Dr. Felix Randow

Biography

Felix Randow is a molecular immunologist at the University of Cambridge, primarily focusing on how individual human cells defend against pathogens. His research is inspired by the remarkable abilities of unicellular organisms to resist infections through entirely cell-autonomous defenses. He aims to identify the fundamental principles of cell-autonomous immunity in mammals and how they interact with professional immune cells. His work emphasizes understanding the mechanisms that govern these defenses, with a goal to develop novel strategies for preventing and treating infectious diseases. Specific areas of interest include cell-autonomous innate immunity, particularly how individual cells use systems like ubiquitin and autophagy to protect themselves from infection. He studies the regulation of NF-kB and IRF signaling pathways and how these pathways require significant changes in gene expression, coordinated by latent transcription factors within the NF-kB and IRF families. Through somatic cell genetics, he employs genetic analyses of various cell lines to understand signal transduction related to cell-autonomous traits, using techniques like homologous recombination and chemical mutagenesis to create a large collection of gene-deficient human and murine cells that address issues related to cell-autonomous innate immunity.

Research Interests