Faculty: General Surgery

Megan K. Levings

Associate Professor
Distinguished University Scholar
Canada Research Chair in Transplantation
Associate Member, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar

  Address:
  Child and Family Research Institute
  Room A4-186 950 West 28th Ave.
  Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4

  Phone office:
  604.875.2000 x 4686
  Phone lab:
  604.875.2000 x 4602
  Fax:
  604.875.2373

  Email: megan.levings@ubc.ca

Research Interests

Megan Levings is a cellular immunologist with a specialized interest in understanding how T cells regulate tolerance to self and non-pathogenic foreign proteins, and translating that knowledge into clinically applicable protocols in the setting of transplantation.

Research in the laboratory is centered on a new type of CD4+ T cell, termed T regulatory (Tr) cells, which control immune tolerance. Current work is focused on determining how Tr cells differ from normal CD4+ T cells at both the biochemical and molecular level, and elucidating their role in transplantation, cancer and infectious diseases. An immediate goal is to identify novel Tr-specific proteins which may reveal their mechanism of action and/or be used as a tool to isolate and track Tr cells more efficiently. Long term goals are to: a) develop methods to generate Tr cells in vitro for use as a cellular therapy to replace standard immunosuppression in the context of organ transplantation; and b) identify ways to deplete Tr cells in order to increase the immune response to cancer and chronic infectious diseases.

Selected Publications

Bacchetta, R, L Passerini, E Gambineri, SE Allan, M Dai, C Sartirana, C Azzari, SF Ziegler, MK Levings and MG Roncarolo.
Impaired cytokine production in patients with FOXP3 mutations correlates with a dysfunction in CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2006. 116:1713-22.

Crellin, Natasha K, Rosa V Garcia, Omeed Hadisfar, Sarah E Allan, Theodore S Steiner and Levings, M.K.
Human CD4+ T cells express TLR5 and its ligand flagellin enhances the suppressive capacity and expression of FOXP3 in CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells. Journal of Immunology. 2005. 175: 8051 - 8059.

Allan, Sarah E, Laura Passerini, Rosa Bacchetta, Natasha Crellin, Minyue Dai, Paul C Orban, Steven F Ziegler, Maria Grazia Roncarolo and Levings, M.K.
The role of 2 FOXP3 isoforms in the generation of human CD4+ Tregs. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2005. 115: 3276 - 3284.

Levings, Megan K, Silvia Gregori, Eleonora Tresoldi, Sabrina Cazzaniga, Chiara Bonini and Maria Grazia Roncarolo.
Differentiation of Tr1 cells by immature dendritic cells requires IL-10 but not CD25+CD4+ Tr cells. Blood. 2005. 105: 1162 - 1169.

Levings, M.K., Bacchetta, R., Schulz, U., and Roncarolo, M.G.
The role of IL-10 and TGF-beta in the differentiation and effector function of T regulatory cells. Int. Arch. Allergy Immunology. 2002. 129:263-276.

Levings, M.K., Sangregorio, R., Sartirana, C., Moschin, AL, Battaglia, M, Orban, P.C., and Roncarolo, M.G.
Human CD25+CD4+ T suppressor cell clones produce TGF-beta, but not IL-10, and are distinct from type 1 T regulatory cells. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2002. 196:1335-46.

Levings, M.K., Sangregorio, R., and Roncarolo, M.G.
Human CD25+CD4+ T regulatory cells suppress naive and memory T cell proliferation and can be expanded in vitro without loss of function. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2001. 193:1295-1302.

Roncarolo, M.G., Bacchetta, R., Bordignon, C., Narula, S. and Levings, M.K.
Type 1 T regulatory cells. Immunology Review. 2001. 182:68-79.

Levings M.K., Sangregorio, R., Galbiati, F., Squadrone, S., de Waal Malefyt, R., and Roncarolo, M.G.
IFN-alpha and IL-10 induce the differentiation of human type 1 T regulatory cells. Journal of Immunology. 2001. 166:5530-5539.