Host responses fight microbial infection and disease and are used in vaccination
The unravelling of the complexity of successful host responses which together culminate to prevent microbial infection and disease, are now addressed by a spectrum of complementary technologies including genomics and systems biology. Cambridge immunologists investigate mechanisms spanning from host restriction factors and innate responses, to individually unique adaptive responses. Natural immunity to infection of specific pathogens is considered across species and is rooted in fundamental studies in areas ranging from the principles of T-cell memory to the enzymatic modification of DNA to elicit high affinity antibodies on natural restriction/ resistance of retroviral infections. The endowment of a particular host with specific MHC molecules may facilitate host resistance or susceptibility to immune evasion of MHC class 1 antigen presentation or to modulation of other cell surface receptors by viruses. Host resistance to specific pathogens such as Salmonella, Malaria, HIV and HCV are leading into important insights into the fine line between immunity and immunopathology. This understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of immunity, either naturally endowed innate or acquired is used to translate this knowledge into approaches to elicit successful host responses through vaccination.
There is much overlap with the British Society for Immunology's Infection and Immunity group.
