Contact information

Website
MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit

Address
MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington OX3 9DS

Images from our research

Group members

Dr Jeongmin Woo

Dr Neda Hasan

Mr Chaitanya Vuppusetty (Lab manager)

Dr Praveen Weeratunga

Dr Harry Tian Hu

Dr Vishal Nathwani

Dr Sabrina Zulfikar

Dr Leila Baghaarabani

Dr Yaron Ben-Ami

Affiliates

Prof Daisy Yuejuan Zheng

Dr Andrew Achaiah

Ling-Pei Ho

DPhil, FRCP, MD

Professor of Respiratory Immunology

Consultant in Respiratory Medicine
NIHR Oxford BRC Respiratory Theme Lead
UK NIHR Respiratory-Translational Research Collaboration

Immune mechanisms in lung fibrosis

See our Spotlight video - https://youtu.be/Dj0uNQgA1Fs

My research group studies how immunological responses impact on mechanisms of lung injury, regeneration and repair. Our projects are divided into mechanistic and translational studies. We have two aims – (1) to understand the contribution of immune cells to chronic progressive lung fibrosis and alveolar regneration (2) to use this knowledge to bring new treatment and improved management to patients with fibrotic lung diseases,focusing on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and fibrotic sarcoidosis.

We focus on both the lung tissue and blood in human studies, and longitudinal murine studies. In the lungs, we have developed methods (with mathematicians) to map out the spatial organisation of immune cells using mathematical tools, single cell imaging mass cytometry and single cell transcriptomics.

Note: for Clinical Respiratory Specialist inquiries, Prof Ho's address is

Interstitial Lung Disease Service

Oxford Center for Respiratory Medicine

Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7LJ

Key publications

Temporo-spatial cellular atlas of the regenerating alveolar niche in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2025), Nature Communications, 16

Immune mechanisms of granuloma formation in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2024), Journal of Clinical Investigation, 134

Single cell spatial analysis reveals inflammatory foci of immature neutrophil and CD8 T cells in COVID-19 lungs

Weeratunga P. et al, (2023), Nature Communications, 14

Spatial transcriptomic characterization of COVID-19 pneumonitis identifies immune circuits related to tissue injury

Cross AR. et al, (2023), JCI Insight, 8

Immune mechanisms in fibrotic pulmonary sarcoidosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2022), European Respiratory Review, 31, 220178 - 220178

Increased monocyte level is a risk factor for radiological progression in patients with early fibrotic interstitial lung abnormality

Achaiah A. et al, (2022), ERJ Open Research, 8, 00226 - 2022

COVID-19 therapeutics: Challenges and directions for the future

Robinson PC. et al, (2022), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119

A blood atlas of COVID-19 defines hallmarks of disease severity and specificity

Ahern DJ. et al, (2022), Cell, 185, 916 - 938.e58

Multi-Modal Characterization of Monocytes in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Reveals a Primed Type I Interferon Immune Phenotype

Fraser E. et al, (2021), Frontiers in Immunology, 12

Recent publications

Spatial fibroblast niches define Crohn’s fistulae

McGregor C. et al, (2026), Nature, 649, 703 - 712

Author Correction: Spatial fibroblast niches define Crohn’s fistulae

McGregor C. et al, (2025), Nature, 648, E7 - E7

Topology across scales on heterogeneous cell data

Torras-Pérez M. et al, (2025), PLOS Computational Biology, 21, e1013460 - e1013460

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of diverse posthospitalisation pathways for COVID-19: a UK evaluation using the PHOSP-COVID cohort

Briggs AH. et al, (2025), BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 12, e003224 - e003224

Temporo-spatial cellular atlas of the regenerating alveolar niche in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2025), Nature Communications, 16

Readability and complexity of written information presented to hospitalised patients for trial consent during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a retrospective document analysis

Gourlay E. et al, (2025), BMJ Open, 15, e089447 - e089447

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the UK: findings from the British Thoracic Society UK Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry

Fahim A. et al, (2025), BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 12, e002773 - e002773

Incidence of diabetes mellitus following hospitalisation for COVID ‐19 in the United Kingdom: A prospective observational study

Tyrer F. et al, (2025), Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 27, 767 - 776

Plasma steroid concentrations reflect acute disease severity and normalise during recovery in people hospitalised with COVID‐19

Devine K. et al, (2024), Clinical Endocrinology, 100, 317 - 327

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

Liew F. et al, (2024), Nature Immunology, 25, 607 - 621

Cohort Profile: Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 (PHOSP-COVID) study

Elneima O. et al, (2024), International Journal of Epidemiology, 53

Immune mechanisms of granuloma formation in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2024), Journal of Clinical Investigation, 134

Post-acute COVID-19 neuropsychiatric symptoms are not associated with ongoing nervous system injury

Taquet M. et al, (2023), Brain Communications, 6

Single cell spatial analysis reveals inflammatory foci of immature neutrophil and CD8 T cells in COVID-19 lungs

Weeratunga P. et al, (2023), Nature Communications, 14

Long COVID research: an update from the PHOSP-COVID Scientific Summit

Brightling CE. et al, (2023), The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 11, e93 - e94

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Raman B. et al, (2023), The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 11, 1003 - 1019

Acute blood biomarker profiles predict cognitive deficits 6 and 12 months after COVID-19 hospitalization

Taquet M. et al, (2023), Nature Medicine, 29, 2498 - 2508

Implementable Deep Learning for Multi‐sequence Proton MRI Lung Segmentation: A Multi‐center, Multi‐vendor, and Multi‐disease Study

Astley JR. et al, (2023), Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 58, 1030 - 1044

