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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7708
Email
roslyn.kemp@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) PhD
Research summary
Applied and molecular immunology, cancer immunobiology, vaccines – immunology and technology

Research

My research focuses on T cells as mediators of anti-tumour immunity and inflammation. Specifically, we study the role of inflammation and the unique features of different subsets of T cells and myeloid cells, focussing on cancer and gut-specific immune responses; and how these cell subsets are involved in patient outcome.

We are currently looking at T cell and myeloid cell subsets in colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. We are generating site-specific T cell memory using novel slow release vaccines and analysing the molecular signalling pathways required to maintain these populations.

Research projects

My current areas of research are mucosal and tumour immune responses, inflammation and T cell memory.

Mucosal Immune Responses in Cancer and Inflammatory Diseases

  • Using immune responses in the tumour to predict patient outcome in colorectal cancer
  • Investigating T cell responses in inflammatory bowel disease patients
  • Using human intestinal organoids to model the gut immune response
  • Heterogeneity and plasticity of T cell subsets in the gut mucosa and their influence on anti-tumour immune responses
  • Generating gut-specific memory T cells through vaccination
  • Development of new analytical tools to study high dimensional immune data

CD8+ T Cell Memory

  • Interactions between na?ve and memory T cell populations
  • Vaccination strategies to generate effective T cell memory populations

Molecular Pathways controlling T cells

  • Molecular signals controlling memory T cell development and maintenance
  • Signalling pathways in tumour immune responses

Publications

Ombasa, L., Miller, J., Ware, L., Abbotts-Holmes, H., Tang, J., Gasser, O., … Bayer, S., Kemp, R., Costello, R., Highton, A., … Schultz, M., Frampton, C., Gearry, R., … Roy, N. (2025). Impact of mānuka honey on symptoms and quality of life in individuals with functional dyspepsia: Protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 14, e66417. doi: 10.2196/66417 Journal - Research Other

Munoz-Erazo, L., Park, S. M., Lin, S., Chen, C.-J. J., Zhou, L. Y. Y., Rhodes, J. L., … McCall, J. L., Kemp, R. A., & Dunbar, P. R. (2025). A novel approach to digital characterisation of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in colorectal cancer. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, 1500792. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1500792 Journal - Research Article

Shafaei Pishabad, Z., Sarkar, D., Jeffs, A., Samaratunga, H., Rhodes, J., Costello, R., Highton, A., Wright, D., Pattison, S., Kemp, R., Delahunt, B., Braithwaite, A., Slatter, T., & Mehta, S. (2025). Development of a prognostic tool for identifying high-risk prostate cancer patients. Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Annual Symposium. Retrieved from https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/go Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Borger, J. G., Longley, R. J., Taylor, M. F., Motrich, R., Payne, J. A. E., & Kemp, R. A. (2025). Global perspectives to enhance strategies for advancing women in healthcare and STEMM leadership. Immunology & Cell Biology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12854 Journal - Research Other

Roy, A., Highton, A., Laws, G., Schultz, M., & Kemp, R. (2024, August). Investigating immune-bacteria interactions through organoid-derived monolayer models from Crohn’s disease patients. Verbal presentation at the BMS Postgraduate Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

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