As a child, I dreaded doctor’s visits, not because of the lollipops or the waiting room toys, but because of the inevitable vaccine shot. Every time I had one, my armpit would swell up and make the day uncomfortable. My mum explained that this was my lymph node, a special part of the immune system, working hard to protect me. I remember wondering: why does this happen? What is the point of the swelling? That question sparked my fascination with the immune system.
At its core, the immune system defends our bodies against injury and disease, handling everything from tiny cuts to massive infections. My curiosity led me to study the body and the immune system at university. During my time at university I began researching plastics. Why plastics? Because they are everywhere! If you look around right now, you can probably spot at least five plastic objects. But what about the plastics we can’t see? What mischievous mayhem are these microplastics making? That is where my work comes in! I study how these tiny particles mess with our bodies.
Surprisingly, the body reacts to microplastics in the same way it does to the flu, by switching on the immune system. But when these particles enter the brain, the immune system can overreact and cause damage in its attempt to remove them. My research aims to understand why this happens and how we can protect the brain from getting caught in the crossfire.
