The immune system: B cells and Epigenetics with Dr Hamish King

In todays episode, I speak to Dr Hamish King, a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow affiliated with the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary University of London. Hamish is interested in how errors in gene regulation lead to changes in the behaviour and function of B cells, an important cell type in our immune system that makes antibodies to fight and remember infections. Hamish talks about how he uses wet lab and bioinformatic techniques to answer these questions. Dr King is also due to become a laboratory head at WEHI in early 2022, where his lab will focus on answering a range of questions including:

1. How immune-specific chromatin-based mechanisms regulate gene expression
2. Whether autoimmune-associated genetic risk loci disrupt regulatory function of enhancers
3. If disease-specific epigenomic networks exist in autoimmunity

We talk also in the episode, about Hamish's recent paper which is accessible here, you can also find Hamish on twitter here where he is happy to be contacted further about his research and upcoming vacancies in his brand new lab.