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Professor Rachel Allen's research focuses on MHC class I proteins and the regulation of immune activity by innate immune receptors. Her education portfolio is centred on postgraduate education and research capacity building for researchers, non-researchers and academics in training.
Professor Allen is SGUL Academic Lead for Quality and Partnerships and the Director of the Institute of Medical, Biomedical and Allied Health Education for the University and an Associate Director and Capacity Building Lead for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London.
Professor Allen joined St George’s in 2007 to specialise in the field of innate immune receptors and their ability to amplify or inhibit immune activity in disease. Prior to this, she obtained her D.Phil in Immunology from the University of Oxford, studying HLA B27 – a protein which predisposes some people to inflammatory arthritis. This work led to a post-doctoral position in Cambridge University, where she was subsequently awarded a Beit Memorial Fellowship to study the recognition of HLA B27 by innate immune receptors.
Professor Allen is a member of the MS Society Research Strategy Committee and an Associate Director and Capacity Building Lead for the NIHR South London Applied Research Collaboration.
Professor Allen has a long-standing research interest in the disease associations of MHC class I proteins. These are highly variable components of the immune system. The presence of different MHC-I variants is known to correlate with varying disease outcomes in autoimmunity and following infection, particularly with HIV. Her main research focus is on innate immune receptors and how these proteins might influence disease outcomes.
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London - Capacity Building Lead
Genoscent - investigating the genetic basis of human attractiveness to malaria mosquitoes
Chair of the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee
Postgraduate
Undergraduate
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