Lister Award Prizegiving for Dr Fränze Progatzky: From support to spotlight – how glial cells shape tissue immunity

Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 10.30am to 12pm

Dr Fränze Progatzky, Wellcome Career Development Fellow and Group Leader at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, was awarded a Lister Prize in 2025. Members of the Lister Institute and wider community will join us for her Prizegiving on 10 June 2026 in the Kennedy Institute Lecture Theatre from 10:30-12:00.

No registration is needed and the event is open to all members of the University of Oxford.

Event structure
10:30–10:45 – Introduction by Professor Dame Fiona Powrie
10:45–11:30 – Research presentation by Dr Fränze Progatzky
11:30–11:45 – Q&A
11:45–11:55 – Prize presentation by Prof Sir John Iredale

Dr Progatzky’s research presentation
From support to spotlight – how glial cells shape tissue immunity
Chronic inflammatory diseases of barrier organs, including the gut, lung and skin, are major contributors to global morbidity and mortality. Despite significant advances, the mechanisms governing inflammation resolution and tissue repair remain incompletely understood. Identifying previously unrecognised cellular regulators of barrier tissue inflammation is therefore an important priority with substantial translational potential.
Dr Fränze Progatzky’s research has demonstrated that enteric glia actively shape intestinal immune responses and can adopt distinct functional states that regulate tissue inflammation. Using spatial, single-cell and mechanistic in vivo approaches, she and colleagues have also shown that glial cells form organised, tissue-specific networks that contribute to intestinal immune compartmentalisation, and that disease-associated glial states emerge in human inflammatory conditions across barrier tissues.
Together, these findings support a broader framework in which peripheral glia act as key coordinators of tissue immunity across barrier organs. Ongoing work aims to define their roles in tissue repair through integrated experimental approaches.
In this Lister Prize Lecture, Dr Progatzky will present an overview of her research journey and outline future directions. Originally considered primarily as supportive cells for neurons, glial cells are now emerging - from support to spotlight - as central players in tissue immunity.

Speaker(s): Dr Franze Progatzky (University of Oxford)

Venue: Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology - Kennedy Lecture Theatre - Kennedy Lecture Theatre Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Headington Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 7FY United Kingdom

Department: Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (Unit)

Organiser: Katie Roberts