Dr Ingrid Dumitriu MD, PhD, FESC, FHEA

Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Reader in Cardiovascular Immunology
PGR Coordinator (Clinical PGR students) CVS Department
Stream Lead MRes Biomedical Research: Cardiovascular Sciences, PPIE Lead NIHR BRC Thrombo-inflammation Research Theme

Contact details

Email: i.dumitriu@bham.ac.uk

View my research portal

Address: University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Ingrid Dumitriu is a Reader in Cardiovascular Immunology in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at University of Birmingham.

Dr Dumitriu’s research interrogates the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in sustaining inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, her group focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the role of inflammation and immune cells in atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation, with the aim to develop targeted immune therapies to improve management and outcomes of patients with cardiovascular disorders.

Dr Dumitriu is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and a member of the Heart Research UK (HRUK) Medical Grant Review Panel (since 2025 - ongoing). Dr Dumitriu is a former member of the nucleus group of the ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology.

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3076-0911

Qualifications

FESC (Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology)
FHEA (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy)
PhD Immunology (Cellular and Molecular Biology Programme), DIBIT Scientific Institute, San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
MD (Doctor in Medicine), University of Medicine and Pharmacy Grigore T. Popa, Iasi, Romania

Biography

Dr Dumitriu joined Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham in 2020. From 2008, she was a Reader at St. George’s, University of London, where she lead the Cardiovascular Immunology research group in the Cardiology Clinical Academic group, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute. She secured competitive research funding and set up a patient-oriented research programme on the immune cells that regulate the complex inflammatory networks underlying atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation with a view to applying this knowledge for targeted immunomodulation in cardiovascular disorders. Other research areas included checkpoint inhibitors/costimulatory molecules and angiogenesis in cancer. This research resulted in a number of publications (Cardiovascular Research 2019, Frontiers in Immunology 2019, European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy 2016, Circulation 2015, British Journal of Cancer 2015, Circulation Research 2012) and presentations at international scientific conferences and public engagement events.

During her postdoctoral work at Imperial College London (2007-8) and at the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh (2006-7) she worked on regulatory T cells (Treg) in animal models of autoimmune disorders and on Treg induction in lung cancer.

She was awarded her PhD in Immunology at the San Raffaele DIBIT Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy in 2005. Her PhD thesis on HMGB1 release from dendritic cells and its role in T cell activation led to seminal publications and was awarded the PBI International Prize by the Italian Society of Immunology.

Teaching

Dr Dumitriu is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). She has extensive teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Current teaching

MRes in Biomedical Research: Cardiovascular Sciences - stream lead
MRes in Biomedical Research: Cardiovascular Sciences and MSci in Medical Sciences (intercalated degree), Cardiovascular Biology module - module lead and module lecturer
BSc in Biomedical Science year 3, Cardiovascular Diseases module - module lecturer
MBChB year 2, Cardiovascular Sciences module - module tutor
MBChB year 2, Immunology, Infection and Haematology module - module lecturer and tutor
BSc in Biomedical Science year 3, Experimental Immunology module - module lecturer
BSc in Biomedical Science year 1, Fundamentals of Life Sciences module - module tutor
MBChB Personal Academic Tutor years 1, 2, 3 & 4
MBChB year 1, Integrated Thinking and Application of Knowledge (ITAK) module - module tutor
MBChB year 2, Personal Interest Project tutor
Supervisor PhD, MRes and undergraduate MSci/intercalating MBChB students and BSc in Biomedical Science students

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Dumitriu is interested in supervising doctoral research in the following areas:

- Dissecting immune mechanisms in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to identify novel actionable targets for plaque stabilisation
- Characterisation of immune-pathogenesis in atrial fibrillation to design disease-mechanism based immunotherapies
- Drivers of cardiovascular risk in chronic immune mediated inflammatory diseases

Research

Dr Dumitriu has a long standing research interest in inflammation and immunomodulation in cardiovascular diseases and chronic inflammatory disorders.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and atherosclerosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Innate and adaptive immune cells (such as T cells, regulatory T cells) infiltrate atherosclerotic plaques and influence plaque development and progression. Treatments that specifically target immune cells in atherosclerosis are not currently available. Dr Dumitriu’s research investigates the mechanisms underlying inflammation in atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular and chronic inflammatory diseases and seeks to identify new therapeutic targets. This research has translational applications such as improving the risk stratification, selection into clinical trials, management and outcomes of patients with cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders.

Dr Dumitriu’s research employs several techniques: multi-colour flow-cytometry, cell-sorting, analysis of effector and regulatory T-cell function, transcriptome profiling, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, etc.

