Professor Susan Wong
Clinical Professor
- wongfs@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2068 7000
- 1F15 Tenovus Building, UHW Main Building
Overview
I have had many years of research experience in working on how the immune system damages the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas in type 1 diabetes. My research primarily focuses on causes and development of type 1 diabetes and has encompassed T cell immunology, B cell immunology, regulatory T cells, innate immunity – and in recent years, our work has included studies in the role of the gut microbiome. As a member of the UK Type 1 Diabetes Consortium, I have also been involved in translational work in developing immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes and in early phase 1a clinical trials.
Biography
Honours
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales 2019
Recipient of Kayla and Gerold Grodsky Basic Scientist award for major contributions to Type 1 Diabetes Research JDRF 2021
Dorothy Hodgkin lecture Award Diabetes UK 2018
Education and Qualifications
Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, Bristol
Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (UK)
Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training, Diabetes and Endocrinology
PhD in Immunogenetics of Diabetes, Kings College School of Medicine, London
Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK)
MBBS Kings College London
BSc in Basic Medical Sciences with Biochemistry, (1st Class Hons) Kings College London
Associate of King's College London
Career/Academic appointments:
2010-present Professor of Experimental Diabetes and Metabolism, Cardiff University, UK
2008-2010 Professor of Immunology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol UK and Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Bristol NHS Healthcare Trust, Bristol, UK
2007-2008 Reader in Immunology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol UK, and Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Bristol NHS Healthcare Trust, Bristol, UK
2000-2007 Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol UK
1996-2000 Associate Research Scientist, JDRF Career Development Award, Section of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, CT, USA
1994-1996 JDRF Postdoctoral Fellow, Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, CT USA.
1993 Medical Research Council (UK) Travelling Fellow, Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, CT USA.
1989 - 1992 Medical Research Council Training Fellow and Honorary Clinical Senior Registrar Departments of Medicine and Diabetes, King's College School of Medicine, London, UK.
1983 -1989 Clinical training posts
Scientific Advisory
2020-2022 Chair of JDRF Scientific Advisory Board
2018-2020 Member of JDRF Scientific Advisory Board
2017-2023 Deputy Chair Clinical Studies Group (Pathogenesis) Diabetes UK
2009-2011 JDRF Research Priority Advisory Committee
2000-2004. Member of Steering Committee of the "Diabetes Vaccine Development Center" (DVDC), jointly Australian NHMRC and JDRF
Editorial
2021- Associate Editor, Diabetologia
2020-2021 Research Topic Editor Frontiers in Immunology
2019-2021 Associate Editor Scientific Reports
1999-2021 Associate Editor, Current Molecular Medicine
Grant Review
2022- Chair grant committee of Association of the British Clinical Diabetologists
2019-2020 MRC Panel UK-Canada
2016-2017 Health Research Board, Ireland
2012- 2017 Diabetes UK Scientific Review Committee
2011-2017 NIH (USA) Special emphasis panel review for diabetes
2012-2015 JDRF Co-Chair Training awards committee
2013-2015 JDRF Scientific Review Committee Chairman
2013-2014 Hong Kong Universities Research General Council
2007-2010 JDRF Co-Chair of Medical and Scientific Review committee
Journal Review
Diabetes, Diabetologia, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Communications, Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Endocrinology, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Autoimmunity, Clinical Experimental Immunology, Immunology, Lancet, Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, Journal of Experimental Medicine
Honours and awards
2019 Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
2018 Dorothy Hodgkin Lecture, Diabetes UK
2010 Mary Jane Kugel Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
2007 Mary Jane Kugel Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
2000-2007 Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship in Clinical Science
1996-2000 Career Development Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
1994-1996 Post-doctoral Fellowship, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation I
1993 Travelling Fellowship, Medical Research Council (UK)
1989-1992 Training Fellowship, Medical Research Council (UK)
1990 R.D. Lawrence Research Prize in Diabetes, King's College School of Medicine, London, UK
1980 Sambrooke Scholarship in Basic Medical Sciences, King's College London, UK
1980 Alfred Hughes Memorial Prize for Anatomy, King's College London, UK
1980 John W. Pickering Prize for Biochemistry, King's College London, UK
1980 Hare Prize for Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Physiology, King's College London, UK
1980 Barbara Wigley Memorial Prize for best woman student, King's College London, UK
Professional memberships
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland
Association of British Clinical Diabetologists
Diabetes UK
European Assocation for the Study of Diabetes
Immunology of Diabetes Society
American Diabetes Association
Society for Endocrinology
British Society for Immunology
American Association of Immunology
British Medical Association
Academic positions
- 2010- present: Professor of Experimental Diabetes and Metabolism, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity URI, Cardiff University; Honorary Consultant Physician in Diabetes, Cardiff and Vale Health Board, Cardiff, UK
- 2008-2010: Professor of Immunology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol UK; Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Bristol NHS Healthcare Trust, Bristol, UK
- 2007-2008: Reader in Immunology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol UK; Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes United Bristol NHS Healthcare Trust, Bristol, UK
- 2000-2007 :Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol UK; Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Bristol NHS Healthcare Trust, Bristol, UK
- 1996-2000: Associate Research Scientist, JDRF Career Development Award, Section of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, CT, USA
- 1994-1996: JDRF Postdoctoral Fellow, Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, CT USA. PI: Dr. C.A. Janeway, Jr.
