Danny Altmann

Professor of Immunology

Imperial College, UK

VALIDATE Role:

Network Investigator

Research Keywords:

HLA, Immunogenetics, T Cells, T Cell Receptor, Transgenic Models, NK Cells, Transcriptomics, Burkholderia, Anthrax, Yersinia, Strep, Pseudomonas, Zika

Biography:

Altmann is an authority on characterization of HLA class II antigen presentation to CD4 T cells in bacterial, viral and autoimmune disease processes. This work spans analysis of immunity in patients as well as a long-standing track record in generating bespoke transgenic mouse models of human disease immunogenetics. His publications cover adaptive immunity from autoimmune processes in multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, to the response to infection by Burkholderia, Yersinia, Pseudomonas, Zika and anthrax. He has been a key figure in building the NIH Immune Epitope Database, an open-access database of pathogen epitopes for the international research and vaccine development communities. Other keynote contributions include an early demonstration of the role of ICAM-1 in antigen presentation and of the role of microbial translocation as a cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV.

He has worked nationally and internationally as an enthusiastic ambassador and educator in the field of immunology, training PhD students from diverse basic and clinical science specialties, many progressing to successful independent research careers. As Editor of ‘Immunology’ and Associate-Editor of ‘Vaccine’ he is one of the longest serving journal editors in the field. He contributes extensively to national and international grant funder activities, with a strong commitment to global health and capacity building initiatives. Altmann took 2.5 years out of bench research to work with the Wellcome Trust on strategy in infection, immunity and population health. He is a Trustee of the MRC Medical Research Foundation and among associated roles there, is a board member and advocate for the African Research Excellence Fund. He has served as an MRC IIB member and is a BBSRC panel member.

Related Websites:

Imperial College Profile

Twitter Profile

Key Publications:

Campbell JD, Buckland KF, McMillan SJ, Kearley J, Oldfield WLG, Stern LJ, Gronlund H, van Hage M, Reynolds CJ, Boyton RJ, Cobbold SP, Kay AB, Altmann* DM, Lloyd* CM, Larche* M. Peptide immunotherapy in allergic asthma generates IL-10-dependent immunological tolerance associated with linked epitope suppression  J Exp Med. 206(7):1535-1547 *joint senior authors
Ascough S, Ingram RJ, Chu KK, Reynolds CJ, Musson JA, Doganay M, Metan G, Ozkul Y, Baillie L, Sriskandan S, Moore SJ, Gallagher TB, Dyson H, Williamson ED, Robinson JH, Maillere B, Boyton RJ, Altmann DM. 2014. Anthrax lethal factor as an immune target in humans and transgenic mice and the impact of HLA polymorphism on CD4+ T cell immunity. PLoS Pathog. 2014 May 1;10(5):e1004085. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004085.
Altmann, D.M., Hogg, N., Trowsdale, J., & Wilkinson, D. 1989. Cotransfection of ICAM-1 and HLA-DR reconstitutes human antigen-presenting cell function in mouse L cells. Nature 338, 512.
Brenchley JM, Price DA, Schacker TW, Asher TE, Silvestri G, Rao S, Kazzaz Z, Bornstein E, Lambotte O, Altmann D, Blazar BR, Rodriguez B, Teixeira-Johnson L, Landay A, Martin JN, Hecht FM, Picker LJ, Lederman MM, Deeks SG and Douek DC. (2006) Microbial translocation is a cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV infection. Nat. Med. 12, 1365-1371.
Altmann, DM and Sriskandan, S. (2008). The immunology of sepsis. J. Pathol. 214, 211.
Sim MJ, Malaker SA, Khan A, Stowell JM, Shabanowitz J, Peterson ME, Rajagopalan S, Hunt DF, Altmann DM, Long EO, Boyton RJ. Canonical and Cross-reactive Binding of NK Cell Inhibitory Receptors to HLA-C Allotypes Is Dictated by Peptides Bound to HLA-C. Front Immunol. 2017 Mar 14;8:193.