Professor Klaus Okkenhaug

College positions: Fellow, Postgraduate Tutor

University position: Professor of Immunology

Subject: Biological Sciences

Professor Klaus Okkenhaug is a Fellow and Postgraduate Tutor at Magdalene.

Klaus Okkenhaug joined the Department of Pathology as its Professor of Immunology and the Head of the Division of Immunology in 2017. He obtained his BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, followed by a PhD in Immunology from the University of Toronto. In 1999, he moved to London, UK, where he joined the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (UCL) as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Klaus joined the Immunology programme at the Babraham Institute as a BBSRC David Phillips Fellow and Group Leader in 2003. In 2011 he was among the first cohort to be awarded a Wellcome Trust New Investigator Award.

Research Interest

Klaus Okkenhaug investigates the role of cell signalling pathways in the immune system, with particular focus on the PI3K family of enzymes which transmit signals that instruct the response of immune cells to infections and cancer. In recent years, he has contributed to the description of a new primary immunodeficiency syndrome caused by activated PI3Kδ mutations (APDS) and his group demonstrated that the inhibition of PI3Kδ paradoxically unleashes a potent anti-tumour response. His research has also contributed to the development of drugs now used to treat leukaemia and lymphoma and he has advised numerous pharmaceutical companies in this area. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles and reviews in leading journals and is an internationally-leading authority on the role of PI3Ks in immunity, infection and cancer.

Qualifications

  • PhD, University of Toronto, Canada
  • BSc, University of Victoria, Canada

Career/Research Highlights

  • Professor of Immunology 2017-present
  • Wellcome investigator 2013-2018
  • BBSRC David Phillips Fellow 2003-2008

Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Biochemical Society
  • Member of the British Society for Immunology

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Lack of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase VPS34 in regulatory T cells leads to a fatal lymphoproliferative disorder without affecting their development, Courreges CJF, Davenport ECM, Bilanges B, Rebollo-Gomez E, Hukelmann J, Schoenfelder P, Edgar JR, Sansom D, Scudamore CL, Roychoudhuri R, Garden OA, Vanhaesebroeck B, Okkenhaug K., Front Immunol, (2024 Nov 27); 15:1374621.

A CRISPR screen targeting PI3K effectors identifies RASA3 as a negative regulator of LFA-1-mediated adhesion in T cells, Johansen KH, Golec DP, Huang B, Park C, Thomsen JH, Preite S, Cannons JL, Garçon F, Schrom EC, Courrèges CJF, Veres TZ, Harrison J, Nus M, Phelan JD, Bergmeier W, Kehrl JH, Okkenhaug K, Schwartzberg PL., Sci Signal, (2022 Jul 19); 15(743):eabl9169.

PI3Kδ Forms Distinct Multiprotein Complexes at the TCR Signalosome in Naïve and Differentiated CD4 + T Cells, Luff DH, Wojdyla K, Oxley D, Chessa T, Hudson K, Hawkins PT, Stephens LR, Barry ST, Okkenhaug K., Frontiers in Immunology, (2021); 12, 415.

Loss of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Activity in Regulatory T Cells Leads to Neuronal Inflammation, Stark AK, Davenport ECM, Patton DT, Scudamore CL, Vanhaesebroeck B, Veldhoen M, Garden OA, Okkenhaug K., J Immunol, (2020); 205(1):78-89.

PI3Kδ hyper-activation promotes development of B cells that exacerbate Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in an antibody-independent manner, Stark AK, Chandra A, Chakraborty K, Alam R, Carbonaro V, Clark J, Sriskantharajah S, Bradley G, Richter AG, Banham-Hall E, Clatworthy MR, Nejentsev S, Hamblin JN, Hessel EM, Condliffe AM, Okkenhaug K., Nat Commun, (2018); 9(1):3174.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ inhibition promotes antitumor responses but antagonizes checkpoint inhibitors, Lim EL, Cugliandolo FM, Rosner DR, Gyori D, Roychoudhuri R, Okkenhaug K., JCI Insight, (2018); 3(11). pii: 120626.

PI3Kδ promotes CD4(+) T-cell interactions with antigen-presenting cells by increasing LFA-1 binding to ICAM-1, Garçon F and Okkenhaug K., Immunol Cell Biol, (2016); 94(5):486-95.

PI3Kδ Regulates the Magnitude of CD8+ T Cell Responses after Challenge with Listeria monocytogenes, Pearce VQ, Bouabe H, MacQueen AR, Carbonaro V, Okkenhaug K., J Immunol, (2015); 195(7):3206-17.

Inactivation of PI(3)K p110δ breaks regulatory T-cell-mediated immune tolerance to cancer, Ali K, Soond DR, Pineiro R, Hagemann T, Pearce W, Lim EL, Bouabe H, Scudamore CL, Hancox T, Maecker H, Friedman L, Turner M, Okkenhaug K, Vanhaesebroeck B., Nature, (2014); 510(7505):407-411.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ gene mutation predisposes to respiratory infection and airway damage, Angulo I, Vadas O, Garçon F, Banham-Hall E, Plagnol V, Leahy TR, Baxendale H, Coulter T, Curtis J, Wu C, Blake-Palmer K, Perisic O, Smyth D, Maes M, Fiddler C, Juss J, Cilliers D, Markelj G, Chandra A, Farmer G, Kielkowska A, Clark J, Kracker S, Debré M, Picard C, Pellier I, Jabado N, Morris JA, Barcenas-Morales G, Fischer A, Stephens L, Hawkins P, Barrett JC, Abinun M, Clatworthy M, Durandy A, Doffinger R, Chilvers ER, Cant AJ, Kumararatne D, Okkenhaug K, Williams RL, Condliffe A, Nejentsev S., Science, (2013); 342(6160):866-71.

Email
ko256@cam.ac.uk