Professor Dimitris Lagos

PhD

Director of Research (York) and Professor of Immunology

Role at Hull York Medical School

Dimitris Lagos is a Professor of Immunology. His research focuses on the role of regulatory and non-coding RNAs in immune responses to infection and cancer.

He is the Director of Research and Chair of Departmental Research Committee in York.

Research

The Lagos group aims to translate exciting discoveries in RNA Biology to patient benefit through RNA Medicine.

Research in our group bridges gene regulation, RNA medicine, and immunology. We study RNA-driven mechanisms of immune gene regulation in immune cells and their targets, including the role of non-coding RNAs in lymphocytes (CEI 2023JI 2020, and EMBOReps 2019), regulation of immune checkpoint proteins (Genome Res 2024JBC 2022JCI 2021JBC 2017), using multiple transcriptomics platforms (long-read RNA sequencing Genome Res 2024, spatial omics JCI 2021) and pharmacological targeting of RNA.

Current focus areas include transcriptome instability in cancer, sexual dimorphism in lymphocytes, and circulating non-coding RNAs as correlates of disease.

Funding

The group is funded by Cancer Research UK and UKRI (MRC and BBSRC).

Recent research highlights

Lee et al., Long-read RNA sequencing of archival tissues reveals novel genes and transcripts associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma recurrence and immune evasion. Genome Research, 2024.

Dey et al., Downregulation of MALAT1 is a hallmark of tissue and peripheral proliferative T cells in COVID-19. Clinical Experimental Immunology, 2023.

Shandell et al., Inhibition of the Na +/K +-ATPase by cardiac glycosides suppresses expression of the IDO1 immune checkpoint in cancer cells by reducing STAT1 activation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2022.

Wilson et al., Integrated miRNA/cytokine/chemokine profiling reveals severity-associated step changes and principal correlates of fatality in COVID-19. iScience, 2022.

Dey et al., Early reduction in PD-L1 expression predicts faster treatment response in human cutaneous leishmaniasis. Journal of Clinical Investigations, 2021.

Hewitson et al., Malat1 Suppresses Immunity to Infection through Promoting Expression of Maf and IL-10 in Th Cells. Journal of Immunology, 2020.

Teaching
  • MB BS Phase I,
  • BSc and integrated Masters in Biomedical Sciences
Publications

Visit Dr Dimitris Lagos' profile on the York Research Database to see a full list of publications, browse activities and projects, explore connections, collaborations, related work and more.

Collaborations

Our group is part of the MANIFEST immuno-oncology consortium.

We have an ongoing collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

In the past, we have led molecular pathology themes in global consortia in infectious diseases, including as the York Centre Lead in the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (JClinPath 2023iScience 2022).

Postgraduate research supervision

Current PhD students

  • Mags Gwynne (HYMS)
  • Ali Deghany (BBSRC Boots CTP)
  • Charlotte Booth (HYMS)

MSc by Thesis student

  • Molly Cartwright (HYMS/Burgess)