Nicole Bedke

I am a postdoctoral scientist studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the immunogenicity against anti-TNF therapy in IBD. I have completed my PhD and postdoctoral training at the University of Southampton at the Roger Brooke laboratories headed by Prof. Donna Davies. I then moved into industry and held positions in several companies and start-ups to develop therapies against cancer.

I wanted to move back into academia and was interested in working on a project that had a strong translational and clinical element. I applied to work with Professors Nicola Ternette and Jack Satsangi on a project that involved using immunopeptidomics to identify anti-TNF derived peptides presented on class II MHC molecules to determine which ones elicit T cell-mediated immunogenicity in IBD patients. This project has led to some interesting and unexpected findings that define patients’ responses to anti-TNF therapy. We are hoping to further our understanding, which might influence future clinical decisions  when treating IBD patients.