Dr Silke Neumann
Contact Details
- Phone
- 64 3 470 3455
- silke.neumann@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Senior Research Fellow
- Department
- Department of Pathology (Dunedin)
- Qualifications
- BPharm PhD
- Research summary
- Cancer research and stroke immunology/immune therapy
Research
My research focuses on understanding the role of inflammation in disease progression (cancer and stroke), and how it shapes immune responses. I am particularly insterested in innate immune cells that play an important role in initiating and driving inflammatory processes, which in turn impair therapeutic success (cancer) and wound repair (stroke).
In the stroke project I have studied the temporal profile of immune cells that enter the brain post-stroke to understand when and in what ways these cells can be manipulated to inhibit inflammation and improve stroke recovery. A primary focus on my work has been the use of neurotransmitters or drugs that act like neurotransmitters to dampen the inflammatory processes.
Another aspect of my research is the development of a protocol for immunotherapy that will entail priming immune cells to selectively recognise and destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. Furthermore, we are interested in deciphering the role of the immunoproteasome, a key component that enables antigen-presentation in the interplay between cancer and immune cells.
Elucidating the role of particular immune cell populations and soluble pro-inflammatory factors in the cancer and stroke microenvironment requires the use of multiple techniques. These techniques encompass cell-based assays, flow cytometric analysis and methods to assess the significance of immune cell populations, and the contribution of each to inflammation.
Publications
Sharma, A., Fernandes, D. C., Reis, R. L., Gołubczyk, D., Neumann, S., Lukomska, B., … Maciaczyk, J. (2023). Cutting-edge advances in modeling the blood-brain barrier and tools for its reversible permeabilization for enhanced drug delivery into the brain. Cell & Bioscience, 13, 137. doi: 10.1186/s13578-023-01079-3
Reynolds, A. N., Diep Pham, H. T., Åberg, S., Neumann, S., & Mann, J. (2023). The effects of wholegrain processing on appetite: Randomised crossover trial in adults with type 2 diabetes. Food & Function. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1039/D3FO02165C
Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., Ferguson, A. L., Steain, M., Neumann, S., & Young, S. L. (2023). Late-stage MC38 tumours recapitulate features of human colorectal cancer: Implications for appropriate timepoint selection in preclinical studies. Frontiers in Immunology, 14, 1152035. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1152035
Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., Campbell, K., Mehta, S., Woolley, A. G., Counoupas, C., Neumann, S., & Young, S. L. (2022). Calpains released from necrotic tumor cells enhance antigen cross-presentation to activate CD8+ T cells in vitro. Journal of Immunology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100500
Yusuf, S., Aretz, P., Nickel, A.-C., Westoff, P., Sharma, A., Qin, N., … Neumann, S., … Maciaczyk, J. (2022). WNT/β-catenin-mediated resistance to glucose deprivation in glioblastoma stem-like cells. Cancers, 14(13), 3165. doi: 10.3390/cancers14133165
Neumann, S., Peyroux, E. M., Woodall, M. J., Shields, N. J., Young, S. L., & Pattison, S. T. (2019). The Influence of microbial metabolites in the gastrointestinal microenvironment on anticancer immunity. In M. Rajer & E. Segelov (Eds.), Current cancer treatment. London, UK: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.88137
Chapter in Book - Research
Reynolds, A. N., Diep Pham, H. T., Åberg, S., Neumann, S., & Mann, J. (2023). The effects of wholegrain processing on appetite: Randomised crossover trial in adults with type 2 diabetes. Food & Function. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1039/D3FO02165C
Journal - Research Article
Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., Ferguson, A. L., Steain, M., Neumann, S., & Young, S. L. (2023). Late-stage MC38 tumours recapitulate features of human colorectal cancer: Implications for appropriate timepoint selection in preclinical studies. Frontiers in Immunology, 14, 1152035. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1152035
Journal - Research Article
Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., Campbell, K., Mehta, S., Woolley, A. G., Counoupas, C., Neumann, S., & Young, S. L. (2022). Calpains released from necrotic tumor cells enhance antigen cross-presentation to activate CD8+ T cells in vitro. Journal of Immunology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100500
Journal - Research Article
