Dr Georgina Hopkins

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biosciences, Aston University

Scientific Background

Research Interests

My research interests focus on understanding how epithelial barriers regulate immune responses at mucosal surfaces and how disruption of these interactions contributes to inflammatory disease, such as allergy. I am particularly interested in the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators of epithelial-immune and host-microbe communication, and how they influence barrier function, inflammatory signalling and immune regulation in human gut and lung models.

Scientific Inspiration

Prof. Cezmi Akdis is a my scientific inspiration because his epithelial barrier hypothesis fundamentally changed how we think about allergy, placing epithelial dysfunction at the centre of disease development. This concept now underpins much of my own research.

Research Groups

Biosciences Research Group

Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME)

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Supportive, collaborative, empowering.

Provision of Training

I will provide technical training and support for all of your initial experiments, ensuring you have a sold platform to grow from. As you build confidence with the core techniques, I will help steer you towards independence and guide you on problem-solving throughout the research challenges.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I will ensure that we have regular progress meetings with the expectation that you come to these well prepared. You are the driver of your own PhD, but I am here to help and provide guidance wherever needed.

Communication

Our communications will mostly be in person through regular meetings. But we will also communicate via email and and TEAMs channels for routine communications within the group. I will be available and happy to provide additional support as required, within my means. Work-life balance is essential to your wellbeing and I will support you in trying to achieve this.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be a mixture of face-to-face and via video chat or telephone. I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Work Patterns

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings) I expect students to manage their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 2 weeks' notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Engineering E. coli-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for the Modulation of Gut Epithelial-Immune Crosstalk

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Engineering E. coli-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for the Modulation of Gut Epithelial-Immune Crosstalk

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Doug Browning

University of Registration: Aston University

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Immunology, Microbiology)

Project Outline

Engineered bacteria are increasingly being developed as platforms for the delivery of recombinant proteins to mucosal surfaces. Recent studies have shown strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be engineered to express Ara h 2, a major peanut allergen, providing a useful model system for investigating how mode of allergen delivery can influence immune responses at mucosal surfaces.

In parallel, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as important mediators of host-microbe communication. These nanoscale particles are naturally secreted by bacteria, to transport proteins, lipids and nucleic acids to neighbouring cells. The ability of EVs to package allergens expressed in E. coli and deliver to the intestinal mucosa remains underexplored, with the potential of offering a scalable, cell-free platform for recombinant protein delivery.

Recent advances in the Browning lab have enabled the development of avirulent, intestinally colonising E. coli strains capable of expressing and secreting heterologous proteins. This project will build upon this platform to investigate the expression of Ara h 2, with and without co-expression of Siglec ligand. Subsequently, EVs will be isolated from the E. coli and characterised to determine whether Ara h 2 is incorporated into vesicle cargo and how bacterial engineering influences EV composition.

This project will then compare the biological effects of live engineered E. coli and their secreted EVs in vitro. Using a human intestinal epithelial model co-cultured with immune cells, allergen uptake, intestinal epithelial barrier integrity, and immune responses will be measured. Ultimately to determine whether engineered avirulent E. coli and their EVs can deliver an altered Ara h 2 cargo to influence immune responses. This interdisciplinary project will provide fundamental insight into how engineered microbes and their EVs communicate with the intestinal mucosa and establish a platform for EV-based delivery systems.