Hayley Evans PhD Senior Postdoctoral Fellow
Hayley completed her BSc in Applied and Human Biology at Aston University spending time researching at the WHO Influenza Centre, National Institute for Medical Research. Following this she took up a Ph.D with Dr Leonie Taams at King’s College London working on the induction, function and regulation of human Th17 cells. In 2010 Hayley moved as a Postdoc with the laboratory to the newly created Centre for Molecular & Cellular Biology of Inflammation (CMCBI) under the directorship of Prof. Frederic Geissmann. Here she worked closely with academic, clinical and industrial collaborators to examine the plasticity of CD4+ T helper cells in rheumatoid arthritis and response to therapy. In 2013 Hayley moved to the laboratory of Prof. Lars Fugger as a postdoctoral researcher where she has set up the use of CRISPR genome editing to help examine the role of GWAS associated SNPs in multiple sclerosis. Her current work utilises RNA-seq, ATAC-seq and Capture C at the bulk as well as single cell level.
Education and Training
BSc Applied and Human Biology with Industrial Experience 2001-2005 Aston University, UK.
PhD Immunobiology 2005-2009, Department of Immunology, Infection & Inflammatory Disease, King’s College London (Supervised by Dr Leonie Taams) Investigating the induction, function and regulation of Th17 cells in humans
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2010 – 2013, The Centre for Molecular & Cellular Biology of Inflammation (CMCBI), King’s College London
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2013 – 2018 Prof. Lars Fugger, University of Oxford
Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate 2018 – Current Prof. Lars Fugger, University of Oxford
Publications
Max Kaufmann*, Hayley Evans*, Anna-Lena Schaupp*, Jan Broder Engler, Gurman Kaur, Anne Willing, Nina Kursawe, Charlotte Schubert, Kathrine E. Attfield, Lars Fugger and Manuel A. Friese. Identifying CNS-colonizing T cells as potential therapeutic targets to prevent progression of multiple sclerosis. MED 2021 PMID: 33748804 (*joint 1st author).
This paper was also the subject of viewpoint article in the same edition written by Prof. Laurence Steinman (PMID: 33796875) titled: Capturing pathogenic immune cells before they home to brain.
Faergeman SL, Evans HG, Attfield KE, Desel C, Kuttikkatte SB, Sommerlund M, Jensen LT, Frokiaer J, Friese MA, Matthews PM, Luchtenborg C, Brügger B, Oturai AB, Dendrou CA, Fugger L. A novel neurodegenerative spectrum disorder in patients with MLKL deficiency. Cell Death and Disease 2020.
Roberts CA, Durham LE, Fleskens V, Evans HG, Taams LS. TNF Blockade Maintains an IL-10+ Phenotype in Human Effector CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells. Frontiers in Immunology 2017
Brencicova E, Jagger AL, Evans HG, Georgouli M, Laios A, Attard Montalto S, Mehra G, Spencer J, Ahmed AA, Raju-Kankipati S, Taams LS, Diebold SS. Interleukin-10 and prostaglandin E2 have complementary but distinct suppressive effects on Toll-like receptor-mediated dendritic cell activation in ovarian carcinoma. PLoS One 2017
Dendrou CA, Cortes A, Shipman L, Evans HG, Attfield KE, Jostins L, Barber T, Kaur G, Kuttikkatte SB, Leach OA, Desel C, Faergeman SL, Cheeseman J, Neville MJ, Sawcer S, Compston A, Johnson AR, Everett C, Bell JI, Karpe F, Ultsch M, Eigenbrot C, McVean G, Fugger L. Resolving TYK2 locus genotype-to-phenotype differences in autoimmunity. Science Translational Medicine 2016
Walter GJ, Fleskens V, Frederiksen KS, Rajasekhar M, Menon B, Gerwin JG, Evans HG, Taams LS. Phenotypic, Functional, and Gene Expression Profiling of Peripheral CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ CD4+CD25+CD127(low) Treg Cells in Patients With Chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2016
Evans H.G., Roostalu U., Walter G.J., Gullick N.J., Frederiksen K.S., Gerwien J.G., Roberts C.A., Sumner J., Baeten D.L., Gerwien J.G., Cope A.P., Geissmann F.,Kirkham B.W., and Taams L.S. TNF-a blockade induced IL-10 expression in human CD4 T cells. Nature Communications 2014.
Menon B, Gullick NJ, Walter GJ, Rajasekhar M, Garrood T, Evans HG, Taams LS, and Kirkham BW. Interleukin-17+CD8+ T cells are enriched in the joints of patients with psoriatic arthritis and correlate with disease activity and joint damage progression. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2014
Walter GJ, Evans HG, Menon B, Gullick NJ, Kirkham BW, Cope AP, Geissmann F, Taams LS. Interaction With Activated Monocytes Enhances Cytokine Expression and Suppressive Activity of Human CD4+CD45RO+CD25+CD127low Regulatory T Cells. Arthritis and Rheumatology 2013.
Gullick NJ, Abozaid HS, Jayaraj DM, Evans HG, Scott DL, Choy EH, Taams LS. Enhanced and persistent levels of interleukin (IL)-17⁺ CD4⁺ T cells and serum IL-17 in patients with early inflammatory arthritis. Clinical Experimental Immunology 2013.
Evans M.A., Smart N., Dubé K.N., Bollini S., Clark J.E., Evans H.G., Taams L.S., Lévesque M., Martin P., Mills K., Riegler J., Price A.N., Lythgoe M.F. and Riley P.R. Tβ4-SO attenuates inflammatory cell infiltration and promotes cardiac wound healing. Nature Communications. 2013;4:2081. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3081.
Walter GJ, Evans HG, Menon B, Gullick NJ, Kirkham BW, Cope AP, Geissmann F, Taams LS. (2012) Interaction with activated monocytes enhances cytokine expression and suppressive activity of human CD4(+) CD45RO(+) CD25(+) CD127(low) regulatory T cells. Arthritis Rheum.
Jagger A, Evans HG, Walter G, Gullick NJ, Menon B, Ballantine L, Gracie A, PhD; Magerus-Chatinet A, Tiemessen MM, Geissmann F, Rieux-Laucat F, Taams LS. (2011) FAS/FAS-L-dependent killing of activated human monocytes and macrophages by CD4+CD25- responder T cells, but not CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. J Autoimmunity.
Gullick N.J., Evans H.G., Church L.D., Jayaraj D.M., Filer A., Kirkham B.W., Taams L.S. (2010) Linking power Doppler ultrasound to the presence of Th17 cells in the rheumatoid arthritis joint. PLoS One. Sep 1;5(9). pii: e12516
Evans H.G., Gullick N.J., Kelly S., Pitzalis C., Lord G.M., Kirkham B.W., Taams L.S. (2009) In vivo activated monocytes from the site of inflammation in humans specifically promote Th17 responses. PNAS 106(15):6232-6237
Evans H.G., Suddason T., Jackson I., Taams L.S., Lord G.M. (2007) Optimal induction of T helper 17 cells in humans requires T cell receptor ligation in the context of Toll-like receptor-activated monocytes. PNAS 104(43):17034-17039
Tiemessen M.M., Jagger A.L., Evans H.G., vanHerwijnen M.J., John S., Taams L.S.(2007) CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells induce alternative activation of human monocytes/macrophages. PNAS 104(49):19446-19451