About
Dr Matthew Blunt leads a research team focused on natural killer (NK) cells, novel cancer immunotherapies and haematological malignancies. His research group interacts closely with haematologists at the University Hospital Southampton and with international collaborators from both academia and industry.
Examples of published research include:
- Lymph node associated signals inhibit NK activation against leukemic cells via the immune checkpoint NKG2A (Fisher JG et al, Leukemia, 2023)
- KIR2DS2 expression identifies NK cells with enhanced anti-cancer activity (Blunt MD et al, Journal of Immunology, 2022)
- XPO1 inhibition stimulates NK cell activation against lymphoma cells (Fisher JG et al, Frontiers in Oncology, 2021).
- Development of a novel therapeutic to activate NK cells against cancer (Rettman P, Blunt MD et al, Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2021).
- Targeting the PI3K/mTOR pathway in leukaemia (Blunt MD et al, Blood, 2015).
- Identification of IL-4 as a resistance mechanism to idelalisib and ibrutinib in leukaemia (Aguilar-Hernandez M, Blunt MD et al, Blood, 2016 *Co-first author).
- Preclinical evaluation of the dual SYK/JAK inhibitor cerdulatinib alone and in combination with venetoclax in leukaemia (Blunt MD et al, Clinical Cancer Research, 2016).
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Research
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Publications
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Supervision
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Teaching
Deputy Programme Lead for MSc Genomics
BIOL3037/BIOL6038 Immunology - Lecturer
Interpretation in Genomic Medicine - Lecturer
BM5 Immunology Year 1 and Year 2 - Tutor
BMedSci - Provides laboratory based projects
MMedSci - Provides laboratory based projects
Integrated PhD pathway - Provides laboratory based projects
MSc Genomics dissertation - Provides laboratory based projects
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Biography
Dr Blunt completed a PhD in immunology and pharmacology at the University of Bath, funded by the BBSRC and Novartis. His postdoctoral research focused on novel treatment strategies for haematological malignancies in the CRUK Centre in Southampton and then subsequently on natural killer cell activation against cancer with Professor Salim Khakoo.
His work has been published in prestigious journals including in Blood and Leukemia and he is the recipient of numerous awards for research. These include the Catovsky prize from the UK CLL forum and the John Marsden Prize from the University of Southampton. To establish his laboratory, Matthew received the Postdoctoral Career Track Award from the University of Southampton and a John Goldman Fellowship from Leukaemia UK in 2019. In 2023 he was selected as an 'Emerging Leader in Leukemia' by the Nature journal Leukemia.
Dr Blunt now leads a team of researchers investigating NK cell activation against cancer in collaboration with partners from academia and industry.
Prizes
- John Goldman Fellowship (2019)
- Catovsky prize (2014)
- Postdoctoral Career Track Award (2018)
- John Marsden Prize (2015)
- John Marsden Prize (2016)
- Selected as an 'Emerging Leader in Leukemia' by the Nature journal Leukemia (2023)
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Prizes
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