Dinis Calado is a Senior Group Leader at the Babraham Institute, where his research investigates how the immune system generates long-lasting protection against infection and vaccination, and how the pathways that sustain protective immunity can, when dysregulated, drive cancer development, particularly in later life.
Originally from Portugal, Dinis earned his Biochemistry degree from the University of Coimbra and his PhD in Molecular Immunology from the University of Lisbon. He then moved to the United States for postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, followed by work at the Max Delbrück Center in Germany as a Special Fellow of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern B cell differentiation and lymphoma development from germinal centres, specialised structures in lymphoid tissues central to antibody responses.
In 2013, Dinis established his research group in London at the Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute, which became part of the Francis Crick Institute in 2015. Promoted to Senior Group Leader in 2020, he led the Immunity and Cancer Laboratory. Following the successful completion of the Crick’s career development programme, he joined the Babraham Institute as a Senior Group Leader in September 2025. He currently holds a joint appointment between Babraham and the Crick Institute, continuing to advance and expand his research programme.
The Calado lab integrates fundamental immunology with translational cancer research, using state-of-the-art genetic models, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, CRISPR genome engineering, and advanced imaging. His team has developed a comprehensive suite of genetically engineered mouse models that closely mimic human B cell malignancies, including diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, peripheral T cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, enabling the study of early disease stages, tumour-immune interactions, and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Beyond haematological cancers, the group investigates the function of B cells, plasma cells, antibodies, and germinal centre-like structures, such as tertiary lymphoid structures in solid tumours, e.g., breast cancer. They also examine how ageing shapes immune cell longevity, surveillance, and cancer risk, with the aim of developing therapies tailored to a patient’s immunological age.
Dinis’s research is supported by major UK and international funders, including the BBSRC, MRC, Cancer Research UK, Blood Cancer UK, and the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation. He serves on expert review panels, including the CRUK Discovery Research Committee, the MRC Infections and Immunity Board, the Blood Cancer UK Expert Panel, and the canSERV EU-Horizon programme Independent Review Board.
His achievements in translational science have been recognised with honours including the AstraZeneca Haematology Scholar Award and the Sir David Cooksey Prize in Translation. He maintains active collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech partners to translate fundamental discoveries into precision therapies.