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Trevor Owens

Professor

Phone: +45 6011 3951

E-mail: towens@health.sdu.dk

Department:

Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

Biography:

Trevor Owens is Professor of Neurobiology in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Southern Denmark. He obtained his PhD from the University of Ottawa in Canada in 1981. Following postdoctoral training in London and Melbourne he returned to McGill in 1987 and in 1990 joined the Neuroimmunology Unit of the Montreal Neurological Institute where he became a Professor in 2001. In 2004 he was appointed Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, where he was Leader of the Neurobiology Research Department from 2010 - 2023. He was President of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology from 2016-2020.

1981              PhD                                    Immunobiology, Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Ottawa

1977              MSc                                    Plant Physiology, Dept. of Biology, McGill University

1974              BSc                                     Biology (Cell and Molecular), McGill University

1981-1984    Postdoctoral                       Cellular Immunology

                                                                 ICRF Tumour Immunology Unit, Dept. of Zoology,     

University College London, UK (NA Mitchison).

 

1984-1987    Postdoctoral                       Molecular and Cellular Immunology

Thymus Biology Unit (JFAP Miller), The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia


The Owens laboratory’s focus is on animal models of demyelinating diseases and specifically on interactions between immune and glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. We study inflammation in the central nervous system, using animal models to dissect cellular and molecular interactions that underlie pathogenesis of diseases such as Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Neuromyelitis optica (NMO). We are interested in the impact of aging on these pathologies. MS is considered to be primarily a T-cell-mediated autoimmune inflammatory disease, with associated neurodegeneration, whereas NMO is considered to be an antibody-mediated inflammatory disease with demyelination. Both diseases show activation of microglia, and astrocytes are the main target of antibody in NMO. The interactions of these cells with T cells, macrophages and antibodies are a major focus of our research. We also study innate cells such as neutrophils, and how they are signalled for pathological versus protective responses. Trevor Owens has published 133 papers in peer-reviewed journals (H-index=55).
Research profile at Find Researcher



Last Updated 25.04.2025