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Infectious Disease Talks

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Talks related to infectious diseases
URL: http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/index/29729
Updated: 36 min 58 sec ago

Fri 10 May 13:00: The kinetic-segregation model of immune receptor signalling.

Tue, 30/04/2024 - 11:17
The kinetic-segregation model of immune receptor signalling.

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Friday 10 May 2024, starting at 1:00 pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Professor Simon Davis, MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford

Host: Clare Bryant, Professor of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge.

For anyone who can’t attend in person, please join the Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/89741634903?pwd=dzcxbU45NjAwQXo1dmlNMjR3V0lUUT09

Meeting ID: 897 4163 4903 Passcode: 539740

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 05 Jun 13:00: Advances, challenges, and new initiatives in veterinary clinical microbiology

Tue, 30/04/2024 - 09:57
Advances, challenges, and new initiatives in veterinary clinical microbiology

The development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most important public health challenges and has highlighted the critical role that clinical microbiology laboratories play in driving antimicrobial stewardship. Despite the recognition of its importance, there are several areas of improvement which need to be addressed in this field, starting with the need for standardized training of clinical microbiologists and harmonization of diagnostic procedures across veterinary microbiology diagnostic laboratories. Bacterial culture, identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (C&ID and AST ) are key tools for antimicrobial therapy guidance and the lack of specific guidelines for processing companion animal clinical specimens for microbiology testing is a serious challenge to the veterinary profession. Similarly, the lack of guidelines or programmes for AMR surveillance in companion animals and the use of multiple standards is a major limitation when comparing susceptibility data between laboratories or countries. Both aspects have multiple implications for the diagnosis and management of infections, and impact overall on antimicrobial stewardship. Furthermore, surveillance in veterinary hospitals of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) associated with multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria is less well-established than in human hospitals and needs further development. Our infection control studies at the University of Liverpool should generate sufficient veterinary-specific data to enable the development of evidence-based infection control policies to help prevent veterinary HCA Is. In addition, teaching veterinary students about infection control and how to interpret microbiology results, are key steps towards safeguarding antibiotics for the future. In this talk, I will cover the developments which we implemented at Liverpool to address these challenges. In addition, I will include findings from two European-wide projects addressing these issues and how we now plan to take real steps towards developing a united approach in supporting both diagnosticians and clinicians.

Dorina is Professor of Veterinary Clinical Microbiology at the University of Liverpool and has a long-standing career in this field. Originally from Romania, where she took her DVM and PhD at Iasi Veterinary School, Dorina moved to the UK in 2004 and since 2009, has been leading the Veterinary Microbiology Diagnostic Laboratory at Liverpool School of Veterinary Science and chair of the Biosecurity and Infection Control Committee at the Liverpool School of Veterinary Science. Dorina is RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Microbiology and Diplomat of the European College of Veterinary Microbiology (ECVM); she established the first ECVM Residency training programme at Liverpool and is currently the ECVM vice-president. Dorina is involved in several initiatives focusing on the development of veterinary clinical microbiology and raising the profile of the diagnostic laboratory role in antimicrobial stewardship. She participates in various clinical microbiology training events and is developing harmonised laboratory methodologies for surveillance of AMR in companion animals. Dorina`s research focuses on characterisation of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in companion and farm animals, as well as the genomic epidemiology of interspecies transmission of multidrug resistant bacteria between humans, animals and the environment. She also has a particular research interest in the epidemiology of healthcare associated infections in human and veterinary hospitals.

Chaired by Cassia Hare

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Fri 10 May 15:00: Title to be confirmed

Mon, 29/04/2024 - 14:38
Title to be confirmed

Abstract not available

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Fri 03 May 15:00: Stopping the brain from eating itself: endotoxins, sugars & chaperones

Fri, 26/04/2024 - 14:46
Stopping the brain from eating itself: endotoxins, sugars & chaperones

Abstract not available

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Wed 15 May 13:00: Bradford Hill seminar - Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice

Fri, 19/04/2024 - 15:01
Bradford Hill seminar - Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice

All are welcome to our next hybrid Bradford Hill Seminar by Prof Cath Mercer of the UCL Institute for Global Health, who will discuss:

‘Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice’.

This will be a hybrid event

No registration required to attend in person at:

Large Seminar Room, East Forvie Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SRT .

Registration required to attend online

Please register in Teams in advance at https://rb.gy/4svy5i

About this talk

Poor sexual and reproductive health causes significant morbidity. Last year, nearly 400,000 new sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in England alone. Additionally, there is increasing awareness of sexual rights, the role of sexual pleasure and wellbeing, and what these mean for a satisfying sex life and our general health and wellbeing.

Yet this critical aspect of our lives is highly sensitive and sometimes stigmatised making sexual behaviour, its drivers and consequences difficult to research. Methods are required that maximise response and minimise bias so that the resulting evidence is of sufficient quality, including for informing policy and practice.

Such methodological rigour is neither cheap nor quick, and since the COVID -19 pandemic shifted expectations around both the timelines for acquiring evidence and the public’s willingness to participate in research, do we need to re-think how we do research in challenging fields such as sexual and reproductive health? Do we need to revise in our definition of what is ‘good enough’?

