Infection and immunity research theme

Understanding microbes, host immunity and preventing the spread of infectious disease.

The challenge

Biosecurity is a global concern — infectious disease is estimated to cause a third of all human deaths worldwide. Better ways to empower the immune system to protect us from pathogens, but without triggering the inappropriate immune responses that cause illness, are continually needed. As microbes evolve and emerge from animal reservoirs to threaten our food supply and health, we need to develop new agents such as vaccines and antimicrobials and also understand how best to use them, including to avoid antimicrobial resistance.

Our response

Within the theme we take an interdisciplinary and one health approach to tackling these challenges. Investigations of host-pathogen interactions and of microbial structure and mechanisms, including at the quantum level, reveal target structures and pathways for blocking transmissible disease and enhancing antimicrobial penetration in humans and animals. Studies to elucidate immune system complexities inform better diagnosis and treatment of autoimmunity, inflammation and sepsis. Generating new data sets and applying computational techniques enables new ways to minimise the transmission of pathogens and to optimise antibiotic production from bacterial strains to be designed.

Research projects

Active projects

Development of “smart” amplifiers of reactive oxygen species specific to aberrant polymorphonuclear neutrophils for treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, cancer and myeloablation

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Impact of environment and control strategies on the dynamics of Rift Valley fever

Completed projects

RaDiCal: Rapid diagnosis of Calf Pneumonia

Start date: August 2022

End date: August 2023

Microbial integration of plastics in the circular economy

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MACE: Mathematical models and economic evaluation for cystic echinococcosis control and elimination

Start date: January 2020

End date: January 2023

Differential targeting of the HSV1 vhs endoribonuclease - preferential degradation of cellular transcripts on the endoplasmic reticulum?

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Mathematical tools to inform sustainable interventions against schistosomiasis in Uganda

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Pragmatist trip - the road to implementation

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BioCoatings: painting bacteria on surfaces for sustainable processes

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Bioelectrochemical performance of a native microbial community for energy recovery in a low cost microbial fuel cell (Newton Fund)

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Development of a nasal epithelial brush model (NBM) to study equine respiratory disease (ERD) in the racehorse

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The battle for the 5’end: dissecting a novel virus-specific translation mechanism driven by eIF3

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A new paradigm for arbovirus emergence: How transposons modulate mosquito vector competence

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Integrated systems for effective environmental remediation

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Interactions between aflatoxin B1 and hepatitis B virus: Effects on type 1 interferon signalling pathway

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AMR bacteria in runoff/subsurface flow as potential microbiome colonisers

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Evaluation of inactivation of Listeria biofilms on complex multi-component surfaces using a novel plasma kit

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Exploiting the full potential of rapid diagnostic test technology and mobile connectivity for improved animal disease detection and control

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Digital transformation and skills

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Engineering novel, safe and effective vaccines against avian colibacillosis

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i-sense: EPSRC IRC in agile early warning sensing systems for infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance

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Microbiology safety testing

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Zoonotic transmission of intestinal parasites: implications for control and elimination

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Creating an online resources and longitudinal database of 50 years influenza data: Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC) influenza database

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Formative research concerning health care professional and patient acceptability of an adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine for older adults in the United Kingdom

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Novel antimicrobial agents for bacterial pathogens of livestock: Light-activated CO-releasing molecules

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Campylobacter LFD diagnostics for poultry

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Low-cost portable molecular diagnostic platform for rapid detection of poultry infectious pathogens (LPMDP)

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Poultry microbiome as a predictor of health and productivity

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The effect of BCG vaccination in immune responses against Leihmania infantum (chagasi) infection in a natural (canine) model of infection

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The roadmap to echinococcosis control in Peru

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Molecular mechanism of IMD (NF-kB) inhibition by dengue virus in the mosquito aedes aegypti, and implications for transmission and emergence

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Timing, quality, and physiology of sleep in a deprived community cohort in South Africa, and their relationship with chronic disease

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Determination of the precedence of NTMs in TB cases in Ghana

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Evaluation and refinement of pandemic influenza community assessment tools

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Promoting One Health in Europe through joint actions on foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and emerging microbiological hazards

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Understanding the activity and role of a novel yoxin:antitoxin system

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Identification of vaccine and diagnostic candidate antigens based on reverse and structural vaccinology and the immunoproteomics of Leptospira spp.

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Ex vivo model for the study of epicardium-targeted therapies

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Development of robust and innovative vaccine effectiveness

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AMRSim: A Microbial Reality Simulator (for the indoor veterinary environment)

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A systems biology approach to reveal how the ubiquitin system contributes to asthmatic inflammation

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Characterisation of novel virus-host cell interactions essential for herpes simplex virus envelopment

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Real-time symptom assessment using the advanced symptom management system for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: A feasibility study

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Macrophage-induced drug tolerant persisters in Tuberculosis

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Defining the metabolic phenotype of intracellular Mycobacteriumtuberculosis

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The impact of host restriction of Escherichia coli on transmission dynamics and spread of antimicrobial resistance

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A quantitative method to evaluate AMR distribution in complex communities based on methylome profiling

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Understanding the reprogramming of host mRNA translation during calicivirus infection

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Novel APEC vaccine development

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A bovine alveolus model to replace cattle in the study of host-pathogen interactions in bovine tuberculosis

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An innovative educational intervention to improve uptake in hepatitis C testing in South East Asia: Intervention development and a feasibility study for a RCT

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DictyMyc: Using Dictyostelium to study the genetic basis of Mycobacterium bovis intracellular infection

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Novel strategies to detect and mitigate the emergence of AMR in zoonotic pathogens

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Characterising the mode of action of VP22 - a novel herpes simplex virus virulence factor important for in vivo replication

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Prevention of diverticulitis by taking a daily probiotic (LACTOPRoD)

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Investigation of stochastic variations in growth rate as the mechanism of drug tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

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Standardization and development of assays for assessment of influenza vaccines correlates of protection

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A novel substrate-trapping proteomics approach to elucidate the role of viral adaptors of the ubiquitin system

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Adenovirus and coagulation factor interactions and the impact on virus stability and utility for gene therapy

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Newton001: Identification of host and pathogen glucose metabolism modulation during Mycobacterium leprae infection of human macrophages and Schwann ce

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Identification of nitrogen source and intra cellular metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during intracellular replication

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Development of recombinant BCG vaccine and complementary diagnostics for TB Control in cattle

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EPSRC IRC in early-warning sensing systems for infectious diseases

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Research theme members

Research theme champions

Mark Chambers profile image

Professor Mark Chambers

Research Theme Champion

Dr Alexander Stewart

Associate Research Theme Champion

Our research news

Getty Images

11 MAR 2020

The University of Surrey has been awarded €1.4 million to undertake cutting edge research into infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance

Getty Images

05 MAR 2020

Social isolation could cause physical inflammation

Close up on the hands of a medical technician working on bacterial culture and drug resistance of pathogens in laboratory.

Neglected tropical diseases research

At Surrey work on a range of bacterial, viral and parasitic neglected tropical diseases including Buruli ulcer, intestinal worms and rabies, schistosomiasis and echinococcosis.

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