Contact details
Dr Ferdinand V Lali
My main research interest is the role of inflammation in disease. I obtained my PhD (Immunology) at Imperial College in 2000, with a focus on Immune Cell Signalling. I have since pursued an interest in the role of inflammatory signalling in the aetiology of both infectious and non-infectious pathology. I work closely with the Cytokine Biology department of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (Imperial College). My current research interest is the inflammatory pathology in the peri-prosthetic tissue of failed metal-on-metal (MOM) hip replacement. The failure of MOM implants is attributed to nanometer sized wear debris and the metal ions derived from them. We are currently using monocytic cell lines challenged with wear debris generated in mechanical hip simulators to model the sterile inflammation seen in tissue from failed MOM prosthesis. We also collaborate with scientists at Diamond Light Source (Synchrotron facility, Oxford UK) where we use X-ray spectra to characterise metal species retained in tissue as well as their relative levels. The studies are aimed at characterising tissue response and indentifying biomarkers for the biocompatibility of current and future designs of MOM prosthesis.
Another project I recently undertook was a study of the molecular mechanism underlying an unusual skin ulcer caused by mycobacterium ulcerans in which the normal inflammatory tissue response to infection is suppressed by a toxin, mycolactone, produced by the mycobacterium. This was a collaborative project with Makerere University in Uganda where I had a lecturer position for the duration of the project (2004-2008), before returning to continue my research career at Imperial College in the division of Surgery and Cancer.
