Lydia Lynch, immunologist, studies the effects of obesity and diet on immune cell functions. She was named a 2009 Fellow of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, and she directs the Lynch Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Biography

Lydia Lynch received her B.Sc. degree in Cell Biology and Genetics from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

, Ireland. She went on to earn her PhD in Immunology in 2008 from the same university after working in the lab of Cliona O’Farrelly in St. Vincent’s University Hospital. She worked with Donal O’Shea at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin for her post-doctoral studies and helped establish the Immunology and Obesity Lab, with the goal of coordinating international, collaborative, translational research in obesity and its complications. For that work, she received a Newman Fellowship, followed by a L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship in 2009, and she moved to

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in Boston to study iNKT cells in adipose tissue in the lab of Mark Exley. In 2009, Lydia received an International

Marie Curie Fellowship Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

to continue her postdoctoral studies in immunometabolism, in the labs of Michael Brenner and

Ulrich von Andrian Ulrich von Andrian is a German Immunologist and professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard Coll ...

at Harvard. In 2013, she became a member of the junior faculty at

Brigham and Women’s Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two f ...

and Harvard Medical School and in 2014, Lydia started her own independent lab which was made possible by a joint appointment between the Division of

Endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...

and the Division of

Rheumatology Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...

Allergy Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

and

Immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In Lynch's lab, she directs researchers who study the role of the immune system in the regulation of metabolism and body weight. They pay particular attention to the local immune system in adipose tissue in both mice and humans. In 2022, Lynch was the recipient of the John R. Kettman Award for Excellence in Cytokine and Interferon Research, which was given by the International Cytokine and Interferon Society, saying "Lynch’s research has the potential to provide insight into the impact of obesity and diet on cancer immunotherapy, as well as the mechanisms underlying the increased risk of immune-related disorders associated with obesity."

Selected publications

* Lynch, Lydia, Donal O'Shea, Desmond C. Winter, Justin Geoghegan, Derek G. Doherty, and Cliona O'Farrelly. "Invariant NKT cells and CD1d+ cells amass in human omentum and are depleted in patients with cancer and obesity." ''European journal of immunology'' 39, no. 7 (2009): 1893-1901. * Lynch, Lydia, Xavier Michelet, Sai Zhang, Patrick J. Brennan, Ashley Moseman, Chantel Lester, Gurdyal Besra et al. "Regulatory i NKT cells lack expression of the transcription factor PLZF and control the homeostasis of Treg cells and macrophages in adipose tissue." ''Nature immunology'' 16, no. 1 (2015): 85-95. * Lynch, Lydia, Andrew E. Hogan, Danielle Duquette, Chantel Lester, Alexander Banks, Katherine LeClair, David E. Cohen et al. "iNKT cells induce FGF21 for thermogenesis and are required for maximal weight loss in GLP1 therapy." ''Cell metabolism'' 24, no. 3 (2016): 510-519.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Lydia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Immunologists Women immunologists University College Dublin UNESCO Science Prize laureates