Other activities

Member of the Heart Research UK (HRUK) Translational Research Project (TRP) Medical Grant Review Panel
Reviewer for grant and fellowship national and international funding bodies (e.g. British Heart Foundation, Wellcome Trust, MRC, BBSRC, Academy of Medical Sciences, European Commission ERC, ANR France, Austrian Science Fund, Academy of Finland, Health Research Board Ireland, KAW Foundation Sweden), Worldwide Cancer Research
Former member of the Nucleus group of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology.
Member of: the British Atherosclerosis Society, European Atherosclerosis Society, European Society of Cardiology , ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology, ESC Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation, ESC Working Group on Aorta and Peripheral Vascular Diseases
Review Editor, the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Inflammation
Review Editor, the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
External PhD examiner
PGR Coordinator (Clinical PGR students), Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
PPIE (Patient and Public Inclusion and Engagement) Lead NIHR BRC Thrombo-inflammation Research Theme

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Baruah, P, Marshall, JL, Nefla, M, Pucino, V, Adams, H, Turner, JD, Gilbert, S, Powell, E, Neag, G, Monksfield, P, Irving, RM, Croft, AP, Dumitriu, IE & Buckley, CD 2024, 'Functional analysis of fibroblasts and macrophages in head and neck paragangliomas', Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 15, 1397839. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1397839

Baruah, P, Mahony, C, Marshall, JL, Smith, CG, Monksfield, P, Irving, RI, Dumitriu, IE, Buckley, CD & Croft, AP 2024, 'Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of vestibular schwannoma reveals functionally distinct macrophage subsets', British Journal of Cancer, vol. 130, no. 10, pp. 1659-1669. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-024-02646-2

Sarchioto, M, Howe, F, Dumitriu, IE, Morgante, F, Stern, J, Edwards, MJ & Martino, D 2021, 'Analyses of peripheral blood dendritic cells and magnetic resonance spectroscopy support dysfunctional neuro-immune crosstalk in Tourette syndrome', European Journal of Neurology, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 1910-1921. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14837

Bullenkamp, J, Mengoni, V, Kaur, S, Chhetri, I, Dimou, P, Astroulakis, Z, Kaski, JC & Dumitriu, I 2020, 'Interleukin-7 and interleukin-15 drive CD4⁺ CD28^nullT lymphocyte expansion and function in patients with acute coronary syndrome ', Cardiovascular Research, vol. 2020, cvaa202. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa202

BARUAH, P, Bullenkamp, J, Wilson , POG, Lee, M, Kaski, JC & Dumitriu, I 2019, 'TLR9 mediated tumour-stroma interactions in human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma up-regulate PD-L1 and PD-L2', Frontiers in immunology, vol. 10, 1644. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01644

Buckley, RJ, Whitley, GS, Dumitriu, I & Cartwright, JE 2016, 'Macrophage polarisation affects their regulation of trophoblast behaviour', Placenta, vol. 47, pp. 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2016.09.004

Dinkla, S, Van Cranenbroek, B, Van Der Heijden, WA, He, X, Wallbrecher, R, Dumitriu, I, Van Der Ven, A, Bosman, G, Koenen, H & Joosten, I 2016, 'Platelet microparticles inhibit IL-17 production by regulatory T cells through P-selectin', Blood, vol. 127, no. 16, pp. 1976-1986. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2015-04-640300

Ford, CA, Petrova, S, Pound, JD, Voss, JJLP, Melville, L, Paterson, M, Farnworth, SL, Gallimore, AM, Cuff, S, Wheadon, H, Dobbin, E, Ogden, CA, Dumitriu, IE, Dunbar, DR, Murray, PG, Ruckerl, D, Allen, JE, Hume, DA, van Rooijen, N, Goodlad, JR, Freeman, TC & Gregory, CD 2015, 'Oncogenic properties of apoptotic tumor cells in aggressive B cell lymphoma', Current Biology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 577-588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.059

Kovalcsik, E, Antunes, RF, BARUAH, P, Kaski, JC & Dumitriu, I 2015, 'Proteasome-mediated reduction in proapoptotic molecule Bim renders CD4⁺CD28null T cells resistant to apoptosis in acute coronary syndrome', Circulation, vol. 131, no. 8, pp. 709-720. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.013710

Baruah, P, Lee, M, Odutoye, T, Williamson, P, Hyde, N, Kaski, JC & Dumitriu, IE 2012, 'Decreased levels of alternative co-stimulatory receptors OX40 and 4-1BB characterise T cells from head and neck cancer patients', Immunobiology, vol. 217, no. 7, pp. 669-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imbio.2011.11.005

Abstract

Dumitriu, I, Cartwright, EJ, Whitley, GS & Buckley, RJ 2016, 'Macrophage polarisation affects their regulation of trophoblast behavior', Placenta. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2016.09.004>

BARUAH, P, Dumitriu, I, Lee, M, Wilson , POG, Odutoye, T, Williamson, P, Kaski, JC & Hyde, N 2015, 'Impact of p16 status on pro- and anti-angiogenesis factors in head and neck cancers', British Journal of Cancer, vol. 113, pp. 653-659. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2015.251

Review article

Ketelhuth, DFJ, Lutgens, E, Bäck, M, Binder, CJ, Van den Bossche, J, Daniel, C, Dumitriu, I, Hoefer, I, Libby, P, O'Neill, L, Weber, C & Evans, PC 2019, 'Immunometabolism and atherosclerosis: perspectives and clinical significance: a position paper from the Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology of the European Society of Cardiology', Cardiovascular Research, vol. 115, no. 9, pp. 1385-1392. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvz166

Bullenkamp, J, Dinkla, S, Kaski, JC & Dumitriu, I 2016, 'Targeting T cells to treat atherosclerosis: odyssey from bench to bedside', European heart journal. Cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 194-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjcvp/pvw001

Dumitriu, I 2015, 'The life (and death) of CD4⁺CD28^null T cells in inflammatory diseases', Immunology, vol. 146, no. 2, pp. 185-193. https://doi.org/10.1111/imm.12506

View all publications in research portal