Dr Rachel Crossland is a Senior Research Associate, based in the Newcastle University Translational and Clinical Research Institute, with a research interest in the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in transplantation immunity and treatment response.
After completing a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science, Dr Crossland developed an interest in the role of microRNA in the pathobiology of non-Hodkin’s lymphoma. This led to pursual of a PhD at Newcastle University under the supervision of Dr John Anderson, studying the role of the miR-17-92 cluster in the development and prognostication of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Following completion of her PhD, Dr Crossland further delved into her research into microRNAs and their interactions during haematological disease via a postdoctoral position at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research at Newcastle University.
More recently, Dr Crossland has developed an independent research group focusing on EVs as carriers of microRNAs, in the wider field of transplantation immunology. Her research aims to explore the multi-disciplinary role of EVs in transplantation and immunology, their contribution to the balance of immune tolerance, potential as novel therapeutics and to identify clinically translatable biomarkers. Dr Crossland’s longer term ambition is to drive a deeper understanding of how the heterogeneity of circulatory EVs impacts and informs on disease pathogenesis, then expand upon our increased understanding of EV-immunology to drive forward EV-based therapeutics, harnessing the power of stem cell- and immune-derived EVs as natural disease modifiers.