About Professor Cath Mercer

Cath Mercer is Professor of Sexual Health Science at University College London. A statistician and demographer by training, Cath is internationally recognised as an expert in developing and employing robust methods that advance the scientific study of sexual behaviour, one of the most socially-sensitive disciplines, leading studies that work for – and with – marginalised communities through to the general population, in a variety of settings, employing a range of study designs and research methods.

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Wed 15 May 13:00: Bradford Hill seminar - Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice

Fri, 19/04/2024 - 14:55
Bradford Hill seminar - Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice

All are welcome to our next hybrid Bradford Hill Seminar by Prof Cath Mercer of the UCL Institute for Global Health, who will discuss:

‘Is perfection the enemy of good? Challenges and opportunities for building the evidence-base to inform sexual and reproductive health policy and practice’.

This will be a hybrid event

No registration required to attend in person at:

Large Seminar Room, East Forvie Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SRT .

Registration required to attend online

Please register in advance at https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/W-89URffB0G1Uj26AJ5ZkA,4gqNqQyPO0ORfyzDfqnrLQ,NG69L_hHNkePrbS1cdRxLA,_0aT3zeTQEa1NGghd-e_mw,nYZuQfjZLEW7X-eoyDoKsw,3BREDUKldEemm90D0KOMUQ

About this talk

Poor sexual and reproductive health causes significant morbidity. Last year, nearly 400,000 new sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in England alone. Additionally, there is increasing awareness of sexual rights, the role of sexual pleasure and wellbeing, and what these mean for a satisfying sex life and our general health and wellbeing.

Yet this critical aspect of our lives is highly sensitive and sometimes stigmatised making sexual behaviour, its drivers and consequences difficult to research. Methods are required that maximise response and minimise bias so that the resulting evidence is of sufficient quality, including for informing policy and practice.

Such methodological rigour is neither cheap nor quick, and since the COVID -19 pandemic shifted expectations around both the timelines for acquiring evidence and the public’s willingness to participate in research, do we need to re-think how we do research in challenging fields such as sexual and reproductive health? Do we need to revise in our definition of what is ‘good enough’?

About Professor Cath Mercer

Cath Mercer is Professor of Sexual Health Science at University College London. A statistician and demographer by training, Cath is internationally recognised as an expert in developing and employing robust methods that advance the scientific study of sexual behaviour, one of the most socially-sensitive disciplines, leading studies that work for – and with – marginalised communities through to the general population, in a variety of settings, employing a range of study designs and research methods.

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Tue 04 Jun 12:00: DNA damage response control by RNA and its therapeutic potential

Thu, 18/04/2024 - 12:23
DNA damage response control by RNA and its therapeutic potential

Abstract not available

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Wed 24 Apr 17:00: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Tue, 16/04/2024 - 14:25
Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Wednesday 24th April 2024, starting at 5:00 pm.

Location: Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, Francis Crick Avenue, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), Cambridge

Speaker: Prof John Wherry; Chair, Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor Director, Institute for Immunology Co-Program Leader, Immunobiology Program, Abramson Cancer Center Co-Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. University of Pennsylvania

Title: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Host: Professor Menna Clatworthy, Director of CITIID , NIHR Research Professor and Professor of Translational Immunology, University of Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 15 May 16:00: How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development Contact Fiona Roby for zoom link

Tue, 16/04/2024 - 10:08
How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are the most commonly prescribed drug class in the US. Untreated depression during pregnancy creates a risk for maternal wellbeing and is coupled with adverse pregnancy outcomes with causes that are poorly understood and use of SSRI among pregnant women is increasing. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) are the most prescribed medications for pregnant women in their first trimester. With nearly one in five women experiencing depression, SSRI use during pregnancy continues to increase in the US. Antenatal SSRI use has been demonstrated to also result in increased neonatal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, presenting a conundrum for medical care providers when making decisions as to how to treat pregnant women with depression and also protect the pregnancy, and health outcomes for the infant. Importantly, and often under looked, is that SSRI not only impact the neuronal serotonin transporter (SERT), but they also impact the effects of SERT throughout the body. Our work has recently demonstrated that treatment with fluoxetine prepartum results increased death of offspring and increased morbidity for the offspring that survive, which we have recapitulated in a sheep model. Further, our work demonstrates the SSRI also impact both mammary gland function and development, as well as maternal outcomes, recently demonstrating that use of fluoxetine increases adiposity in offspring up to 12 weeks of age, and that male offspring appear to be disproportionally affected. We continue to investigate the impact of SSRI use on the placenta, mammary gland development, and long-term effects on both dam and offspring. Our goal is to develop novel interventions that will allow the dam to continue SSRI treatment if needed that will not impact her long-term health, as well as the long-term health of the offspring.