Yusuf, S., Aretz, P., Nickel, A.-C., Westoff, P., Sharma, A., Qin, N., … Neumann, S., … Maciaczyk, J. (2022). WNT/β-catenin-mediated resistance to glucose deprivation in glioblastoma stem-like cells. Cancers, 14(13), 3165. doi: 10.3390/cancers14133165
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Campbell, K., Woodall, M. J., Evans, M., Clarkson, A. N., & Young, S. L. (2021). Obesity has a systemic effect on immune cells in naïve and cancer-bearing mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22, 8803. doi: 10.3390/ijms22168803
Journal - Research Article
Robert, C., Tsiampali, J., Fraser-Miller, S. J., Neumann, S., Maciaczyk, D., Young, S. L., Maciaczyk, J., & Gordon, K. C. (2021). Molecular monitoring of glioblastoma’s immunogenicity using a combination of Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. Spectrochimica Acta Part A, 252, 119534. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.119534
Journal - Research Article
Åberg, S., Mann, J., Neumann, S., Ross, A. B., & Reynolds, A. (2020). Whole-grain processing and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: A randomized crossover trial. Diabetes Care, 43, 1717-1723. doi: 10.2337/dc20-0263
Journal - Research Article
Tsiampali, J., Neumann, S., Giesen, B., Koch, K., Maciaczyk, D., Janiak, C., … Maciaczyk, J. (2020). Enzymatic activity of CD73 modulates invasion of gliomas via epithelial-mesenchymal transition-like reprogramming. Pharmaceuticals, 13, 138. doi: 10.3390/ph13110378
Journal - Research Article
Clarkson, A. N., Boothman-Burrell, L., Dósa, Z., Nagaraja, R. Y., Jin, L., Parker, K., … Neumann, S., Gowing, E. K., … Chebib, M. (2019). The flavonoid, 2'-methoxy-6-methylflavone, affords neuroprotection following focal cerebral ischaemia. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 39(7), 1266-1282. doi: 10.1177/0271678x18755628
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Boothman-Burrell, L., Gowing, E. K., Jacobsen, T. A., Ahring, P. K., Young, S. L., … Clarkson, A. N. (2019). The delta-subunit selective GABAA receptor modulator, DS2, improves stroke recovery via an anti-inflammatory mechanism. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 1133. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01133
Journal - Research Article
Evans, M. A., Lim, R., Kim, H. A., Chu, H. X., Gardiner-Mann, C. V., Taylor, K. W. E., … Neumann, S., … Gowing, E. K., … Clarkson, A. N., … Broughton, B. R. S. (2018). Acute or delayed systemic administration of human amnion epithelial cells improves outcomes in experimental stroke. Stroke, 49(3), 700-709. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.117.019136
Journal - Research Article
Grant, M. L., Shields, N., Neumann, S., Kramer, K., Bonato, A., Jackson, C., Baird, M. A., & Young, S. L. (2017). Combining dendritic cells and B cells for presentation of oxidised tumour antigens to CD8+ T cells. Clinical & Translational Immunology, 6(7), e149. doi: 10.1038/cti.2017.28
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Shirley, S. A., Kemp, R. A., & Hook, S. M. (2016). Improved antitumor activity of a therapeutic melanoma vaccine through the use of the dual COX-2/5-LO inhibitor licofelone. Frontiers in Immunology, 7(537), 537. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00537
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Shields, N. J., Balle, T., Chebib, M., & Clarkson, A. N. (2015). Innate immunity and inflammation post-stroke: An α7-nicotinic agonist perspective. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 16(12), 29029-29046. doi: 10.3390/ijms161226141
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Young, K., Compton, B., Anderson, R., Painter, G., & Hook, S. (2015). Synthetic TRP2 long-peptide and α-galactosylceramide formulated into cationic liposomes elicit CD8+ T-cell responses and prevent tumour progression. Vaccine, 33, 5838-5844. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.08.083
Journal - Research Article
Neumann, S., Burkert, K., Kemp, R., Rades, T., Dunbar, P. R., & Hook, S. (2014). Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is not a feature of all particulate vaccine adjuvants. Immunology & Cell Biology, 92, 535-542. doi: 10.1038/icb.2014.21
Journal - Research Article
Sharma, A., Fernandes, D. C., Reis, R. L., Gołubczyk, D., Neumann, S., Lukomska, B., … Maciaczyk, J. (2023). Cutting-edge advances in modeling the blood-brain barrier and tools for its reversible permeabilization for enhanced drug delivery into the brain. Cell & Bioscience, 13, 137. doi: 10.1186/s13578-023-01079-3
Journal - Research Other
Woodall, M. J., Neumann, S., Campbell, K., Pattison, S. T., & Young, S. L. (2020). The effects of obesity on anti-cancer immunity and cancer immunotherapy. Cancers, 12(5), 1230. doi: 10.3390/cancers12051230
Journal - Research Other