Kirolous Hanna
Meet Kirolous Hanna, DPhil student in the Holländer Group in association with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. Following a degree in Medicine from the University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Kirolous joined the University of Oxford in 2019 to study for an MSc in Immunology at the Department of Surgical Sciences. His MSc sparked an interest in the association between abnormalities in thymic T-cell development and the clinical manifestations of autoimmune diseases, so he studied thymus histology for his MSc research project and progressed this interest further through a DPhil in Immunology from 2020.
What is your research focus?
The overall aim of my project is to investigate the association between tumours in the thymus and development of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease affecting neuromuscular junctions. We are characterising correlations between the changes in the tumour microenvironment and the consequent impact on normal T-cell development, with the clinical manifestations of myasthenia gravis. To achieve this, we are utilising and integrating advancements in multiplexed imaging technology and high throughput RNA sequencing, to conduct a multiomic investigation of human T-cells in thymoma associated myasthenia gravis. We are applying co-detection by indexing (CODEX), which is an antibody-based approach to simultaneously reveal more than 55 protein markers, in a tissue section, through widefield microscopy imaging.
What has been your highlight this past year?
I was the first in Oxford to fully optimise a CODEX multiplexed imaging experiment, which involved a large amount of time spent solving technical challenges. It also meant establishing a novel analysis pipeline to resolve the complex data output. I have had several highpoints along this journey, with the highlight being the culmination of the work leading to novel and exciting observations.
What do you look forward to achieving this year at the IDRM?
To acquire and analyse spatial proteomic and transcriptomic data separately and subsequently together requires a collaboration of a wide range of subject expertise. It is exciting to be working in an institute where I am surrounded by groups with such expertise, who are passionate about advancing and sharing knowledge and equipment. Additionally, other than CODEX, the IDRM houses several advanced imaging technologies. I look forward to applying some of these methods to further study the thymic microenvironment.
What do you do outside of the lab?
Whenever I am not working on the research project, I enjoy meeting with friends in one of the parks around Oxford, or occasionally visiting friends in other UK cities. I have also been an avid weightlifter for several years before joining the DPhil and appreciate the benefits of continuing this hobby during my time in Oxford.