- 1993 :Medical Research Council (UK) Travelling Fellow, Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, CT USA.
- 1989 - 1992 :Medical Research Council Training Fellow and Honorary Clinical Senior Registrar Departments of Medicine and Diabetes, King's College School of Medicine, London, UK.
- 1987 - 1989: Clinical Registrar in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, and Thanet Distrist Hospital, Margate, UK.
- 1985 -1987: Senior House Officer Rotation, Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham, UK
- 1984-1985: Senior House Officer, Middlesex Hospital, London, UK
- 1983-1984: House Officer in Medicine and Surgery, Dulwich Hospital and Brook Hospitals, London, UK
Committees and reviewing
Chair of Animal Welfare and Research Panel, 2015- present
Member of University Athena SWAN Self Assessment Team, 2013-2016
Chair of Athena SWAN School of Medicine Self Assement Team, 2013-2016
Member of School of Medicine Equality and Diversity Committee
Chair of Division of Infection and Immunity Equality and Diversity Committee
National and International funding roles and panels
National Institutes of Health (USA) – special emphasis panel review for diabetes 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017
Diabetes UK Scientific Review Committee 2012- present
Cnpq Brazil 2015
European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes 2014
JDRF Scientific Review Committee Chairman 2007-2010; 2013-present
Member of Biology and Medicine Panel, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong 2013-2014
National Institutes of Health (USA) – Pathfinder review panel 2008
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Research Priority Advisory Committee (2007-2009)
European Union FP7 for Diabetes 2007
JDRF Scientific Review Committee 2004-2007
Member of Steering Committee of the "Diabetes Vaccine Development Center" (DVDC), jointly Australian NHMRC and JDRF.2000-2004
NIH Ad hoc review committee for NIAID 2003
JDRF Special Grant Review Committee 2001
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Scientific Task Force (2000)
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee for special funds in diabetes (2000)
Publications
We are currently unable to retrieve the list of publications. Visit our institutional repository.Our work in research in type 1 diabetes starts from basic science to try to understand why individuals develop diabetes. Together with studying the processes that lead to disease, we also work on a number of projects to develop immunotherapy to prevent diabetes, and also have very close collaboration with Professor Colin Dayan in the development of immunotherapy for people who have type 1 diabetes.
We have been funded over many years by the Medical Research Council, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Diabetes UK, the British Council, European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes, Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation. PhD students within the group have been funded by the MRC, Diabetes UK and Cnpq (Brazil).
Our work focuses on a number of different areas.
1. The role of CD8 cytotoxic T cells in the development of diabetes.
We have studied insulin-reactive CD8 T cells for many years, aiming to understand why these cells damage insulin-producing islet beta cells as well as how to regulate them.
2. The role of B cells in the pathogenesis and regulation of diabetes.
B cells produce antibodies, a good marker of future developement of type 1 diabetes. These antibodies do not themselves cause damage, but the B cells that produce them are involved in communication with the T cells to cause diabetes. We also know that some B cells may be able to regulate damaging T cells. We are currently studying these regulatory cells and whether they could be increased to help control damaging T cells in diabetes.
3. Development of immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptors
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that modify T cells for therapy in cancer have now been approved for human therapy by the FDA (USA). We have been working on a similar strategy for type 1 diabetes with Prof Gideon Gross from Migal Institute in Israel to design an approach to reduce the damaging cytotoxic CD8 T cells that damage the islets. We modify cytotoxic cells as well as T cells that can control other T cells to make them specifically target the cells that damage the islet beta cells. This is a novel type of immunotherapy that is still in the early stages of development.
4. Study of potential immunotherapeutic enhancement of delivery into the skin using gold nanoparticles and microneedles.
We have worked with Professor James Birchall and Dr Sion Coulman in the School of Pharmacy to investigate the delivery of peptides with microneedles into the skin for development of immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes.
5. Study of the gut microbiome.
Type 1 diabetes occurs because of genetic susceptibility factors as well as interaction of these factors with the environment. Type 1 diabetes is increasing at a rate faster than can be explained by changes in genetics. Our studies with Prof Li Wen at Yale University have been to investigate the role of the gut bacteria in influencing type 1 diabetes.
6. Study of people at risk of diabetes development who have not progressed to type 1 diabetes.
B cells produce antibodies, a good marker of future developement of type 1 diabetes. Together with Dr Kathleen Gillespie at Bristol University, we have been studying immune cells in people who are at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes, because they have two or more autoantibodies associated with development of diabetes but have still not become diabetic after 10 years
7. Analysis of B cells in newly-diagnosed Type 1 diabetes and B cell migration studies
B cells are found in the pancreatic islets in people with type 1 diabetes - they are the second most abundant after CD8 T cells. We have studied the characteristics of B cells in the blood of people who have type 1 diabetes to test if there are differences from people who do not have diabetes. We found that a migration marker is lower on some memory B cells and are now studying these B cells further.