Biography - Professor Julian Ma

Name: Professor Julian K-C Ma
Position: Hotung chair of molecular immunology, joint head of the Infection and Immunity Research Centre
Research centre: Infection and Immunity
Division: Clinical Sciences

Tel: +44 208 725 5818
email: jma@sgul.ac.uk

Research interests

Recombinant protein pharmaceuticals, molecular pharming, plant biotechnology, mucosal immunology, antibody engineering.

Biography

I graduated in dentistry at Guy’s Hospital in 1983 where I also gained my PhD in immunology under Professor Thomas Lehner, studying anti-microbial immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies (antibodies produced in the laboratory by a single clone of cells or a cell line and consisting of identical antibody molecules.)

I was a post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute, at La Jolla, California, in Dr Andrew Hiatt’s laboratory, the first laboratory to describe expression of monoclonal antibodies in transgenic plants. On my return to Guy’s in 1992 I set up my own laboratory to continue this work.

In 1993 I was awarded a fellowship by the Wellcome Trust. In 1997 I was made Consultant in Immunology and Oral Immunotherapy at Guy’s Hospital Dental School, the first consultant appointment in Oral Immunology in the UK.

In October 2003 I moved my laboratory to St George’s. My research group studies all aspects of “Molecular Pharming” – the production of recombinant protein pharmaceuticals using transgenic plants. My group is a leading proponent in Europe for the development of plant biotechnology to produce medicines.

Our research ranges from basic mechanisms of protein assembly, processing and expression in plant cells, to molecular engineering and characterisation of pharmaceutical candidates for infectious disease, as well as the translation of these candidates into human clinical trials. We focus on diseases that are predominant concerns in developing countries – HIV, tuberculosis, rabies and chikungunya. We also have a research interest into developing intellectual property strategies that facilitate the transfer of technologies and medicines to under-developed countries.  

I am currently the scientific co-ordinator of Pharma-Planta, a European Union Framework Programme 6 project to develop pharmaceuticals from plant-derived proteins. I am also the Vice Chair for the European COST Action on Molecular Farming that co-ordinates research and policy activities in 28 European countries.