Our People

Dr Eric Jou

Junior Research Fellow

Academic Foundation Doctor

OU Clinical Academic Graduate School

PhD, MB BChir, MA, BA (Cantab)

Eric’s research focusses on harnessing the innate immune system, in particular innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), for cancer treatment. ILCs are recently discovered innate immune counterparts of adaptive immune T cells, and are shown to have critical roles across a broad range of human diseases including infection and autoimmunity. During his PhD, he was the first to show that ILCs promote tumorigenesis and cancer resistance in response to the cytokine interleukin-25, and that this pathway can be targeted therapeutically using novel reagents (patented). Currently as an academic clinician, he continues to explore the crosstalk between ILCs and other immune cell populations in cancer settings, and the potential of utilising ILCs in cancer treatment.

Eric graduated with Distinction in Medicine (MB BChir) from the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, and was Exhibitioner and Foundation Scholar at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge. He completed his PhD in cancer immunology with Andrew McKenzie at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, as part of the Cambridge MB/PhD programme. Eric is an avid educator, and was previously Supervisor in Medicine (Preclinical) at five University of Cambridge Colleges teaching second year medical students the Pathology course, and currently mentors medical students in clinical and research settings.