Dr. Lynne Sykes
Department of Metabolism Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0HS, UK
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Academic Career Length
18Years (2009-Present)
(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)
Representative Publications
View All Publications7 June 2012 in Mediators of Inflammation
Journal Article
Lynne SykesDMDavid A. MacIntyre
David A. MacIntyreXYXiao J. Yap
Xiao J. YapTTTiong Ghee Teoh
Tiong Ghee Teoh
PBPhillip R. Bennett
Phillip R. Bennett
Pregnancy is a unique immunological state in which a balance of immune tolerance and suppression is needed to protect the fetus without compromising the mother. It has long been established that a bias from the T helper 1 cytokine profile towards the T helper 2 profile contributes towards successful pregnancy maintenance. The majority of publications that report on aberrant Th1:Th2 balance focus on early pregnancy loss and preeclampsia. Over the last few decades, there has been an increased awareness of the role of infection and inflammation in preterm labour, and the search for new biomarkers to predict preterm labour continues. In this paper, we explore the evidence for an aberrant Th1:Th2 profile associated with preterm labour. We also consider the potential for its use in screening women at high risk of preterm labour and for prophylactic therapeutic measures for the prevention of preterm labour and associated neonatal adverse outcomes.
31 March 2009 in Clinical Endocrinology
Journal Article
CYC. K. H. Yu
C. K. H. YuLynne SykesMSM. Sethi
M. Sethi
TTT. G. Teoh
T. G. Teoh
SRS. Robinson
S. Robinson
21 February 2022 in Nature Communications
Journal Article
DCDenise Chan
Denise Chan
PBPhillip R. Bennett
Phillip R. BennettYLYun S. Lee
Yun S. Lee
SKSamit Kundu
Samit Kundu
TTT. G. Teoh
T. G. Teoh
Lynne Sykes +12
There has been a surge in studies implicating a role of vaginal microbiota in spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB), but most are associative without mechanistic insight. Here we show a comprehensive approach to understand the causative factors of preterm birth, based on the integration of longitudinal vaginal microbiota and cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) immunophenotype data collected from 133 women at high-risk of sPTB. We show that vaginal depletion of Lactobacillus species and high bacterial diversity leads to increased mannose binding lectin (MBL), IgM, IgG, C3b, C5, IL-8, IL-6 and IL-1β and to increased risk of sPTB. Cervical shortening, which often precedes preterm birth, is associated with Lactobacillus iners and elevated levels of IgM, C3b, C5, C5a and IL-6. These data demonstrate a role for the complement system in microbial-driven sPTB and provide a scientific rationale for the development of live biotherapeutics and complement therapeutics to prevent sPTB.
30 December 2024 in Nature Communications
Journal Article
ADAlexiane Decout
Alexiane DecoutIKIoannis Krasias
Ioannis Krasias
LRLauren Roberts
Lauren RobertsBMBelen Gimeno Molina
Belen Gimeno Molina
CCChloé Charenton
Chloé Charenton
DMDavid A. MacIntyre
David A. MacIntyre +6
Lactobacillus species dominance of the vaginal microbiome is a hallmark of vaginal health. Pathogen displacement of vaginal lactobacilli drives innate immune activation and mucosal barrier disruption, increasing the risks of STI acquisition and, in pregnancy, of preterm birth. We describe differential TLR mediated activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB by vaginal pathogens and commensals. Vaginal Lactobacillus strains associated with optimal health selectively interact with anti-inflammatory innate immune receptors whereas species associated with suboptimal health including L. iners and Gardnerella vaginalis interact with both pro- and anti-inflammatory receptors. Anti-inflammatory action of L. crispatus is regulated by surface layer protein (SLPs)-mediated shielding of TLR ligands and selective interaction with the anti-inflammatory receptor DC-SIGN. Detection of SLPs within cervicovaginal fluid samples is associated with decreased concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated samples. These data offer mechanistic insights into how vaginal microbiota modulate host immune response and thus reproductive health and disease states.
1 September 2015 in The American Journal of Pathology
Journal Article
RMRoberta Migale
Roberta MigaleBHBronwen R. Herbert
Bronwen R. Herbert
YLYun S. Lee
Yun S. Lee
Lynne SykesSWSimon Waddington
Simon WaddingtonDMDavid A. MacIntyre
David A. MacIntyre +4
13 October 2021 in Nature Communications
Journal Article
PPPamela Pruski
Pamela Pruski
GCGonçalo D. S. Correia
Gonçalo D. S. Correia
HLHolly V. Lewis
Holly V. Lewis
KCKatia Capuccini
Katia Capuccini
PIPaolo Inglese
Paolo IngleseDMDavid A. MacIntyre
David A. MacIntyre +17
The pregnancy vaginal microbiome contributes to risk of preterm birth, the primary cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Here we describe direct on-swab metabolic profiling by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS) for sample preparation-free characterisation of the cervicovaginal metabolome in two independent pregnancy cohorts (VMET, n = 160; 455 swabs; VMET II, n = 205; 573 swabs). By integrating metataxonomics and immune profiling data from matched samples, we show that specific metabolome signatures can be used to robustly predict simultaneously both the composition of the vaginal microbiome and host inflammatory status. In these patients, vaginal microbiota instability and innate immune activation, as predicted using DESI-MS, associated with preterm birth, including in women receiving cervical cerclage for preterm birth prevention. These findings highlight direct on-swab metabolic profiling by DESI-MS as an innovative approach for preterm birth risk stratification through rapid assessment of vaginal microbiota-host dynamics.
About Me
Dr Lynne Sykes is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London and a Consultant Obstetrician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with a specialist interest in preterm birth and maternal medicine.
Her main research interest is in the role of inflammation/infection in spontaneous preterm labour, and has been working in this area for the last decade. Lynne's doctoral research explored the potential use of anti-inflammatory agents as a therapeutic strategy for the prevention of preterm labour.
She now leads a team who focus on the on the importance of the immune response in women who deliver preterm. One area of her work aims to decipher the role of viruses on bacterial induced preterm labour, with particular consideration to tissue dependent responses in the context of ascending versus haematogenous spread of infection. The other major part of her research is exploring patient specific immune responses to the gut and vaginal microbiota, and how this influences the risk of preterm labour.
Her research aims are to develop predictive tools based on immuno-phenotyping, deepen understanding of how immune-microbial interactions determines the risk of preterm birth, and to develop a strategy for immunomodulation for the prevention of preterm labour