI) department. His research efforts were focused on investigating IL-17A signalling events. After finishing university, he returned to Basel and the ATI department on a further postgraduate internship, this time uncovering mechanisms behind the cGAS/STING pathway. With almost two years in industry, Andrew decided the next step of his scientific career was to pursue a PhD at the Amsterdam UMC. 

Andrew started his PhD in April 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Reina Mebius & Prof. Dr. Sue Gibbs. His PhD project aims to develop a functional 3D organotypic lymph node with integrated lymphatics that mimic adaptive immune responses. Combining research on lymph node stromal cells and current in-house expertise of tissue engineering & microfluidic devices, the overall objective of the project is to design an organ-on-chip model that features lymphatic drainage of an immune competent gut into a lymph node. The immunosurveillance capability of the potential model will then be assessed by inducing an inflammatory response, followed by utilizing this next generation technology for testing of RA drugs.

Keywords: autoimmunity, adaptive immunity, organ-on-chip