Lydia Lynch

Dr Lydia Lynch is an Irish immunologist who has been deep in research for nearly two decades. She is founder of the Lynch Lab, based in both Trinity College Dublin and Harvard University, which focuses on immunometabolism – studying how the immune system and the metabolic system interact.

Lydia Lynch received her B.Sc. degree in Cell Biology and Genetics from University College Dublin, Ireland. She received her PhD in Immunology in 2008 from University College Dublin, in the lab of Prof. Cliona O’Farrelly in St. Vincent’s University Hospital.Lydia received a Newman Fellowship for her early post-doctoral studies with Prof. Donal O’Shea in St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. Here they established the Immunology and Obesity Lab, which coordinates international, collaborative, translational research in obesity and its complications. Lydia then received the prestigious UNESCO-L’Oreal International Women In Science Fellowship, where she moved to Harvard Medical School to study iNKT cells in adipose tissue in the lab of Mark Exley. In 2009, Lydia received an International Marie Curie Fellowship to continue her postdoctoral studies in immunometabolism, in the labs of Prof. Michael Brenner and Prof. Ulrich von Andrian in Harvard.

Not surprisingly, biology was her favourite subject in school, and she had a great teacher - Sr Elizabeth, who inspired her. She also had an unconventional start to her career as she had a baby during secondary school, and she has always held that her love of biology is what got her from that situation to Harvard.

Lesson Activities

When you become familiar with the work of Lydia Lynch you can bring some of the areas she touched on into the classroom with these teacher-sourced and created curriculum resources.

> How Scientists Work A teacher-created worksheet that describes how scientists work and uses Lydia Lynch as an example. Includes a number of question that tie-in with the Nature of Science component of the curriculum.

> Immune System Online Game Command and control your army of white blood cells to fight off viruses and bacteria. Learn about the immune system while having fun! Worksheet to accompany game.

> BW6 Human Health This presentation is suitable for Junior Cycle and looks at the factors, including inherited disorders, that affect human health.

What is special about the work of Lydia Lynch?

Lydia’s lab is interested in the effects of obesity and diet on immune cell functions, particularly innate cells including iNKT cells, NK cells and T cells. The Lynch lab also studies the role of the immune system in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, particularly the local immune system in adipose tissue in mice and humans.

The goal of her research is to try and find a way to safely use the immune system to kill cancer. She often likens the immune system to an army and her aim is to better equip the army to fight the disease. But safety is a key concern, so that whatever cure is developed must not negatively impact on other cells

Dr.Lydia Lynch - Women on Walls: Meet the Scientists

Why is the immune system so important?

All living organisms are continuously exposed to substances that are capable of causing them harm. The immune system is a complex network of organs containing cells that recognize foreign substances in the body and destroy them.

Understanding how the immune system works is vital to protecting animals and humans against pathogens, or infectious agents, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other parasites.

Learn more about the immune system on Encyclopaedia Britannica

Take a look at the TED-Ex video on how our immune system works.

The Immune System and Cancer

Following a career like Lydia Lynch

Science graduates might find themselves working on clinical trials, research and development, regulation. In industry, a biologist or a chemist, might find themselves working in the area of medical devices or in one of the many pharmaceutical companies for which Ireland has become associated.

Check out the STEM career investigation on this page.