Dr Tracy S. P. Heng, BSc(Biomed)(Hons), PhD

Immune regeneration lab

Research Specialities

My postdoctoral research in the von Boehmer lab (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston) was directed at developing novel strategies for generating antigen-specific regulatory T cells in animal disease models. I continued my postdoctoral training in the Mathis/Benoist lab (Harvard Medical School, Boston), establishing standardised conditions for gene expression profiling of immune cell populations by high-throughput microarray technology. 

Project summary

Currently, my research in the Boyd lab is focussed on developing strategies to complement thymic and immune regeneration with emerging therapies for suppressing aberrant immune responses in animal models and humans.

Publications

Refereed journals
Heng, T. S. P., Dudakov, J. A., Khong, D. M. P., Chidgey, A. P. Boyd, R. L. (2009). Stem cells - meet Immunity. J. Mol. Med. (in press).

Heng, T. S. P, Painter, M. W. the Immunological Genome Project Consortium (2008). The Immunological Genome Project: networks of gene expression in immune cells. Nat. Immunol. 9: 1091-1094.

Sutherland, J. S., Spyroglou., L. S., Muirhead, J. L., Heng, T. S. P., Prieto-Hinojosa, A., Prince, H. M., Chidgey, A. P., Schwarer, A. P. Boyd, R. L. (2008). Enhanced immune system regeneration in humans following allogeneic or autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation by temporary sex steroid blockade. Clin. Cancer Res. 14: 1138-1149.

Kretschmer, K, Heng, T. S. P. von Boehmer, H. (2006). De novo production of antigen-specific suppressor cells in vivo. Nat. Protocols. 1: 653-661.

Goldberg, G. L., Sutherland, J. S., Hammett, M. V., Milton, M. K, Heng, T. S. P., Chidgey, A. P. Boyd, R. L. (2005). Sex steroid ablation enhances lymphoid recovery following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Transplantation. 80: 1604-1613.

Heng, T. S. P., Goldberg, G. L., Gray, D. H. D., Sutherland, J. S., Chidgey, A. P. Boyd, R. L. (2005). Effects of castration in two different models of thymic involution.  J. Immunol. 175: 2982-2993.

Sutherland, J. S., Goldberg, G. L., Hammett, M. V., Uldrich, A. P., Berzins, S. P., Heng, T. S., Blazar, B. R., Millar, J. L., Malin, M. A., Chidgey, A. P. Boyd, R. L. (2005). Activation of thymic regeneration in mice and humans following androgen blockade. J. Immunol. 175: 2741-2753.