Division of Gastroenterology

Andrew Macpherson

Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine


Andrew.Macpherson@insel.ch

 



Academic Biography

  • Undergraduate and clinical medical training at the University of Cambridge UK (MD, PhD)

Postgraduate training in Clinical Medicine:

  • Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge
  • Leicester Royal Infirmary
  • MRC Clinical Research Centre Northwick Park Hospital, London
  • Charing Cross Hospital, London
  • King’s College Hospital, London

Faculty Positions:

  • King’s College Hospital London and King’s College School of Medicine, MRC Clinical Scientist and Senior Lecture in Medicine, Consultant Physician in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine (1993-2004)
  • Institute of Experimental Immunology and Department of Gastroenterology Zurich (1998-2004)
  • Senior Canada Chair and Farncombe Professor of Medicine McMaster University (2004-)
  • Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Bern (2008-)

Research Interests

  • Mutualism between mammalian hosts and commensal intestinal bacteria, particularly with respect to the IgA response.
  • Mechanisms of IgA class switch recombination.
  • Genomic plasticity of the commensal flora as a result of intestinal immune pressure (inflammatory bowel diseases)

Selected Publications

  1. Macpherson AJ, McCoy KD, Johansen FE, Brandtzaeg P. The immune geography of IgA induction and function. Mucosal Immunol. 2008 Jan;1(1):11-22.
  2.  Heikenwalder M, Prinz M, Zeller N, Lang KS, Junt T, Rossi S, Tumanov A, Schmidt H, Priller J, Flatz L, Rülicke T, Macpherson AJ, Holländer GA, Nedospasov SA, Aguzzi A. Overexpression of lymphotoxin in T cells induces fulminant thymic involution. Am J Pathol. 2008 Jun;172(6):1555-70.
  3. Fink K, Zellweger R, Weber J, Manjarrez-Orduno N, Holdener M, Senn BM, Hengartner H, Zinkernagel RM, Macpherson AJ. Long-term maternal imprinting of the specific B cell repertoire by maternal antibodies. Eur J Immunol. 2008 Jan;38(1):90-101.
  4. Harris NL, Spoerri I, Schopfer JF, Nembrini C, Merky P, Massacand J, Urban JF Jr, Lamarre A, Burki K, Odermatt B, Zinkernagel RM, Macpherson AJ. Mechanisms of neonatal mucosal antibody protection. J Immunol. 2006 Nov 1;177(9):6256-62.
  5. Mueller C, Macpherson AJ. Layers of mutualism with commensal bacteria protect us from intestinal inflammation. Gut. 2006 Feb;55(2):276-84.
  6. Macpherson AJ, Geuking MB, McCoy KD. Immune responses that adapt the intestinal mucosa to commensal intestinal bacteria. Immunology. 2005 Jun;115(2):153-62.
  7. Macpherson AJ, Uhr T. Compartmentalization of the mucosal immune responses to commensal intestinal bacteria. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Dec;1029:36-43.
  8. Macpherson AJ, Harris NL. Interactions between commensal intestinal bacteria and the immune system. Nat Rev Immunol. 2004 Jun;4(6):478-85.
  9. Macpherson AJ, Uhr T. Induction of protective IgA by intestinal dendritic cells carrying commensal bacteria. Science. 2004 Mar 12;303(5664):1662-5.