Professor Pamela McCombe
email: Pamela.McCombe@uq.edu.au
Research Interests
My research interest is in the field of neuroimmunology, both in
how the immune system causes disease of the nervous system, and
more recently in how the immune system might contribute to recovery
from damage. Much of my work in neuroimmunology has been done in
the fields of MS and in neuromuscular disorders. In MS I have been
interested in the regulation of inflammation. My interest in
neuromuscular diseases led to studies of ALS, both in
neurophysiology and in immunology. An overarching theme of my work
has been an interest in how gender and pregnancy influence diseases
of the nervous system.
Research Projects
Motor neurone disease:
I am currently collaborating with Dr Rob Henderson in a study of
motor unit number estimation, and collaborating with the staff of
the Dept of Mathematics, QUT. This is a novel method of assessing
loss of motor neurones in motor neurone disease. This will be
correlated with studies of other biomarkers in motor neurone
disease. We are also studying activation of peripheral leukocytes
in MND.
Immune responses in stroke:
This study involves collecting blood form controls and patients
with recent stroke, and measuring the number of circulating immune
cells using flow cytometry. We have found increased numbers of Treg
cells after stroke and now will characterize these cells.
Immune responses in inflammatory neuropathy:
This project involves the immunology of Guillain-Barre syndrome
and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy
looking particularly at the role of T cell responses to
gangliosides and regulatoryT cells.
The role of pregnancy in MS:
This project involves study of EAE, the animal model of MS,
looking at the effects of pregnancy on the clinical course of
disease and the effects of pregnancy on gene expression in the
nervous system.
Key publications
McCombe PA, Pollard JD, McLeod JG. (1988) Chronic inflammatory
demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Clinical and
electrophysiological features of 92 patients. Brain 110:
1617-1630.
McCombe PA, Nickson I, Tabi Z, Pender MP. (1996) Apoptosis of
Vb8.2+ T lymphocytes in the spinal cord during recovery from
experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced in Lewis rats by
inoculation with myelin basic protein. Journal of the Neurological
Sciences, 139: 1-6.
Harness J, Cavanagh AC, Morton H, McCombe PA. (2003) A
protective effect of early pregnancy factor on experimental
autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced in Lewis rats by inoculation
with myelin basic protein. Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
216: 33-41.�
Henderson RD, PG Ridall, Hutchinson NM, Pettitt AN, McCombe PA.
(2007) A Bayesian statistical MUNE method. Muscle and Nerve 36:
206-213.
McCombe PA. (2008) Recombinant EPF/chaperonin 10 promotes the
survival of O4-positive oligodendrocyte precursors in vitro. Cell
stress and Chaperones. 13:467-74
McCombe PA and S Read. (2008) (REVIEW)� Immune and inflammatory
responses in stroke - good or bad? International Journal of Stroke
3:254-265
Group Members
Jun Yan
Hayley Inglis
Fusun Baumann
Funding acknowledgement
NHMRC, NMSSA, Heart Foundation, Wesley Research Institute, Royal
Brisbane Hospital Foundation
Potential PhD Projects
Gene expression in the brain in pregnancy in rats
Immune responses in human stroke
Genetic factors predisposing to human inflammatory
neuropathy
Rate of loss of motor neurones in the SOD1 model of ALS
Collaborations
Prof Tony Pettitt
Dr Robyn Wallace
Dr Mark Bellingham
Prof Rob Henderson
