Welcome to the Academic Unit of Immunology and Infectious Diseases

About Us

The Academic Unit of Immunology and Infectious Disease includes clinical and non-clinical scientists who conduct internationally competitive interdisciplinary research in molecular and cellular pathogenesis, immunity, vaccinology and genetics. There is also a strong component of clinical research in infectious disease.

The laboratories are housed within F Floor of the Sir Henry Wellcome Research Laboratories. As well as access to the core facilities in proteomics and genomics, there are high quality Cell Biology, Containment Level 2 and Containmnent Level 3 laboratories. The laboratories are adjacent to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital department of Medical Microbiology and to the In-Patient and Out-patient facilities of the Infectious Disease Unit of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

The major research areas include:

• bacterial sensing and manipulation of the host response
• subversion of innate immune defences by pathogens
• regulation of gene expression and DNA replication in bacterial pathogens
• novel adjuvantation of vaccines
• genetics of infectious diseases.

Pathogen specific research includes:

• Neisseria meningitidis
• Salmonella spp.
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Burkholderia spp.
• Chlamydia
• Aeromonas spp.

The work in the Unit is funded by substantial grant awards from:

• The Medical Research Council
• The Wellcome Trust
• The National Institutes of Health
• BBSRC
• Meningitis UK
• The Meningitis Research Foundation
• Yorkshire Cancer Research
• The Bardhan Trust for Education and Research

There is also substantial third leg funding via two bioscience spin-off companies, Asterion and Adjuvantix.