
  • Staff
  • Students
  • Library
Flinders University Logo Flinders University Logo
  • Study

    Study areas

    • Business
    • Computer science and information technology
    • Creative arts and media
    • Criminology
    • Defence and national security
    • Education
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Humanities and social sciences
    • Innovation and enterprise
    • International relations and political science
    • Languages
    • Law
    • Medicine
    • Nursing and midwifery
    • Psychology
    • Science
    • Social work
    • Sport

    I am...

    • a high school student
    • a non-school leaver
    • a future honours student
    • a future postgraduate student
    • a future research student
    • a future online student
    • a future Indigenous student
    • an international student
    • a parent
    • a school counsellor/teacher
    Explore
    Admission pathways
    Apply
    Contact us
  • Study

    Study areas

    • Business
    • Creative arts
    • Education
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health sciences
    • Humanities
    • Information technology
    • Law
    • Medicine
    • Nursing
    • Psychology
    • Public health
    • Science
    • Social sciences
    • Social work

    International websites

    • China
    • Vietnam
    Explore Flinders
    Apply
    Contact us
  • Research

    Research areas

    • Engineering and technology
    • Health and medical
    • People and society
    • Science, environment and natural resources
    • Emerging research - Defence

    Fearless Research

    • Research Changing Lives

    I am...

    • a potential collaborator
    • a researcher
    • a potential research student
    • a current research student
    Research@Flinders
    Institutes and centres
    Partner with us
    Participate
  • Research

    Research areas

    • Engineering and technology
    • Health and medical
    • People and society
    • Science, environment and natural resources
    • Emerging research - Defence

    Fearless Research

    • Research Changing Lives

    I am...

    • a potential collaborator
    • a researcher
    • a potential research student
    • a current research student
    Research@Flinders
    Institutes and centres
    Partner with us
    Participate
  • Engage

    I want to...

    • Engage with us
    • Connect with students
    • Locate a clinic
    • Book a campus venue
    • Find a tender
    • Give to Flinders
    • Work at Flinders
    • Participate in a research study
    • See what's on
    • Shop Flinders merchandise
    • Explore Indigenous education

    Related links

    • Flinders New Venture Institute
    • Alumni
    • Health2Go
    • Flinders University Museum of Art
    • Flinders One Sport and Fitness
    Business and government
    Community
    Culture
    International
  • Alumni

    I want to...

    • Join an alumni network
    • Establish an alumni network
    • Share a memory
    • Access career services
    • Order a transcript
    • Give to Flinders
    • Update my details
    • Find a classmate
    • Shop Flinders merchandise
    Our alumni
    Benefits and services
    Get involved
    Stay connected
  • Giving

    Donate today

    • Donate online
    • Donate by mail
    • Giving online FAQs (PDF)
    • Staff Workplace Giving Program
    • Contact us

    Ways to give

    • Give in celebration or in memory
    • Leave a gift in your Will
    • Giving from overseas
    • Give a cultural gift
    • Get involved

    Donate to
    Why give
    Our donors
  • About

    The 2025 agenda

    • Vision and mission
    • Our strategic plan
    • Our values and ethos
    • Flinders Village

    Governance and leadership

    • University Council
    • Chancellor
    • Vice-Chancellor

    Our organisation

    • Colleges
    • Library
    • Professional services
    • Staff directory
    • Sustainability at Flinders

    Campus and locations

    • Bedford Park
    • Tonsley
    • City Campus
    • Flinders in the NT
    • Health and Medical Research Building
    Fast facts
    History
    Structure
    Contact us
  • Staff
  • Students
  • Library
  • You have no saved courses.

    Continue to explore your course options.

     
    Explore our courses

    Your saved courses

    {{{courseName}}}
    mail_outline
    delete
    View all saved courses
  • Quick links 
    • Current students
    • Staff
    • Library
    • Flinders dashboard (Okta)
    • Ask Flinders
    • Flinders Learning Online (FLO)
    • Parking
    • Campus map: Bedford Park
    • Staff directory
    • Jobs at Flinders
    • Shop Flinders merchandise

 
  • Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute

    About

    • About FHMRI
    • Leadership team

    Our research

    • Flagship programs
    • Impact programs
    • Research groups
    • Research centres

    Research platforms

    • Our facilities
    • Clinical Trials
    • Consumer and community involvement
    • Statistics, Epidemiology, and Economic Data analytic Support

    Researcher Education and Development

    • (FHMRI) RED
    FHMRI Strategy
    Study with FHMRI
    Engage with us

IMMUNOMODULATION (iMOD) LABORATORY

FHMRI Our Research Immunomodulation Lab
     Our research  Our projects  Featured publications  Resources  Group members  Work with us  Contact

The immune system plays a role in every major process within the human body. It is central to development, aging, infection and autoimmunity. Life-saving medical interventions, such as organ transplantation and anti-cancer therapy, have only been made possible with improved understanding of the human immune system.

Our research investigates the immunology underlying human diseases including Type 1 diabetes, transplantation and cancer. Our goal is to harness the power of the immune system to modulate disease.

OUR RESEARCH

We focus on molecules, called immune checkpoints, that are involved in the activation of immune cells. Specifically, we use proteins that block or enhance signalling through checkpoint molecules to dial the immune system up or down. We examine the responses of human immune cell populations derived from blood and tissue samples to dissect the underlying signal pathways in conditions including diabetes, transplantation and cancer.

We utilise a range of T cell activation assays, flow cytometry and imaging approaches. We work in close collaboration with a range of other laboratories and clinicians to provide an interactive environment and access to innovative techniques.

