Featured TGU Researcher

Michael FitzPatrick

How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology?
I have been fascinated by science ad the natural world for as long as I can remember. Originally, I wanted to be a conservation ecologist and read Natural Sciences at Cambridge with a focus on behavioural ecology and conservation. However, whilst working abroad I became interested in medicine and qualified as a doctor in 2009. It was always my hope to return to research, and working in translational gastroenterology was a great opportunity.
What are you currently working on and what importance does your work hold for current patients with gastrointestinal issues?
I am involved in 2 interesting projects studying T cells in the small intestine as part of my DPhil studies, supervised by Paul Klenerman and Elizabeth Soilleux. The first is focused on coeliac disease, a common immune-mediated disorder where intestinal inflammation is caused by an aberrant immune response to gluten, the proteins in wheat, barley, and rye. We are studying the roles of CD8+ and γδ T cells which are increased in number in the lining of the gut in coeliac disease, with the aim of identifying novel pathways involved in the effector response which causes the tissue damage.
The other project, in collaboration with Nicholas Provine and Philip Allan, studies the changes in intestinal T cells following intestinal transplantation. Such transplants are uncommon, but they have transformative effects on the quality of life of patients with intestinal failure, and can be life-saving. However, intestinal transplantation carries significant risks of graft rejection, infection, and graft-versus-host disease. Our work aims to unpick the dynamics of intestinal T cells in such transplants, including the infiltration of recipient-derived T cells and the persistence of the long-lived, donor-derived T cells, with the aim of improving the prevention and treatment of these complications. The work is still at an early stage, but is really exciting!
What do you enjoy most about scientific research?
Working in research is very different from clinical medicine, and I have hugely enjoyed the opportunity. I most enjoy the practical and intellectual challenges of designing meaningful experiments, working with brilliant colleagues, and the excitement of learning truly new insights about the world. And the opportunity to drink a lot of coffee.
What’s the best part of being an Oxford University TGU member?
The TGU is a fantastic place to work. The best part is definitely my colleagues in the lab – a fantastic group of scientists and clinicians who are so supportive and great fun to work with. It makes for a great collegiate atmosphere, and it is a real joy to work here.

	Michael FitzPatrick Posted 12/06/2019 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I have been fascinated by science and the natural world for ...
	Nick Provine Posted 12/06/2019 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I became interested in translational gastroenterology ...
	Roxanne Williams Posted 04/02/2019 1.How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? In all honesty, I had not considered translational ...
	Melania Capitani Posted 03/12/2018 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I come from a molecular biology background and at the beginning ...
	Dominik Aschenbrenner Posted 01/10/2018 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? To study and discover the cellular and molecular networks of ...
	Hannah Chen Posted 07/08/2018 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I think the immune system at the mucosal interface is the most ...
	Stephanie Slevin Posted 08/12/2017 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? My original interest was immunology, in particular innate immune ...
	Sam Bullers Posted 24/10/2017 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? To be honest, I fell into research in translational ...
	Alissa Walsh Posted 08/05/2017 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I was fortunate to have completed an IBD fellowship ...
	Dennis Sangberg Posted 21/08/2017 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? I received my master's degree in computer science in ...
	James Chivenga Posted 24/05/2017 How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? My involvement in translational gastroenterology happened ...
	Alessandra Geremia Posted 16/03/2017 1. How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? During my training as a gastroenterologist I developed a ...
	Professor Simon Travis Posted 01/03/2017 Clinical IBD has been the core of Oxford Gastroenterology since Sidney Truelove, who performed the first randomised controlled ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dec 2016 Posted 24/10/2016 I have been a Gastroenterology trainee in the Oxford deanery since 2011 and was fortunate to be exposed to the breadth of research ...
	Researcher of the Month Nov 2016: Dr Tamsin Cargill Posted 13/09/2016 How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? My first job as a newly qualified Doctor was on a gastroenterology ...
	Researcher of the Month Oct: Malcolm Tan Posted 12/09/2016 1) How did you become interested in translational gastroenterology? By accident really! I arrived in Oxford as a clinician with ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Kate Williamson Posted 14/04/2016 Q: How did you become interested in the Gastroenterology field, especially in the research part of translational ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Julie Schulthess Posted 04/12/2015 Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? I have always been interested in understanding how things work and why they ...
	Researcher of the month: Dr. Heidi Zinecker Posted 05/11/2015 Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? Although I did not experiment in my own little laboratory in the garage, ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Daniele Corridoni Posted 03/09/2015 I obtained a Medical Biotechnology degree (2005) followed by a Masters degree in Pharmaceutical and Medical Biotechnology (2008) ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Sumeet Pandey Posted 03/08/2015 Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? I did my PhD in Biochemistry working on the genetic engineering of a ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Hannah Chen Posted 14/07/2015 Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? My background is in virus engineering and cancer. I became interested in ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Claire Pearson Posted 08/01/2015 3 questions to our scientist: Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? During my undergraduate degree I worked on ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Emily Wendt Posted 02/11/2014 Q: How did you get interested in your scientific work? Born and raised in San Francisco, I studied Molecular and Cellular Biology at ...
	Researcher of the Month: Dr. Stefanie Kirchberger Posted 01/09/2014 Q: How did you get interested to work in Fiona Powrie´s lab? I did my PhD in Vienna, where I worked on human rhinovirus, the virus ...