Neutrophil levels correlate with quantitative extent and progression of fibrosis in IPF: results of a single-centre cohort study

Achaiah A. et al, (2023), BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 10, e001801 - e001801

A randomised phase 2a study to investigate the effects of blocking interleukin-33 with tozorakimab in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: ACCORD-2

Wilkinson T. et al, (2023), ERJ Open Research, 9, 00249 - 2023

Genetic and geographic influence on phenotypic variation in European sarcoidosis patients

Freitag-Wolf S. et al, (2023), Frontiers in Medicine, 10

Effects of sleep disturbance on dyspnoea and impaired lung function following hospital admission due to COVID-19 in the UK: a prospective multicentre cohort study

Jackson C. et al, (2023), The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 11, 673 - 684

Prevalence of swallow, communication, voice and cognitive compromise following hospitalisation for COVID-19: the PHOSP-COVID analysis

Dawson C. et al, (2023), BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 10, e001647 - e001647

Determinants of recovery from post-COVID-19 dyspnoea: analysis of UK prospective cohorts of hospitalised COVID-19 patients and community-based controls

Zheng B. et al, (2023), The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, 29, 100635 - 100635

Cohort Profile: Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID)

Elneima O. et al, (2023)

Residual Lung Abnormalities after COVID-19 Hospitalization: Interim Analysis of the UKILD Post–COVID-19 Study

Stewart I. et al, (2023), American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 207, 693 - 703

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps, Local IL-8 Expression, and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Absence in the Lungs of Fatal COVID-19: A Retrospective Histopathology Cohort Study

Melero I. et al, (2023), SSRN Electronic Journal

Prevalence of physical frailty, including risk factors, up to 1 year after hospitalisation for COVID-19 in the UK: a multicentre, longitudinal cohort study

McAuley HJC. et al, (2023), eClinicalMedicine, 57, 101896 - 101896

Correction: The effect of COVID rehabilitation for ongoing symptoms Post HOSPitalisation with COVID-19 (PHOSP-R): protocol for a randomised parallel group controlled trial on behalf of the PHOSP consortium

Daynes E. et al, (2023), Trials, 24

Molnupiravir versus placebo in unvaccinated and vaccinated patients with early SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK (AGILE CST-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 trial

Khoo SH. et al, (2023), The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 23, 183 - 195

The effect of COVID rehabilitation for ongoing symptoms Post HOSPitalisation with COVID-19 (PHOSP-R): protocol for a randomised parallel group controlled trial on behalf of the PHOSP consortium

Daynes E. et al, (2023), Trials, 24

Spatial transcriptomic characterization of COVID-19 pneumonitis identifies immune circuits related to tissue injury

Cross AR. et al, (2023), JCI Insight, 8

SARS-CoV-2-specific nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination

Liew F. et al, (2023), eBioMedicine, 87, 104402 - 104402

Cytokine Storm in Acute Viral Respiratory Injury: Role of Qing-Fei-Pai-Du Decoction in Inhibiting the Infiltration of Neutrophils and Macrophages through TAK1/IKK/NF-κB Pathway

Ye X-L. et al, (2023), The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 51, 1153 - 1188

Characteristics and risk factors for post-COVID-19 breathlessness after hospitalisation for COVID-19

Daines L. et al, (2023), ERJ Open Research, 9, 00274 - 2022

Immune mechanisms in fibrotic pulmonary sarcoidosis

Weeratunga P. et al, (2022), European Respiratory Review, 31, 220178 - 220178

Unbiased single cell spatial analysis localises inflammatory clusters of immature neutrophils-CD8 T cells to alveolar progenitor cells in fatal COVID-19 lungs

Weeratunga P. et al, (2022)

The effects of sleep disturbance on dyspnoea and impaired lung function following COVID-19 hospitalisation: a prospective multi-centre cohort study

Jackson C. et al, (2022)

Device-assessed sleep and physical activity in individuals recovering from a hospital admission for COVID-19: a multicentre study

Plekhanova T. et al, (2022), International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19

Management of Sarcoidosis: When to Treat, How to Treat and for How Long?

Fraser E. et al, (2022), Current Pulmonology Reports, 11, 151 - 159

P27 Blood neutrophil levels in IPF patients are significantly associated with quantitative radiological progression of fibrosis

Achaiah A. et al, (2022), ‘Scar Wars’ – The pot pourri of ILD, A94.2 - A95

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps, Local IL-8 Expression, and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Response in the Lungs of Patients With Fatal COVID-19

Melero I. et al, (2022), CHEST, 162, 1006 - 1016

A Phase II study of neoadjuvant axitinib for reducing the extent of venous tumour thrombus in clear cell renal cell cancer with venous invasion (NAXIVA)

Stewart GD. et al, (2022), British Journal of Cancer, 127, 1051 - 1060

Constructing custom-made radiotranscriptomic signatures of vascular inflammation from routine CT angiograms: a prospective outcomes validation study in COVID-19

Kotanidis CP. et al, (2022), The Lancet Digital Health, 4, e705 - e716

Clinical characteristics with inflammation profiling of long COVID and association with 1-year recovery following hospitalisation in the UK: a prospective observational study

Evans RA. et al, (2022), The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 10, 761 - 775

ZAKα-driven ribotoxic stress response activates the human NLRP1 inflammasome

Robinson KS. et al, (2022), Science, 377, 328 - 335

Joint patient and clinician priority setting to identify 10 key research questions regarding the long-term sequelae of COVID-19

Houchen-Wolloff L. et al, (2022), Thorax, 77, 717 - 720