Research projects

  • Can we trigger immune checkpoints to modulate Type 1 diabetes?
  • Are immune checkpoint inhibitors potential new treatments for ovarian cancer?
  • What are the mechanisms associated with immune checkpoint inhibition in renal cell carcinoma?
Featured publications: keyboard_arrow_up
  • Tang SC, Jessup CF, Campbell-Thompson M. The Role of Accessory Cells in Islet Homeostasis. Curr Diab Rep. 2018 Sep 28;18(11):117. doi: 10.1007/s11892-018-1096-z. PMID: 30267158. (Invited Review)
  • Rojas-Canales D, Penko D, Myo Min KK, Parham KA, Peiris H, Haberberger RV, Pitson SM, Drogemuller C, Keating DJ, Grey ST, Coates PT, Bonder CS, Jessup CF. Local Sphingosine Kinase 1 Activity Improves Islet Transplantation. Diabetes. 2017 May; 66(5): 1301-1311 PMID: 28174291 Featured ‘In This Issue’ editorial Diabetes 2017 May; 66(5): 1101-1102.
  • Coleman MA, Jessup CF, Bridge JA, Overgaard NH, Penko D, Walters S, Borg DJ, Galea R, Forbes JM, Thomas R, Coates PT, Grey ST, Wells JW, Steptoe RJ. Antigen-encoding bone marrow terminates islet-directed memory CD8+ T-cell responses to alleviate islet transplant rejection. Diabetes. 2016 Mar 9. PMID: 26961116
  • Penko D, Rojas-Canales D, Mohanasundaram D, Peiris HS, Sun WY, Drogemuller CJ, Keating DJ, Coates PT, Bonder CS, Jessup CF. Endothelial progenitor cells enhance islet engraftment, influence β-cell function, and modulate islet connexin 36 expression. Cell Transplant. 2015;24(1):37-48. PMID: 24069942
  • Peiris HS, Bonder CS, Coates PTH, Keating DJ and Jessup CF. (2014) “The beta cell/EC axis: how do islet cells and endothelial cells talk to each other?” Diabetes. Jan;63(1):3-11. PMID:24357688
  • Fernandes RA, Shore DA, Vuong MT, Yu C, Zhu X, Pereira-Lopes S, Brouwer H, Fennelly JA, Jessup CF, Evans EJ, Wilson IA and Davis SJ (2012). "T Cell Receptors are Structures Capable of Initiating Signaling in the Absence of Large Conformational Rearrangements." J Biol Chem 287(16): 13324-13335. Apr 13. PMID: 22262845
  • Myo Min, KK, Rojas-Canales, D, Penko, D, DeNichilo, M, Cockshell, MP, Ffrench, CB, Thompson, EJ, Asplund, O, Drogemuller, CJ, Prasad, RB, Groop, L, Grey, ST, Thomas, HE, Loudovaris, T, Kay, TW, Mahoney, MG, Jessup, CF, Coates, PT & Bonder, CS 2022, 'Desmoglein-2 is important for islet function and β-cell survival', Cell Death and Disease, vol. 13, no. 10, 911. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-022-05326-2
Resources keyboard_arrow_up

JDRF Australia

Flinders Foundation

Lindon Wing Research Fund

Follow us on Twitter

GROUP MEMBERS

claire-jessup-portrait.jpg

View profile

Dr Claire Jessup

Dr Claire Jessup is a medical researcher interested in harnessing the power of the immune system to modulate disease. Specific research projects examine the molecular activation of immune cells involved in the treatment of cancer and the development of autoimmune diseases (e.g. Type 1 diabetes).

Dr Jessup heads the Immunomodulation (iMOD) Laboratory within the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. Her group utilises techniques including flow cytometry, gene therapy, pancreatic islet isolation, immune assays, confocal microscopy and islet transplantation and diabetes models.

Recent research projects include:

  • Modulation of T lymphocyte activation during Type 1 diabetes and islet transplant rejection
  • Checkpoint inhibitors as an immunotherapy for cancer
  • Investigating the interplay between vascular and endocrine cell types during islet transplantation

In addition to her research role, Dr Jessup teaches within the college and supervises PhD research students.

Lab Members

  • Ms Clare Mee 
  • Mr Rhys Fogarty 
  • Ms Sophia Briggs (Summer scholarship)

Close collaborators in FHMRI

  • Prof Damien Keating
  • Dr Darling Rojas-Canales
  • Dr Alyce Martin
  • Dr Giles Best
fhmri-imod-lab-group-2023.jpg

WORK WITH US

We are a fun, hard-working and supportive team. If you’d like to join us in our mission to unlock the secrets of the all-powerful T cell please get in touch.

CONTACT

Email Dr Claire Jessup

Flinders University Logo

Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042

South Australia | Northern Territory
Global | Online

Information for

  • Future students
  • Alumni
  • Media
  • Business and community
  • Current students
  • Staff
  • External contractors

Directories

  • Contact us
  • Campus and locations
  • Staff directory
  • Colleges
  • Library
  • Research Institutes and Centres

Follow Flinders

Facebook - Flinders University
Instagram - Flinders University
TikTok - Flinders University
LinkedIn - Flinders University
Bluesky - Flinders University
YouTube - Flinders University
Brand SA logo Innovative Research University logo Indigenous communities

Website feedback

Disclaimer

Accessibility

Privacy

CRICOS Provider: 00114A      TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12097      TEQSA category: Australian University

Last Updated: 28 Feb 2024

FOREVER FEARLESS

This website uses cookies

Flinders University uses cookies to ensure website functionality, personalisation and a variety of purposes as set out in its website privacy statement. This statement explains cookies and their use by Flinders.

If you consent to the use of our cookies then please click the button below:

Accept all cookies and continue

If you do not consent to the use of all our cookies then please click the button below. Clicking this button will result in all cookies being rejected except for those that are required for essential functionality on our website.

Reject all non-essential cookies and continue