Contact Fiona Roby for zoom link

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Wed 15 May 16:00: How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development

Mon, 15/04/2024 - 12:03
How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are the most commonly prescribed drug class in the US. Untreated depression during pregnancy creates a risk for maternal wellbeing and is coupled with adverse pregnancy outcomes with causes that are poorly understood and use of SSRI among pregnant women is increasing. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) are the most prescribed medications for pregnant women in their first trimester. With nearly one in five women experiencing depression, SSRI use during pregnancy continues to increase in the US. Antenatal SSRI use has been demonstrated to also result in increased neonatal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, presenting a conundrum for medical care providers when making decisions as to how to treat pregnant women with depression and also protect the pregnancy, and health outcomes for the infant. Importantly, and often under looked, is that SSRI not only impact the neuronal serotonin transporter (SERT), but they also impact the effects of SERT throughout the body. Our work has recently demonstrated that treatment with fluoxetine prepartum results increased death of offspring and increased morbidity for the offspring that survive, which we have recapitulated in a sheep model. Further, our work demonstrates the SSRI also impact both mammary gland function and development, as well as maternal outcomes, recently demonstrating that use of fluoxetine increases adiposity in offspring up to 12 weeks of age, and that male offspring appear to be disproportionally affected. We continue to investigate the impact of SSRI use on the placenta, mammary gland development, and long-term effects on both dam and offspring. Our goal is to develop novel interventions that will allow the dam to continue SSRI treatment if needed that will not impact her long-term health, as well as the long-term health of the offspring.

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Wed 24 Apr 17:00: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Tue, 09/04/2024 - 21:22
Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Wednesday 24th April 2024, starting at 5:00 pm.

Speaker: Prof John Wherry; Chair, Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor Director, Institute for Immunology Co-Program Leader, Immunobiology Program, Abramson Cancer Center Co-Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. University of Pennsylvania

Title: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Host: Professor Menna Clatworthy, Director of CITIID , NIHR Research Professor and Professor of Translational Immunology, University of Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Fri 24 May 13:00: Dr Karen Mackenzie, Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 13:38
Dr Karen Mackenzie, Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Friday 24 May 2024, starting at 1:00 pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Dr Karen Mackenzie, Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh

Host: James Nathan, Wellcome Senior Clinical Fellow, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge

For anyone who can’t attend in person, please join the Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/89741634903?pwd=dzcxbU45NjAwQXo1dmlNMjR3V0lUUT09

Meeting ID: 897 4163 4903 Passcode: 539740

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 24 Apr 17:00: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 13:36
Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Wednesday 24th April 2024, starting at 5:00 pm.

Speaker: Prof John Wherry; Chair, Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor Director, Institute for Immunology Co-Program Leader, Immunobiology Program, Abramson Cancer Center Co-Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. University of Pennsylvania

Title: Molecular Mechanism of T-cell Exhaustion

Host: Professor Menna Clatworthy, Director of CITIID , NIHR Research Professor and Professor of Translational Immunology, University of Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 05 Jun 13:00: Title to be confirmed

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 13:22
Title to be confirmed

Chaired by Cassia Hare

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Wed 15 May 16:00: How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 13:12
How use of SSRI impacts placenta and mammary gland development

Laura L. Hernandez, Professor-Lactation Physiology Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Fri 26 Apr 15:00: Why would you study ‘Weird’ organisms? The value of Evolutionary Cell Biology/Biochemistry approaches

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 12:39
Why would you study ‘Weird’ organisms? The value of Evolutionary Cell Biology/Biochemistry approaches

Abstract not available

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Tue 30 Apr 12:00: Decoding the epigenetic blueprint that guides Toxoplasma differentiation as the parasite navigates its multi-stage life cycle

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 12:07
Decoding the epigenetic blueprint that guides Toxoplasma differentiation as the parasite navigates its multi-stage life cycle

Abstract not available

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Fri 10 May 13:00: Professor Simon Davis, MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 11:36
Professor Simon Davis, MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Friday 10 May 2024, starting at 1:00 pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Professor Simon Davis, MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford

Host: Clare Bryant, Professor of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge.

For anyone who can’t attend in person, please join the Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar on Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/89741634903?pwd=dzcxbU45NjAwQXo1dmlNMjR3V0lUUT09

Meeting ID: 897 4163 4903 Passcode: 539740

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 24 Apr 17:00: Professor John Wherry, Director, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania

Mon, 08/04/2024 - 11:20
Professor John Wherry, Director, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Wednesday 24th April 2024, starting at 5:00 pm.

Speaker: Prof John Wherry; Chair, Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor Director, Institute for Immunology Co-Program Leader, Immunobiology Program, Abramson Cancer Center Co-Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. University of Pennsylvania

Title: TBC

Host: Professor Menna Clatworthy, Director of CITIID , NIHR Research Professor and Professor of Translational Immunology, University of Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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Wed 24 Apr 17:00: Title - TBC

Wed, 03/04/2024 - 11:12
Title - TBC

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Wednesday 24th April 2024, starting at 5:00 pm.

Speaker: Prof John Wherry; Chair, Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor Director, Institute for Immunology Co-Program Leader, Immunobiology Program, Abramson Cancer Center Co-Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. University of Pennsylvania

Title: TBC

Host: Professor Menna Clatworthy, Director of CITIID , NIHR Research Professor and Professor of Translational Immunology, University of Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the Seminar.

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