Understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites plays a key role in understanding infectious diseases.
Pathogenesis – literally how disease (pathos) begins (genesis) or develops –- is a broad, important area of research encompassing both basic and clinical sciences. In infectious diseases, pathogenesis commonly occurs as a consequence of complex interactions between an infecting pathogen and the immune system. In order to understand how a particular pathogen causes disease it is critical to determine how host immunity (including both the innate and acquired arms of the immune system) resists infections. Our researchers here at Cambridge are working advancing our understanding of the interactions between resident and invasive microbes and the immune system and the implications of these findings for human and animal health.
Explore Campus
Immunity and infection research is closely intertwined at the University, and includes a number of research groups and programmes studying host-pathogen interactions:
- The immunity, infection and inflammation theme of the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
- Virology and Immunology research groups in the Department of Pathology
- The Wellcome Trust of the four year PhD Programme in Infection and Immunity, and the continued funding of PhD studentships by the MRC and BBSRC.
- The Cambridge Immunology acts as a network of immunology researchers in and around the city.
Functional analysis of novel genes associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using knockout mouse models
Research Associate, Department of Pathology
Viral immunology: How vaccinia virus evades the host immune response to infection
Department of Genetics
Postdoctoral Researcher
Genetic aspects of host-parasite interactions using as a model the European rabbit and the myxoma virus.
Department of Medicine, CITIID.
Molecular microbiologist; enteric infections in developing countries with an emphasis on Norovirus, Shigella spp. and Salmonella Typhi.
Research Assistant, Clinical School
I work on elucidating the basis of S. aureus carriage in the human nasopharynx.
Department of Physics
Development of Therapeutics for Bacterial Infectious Diseases, including Traumatic Injury Infection and Biothreat Agents
Postdoctoral Fellow
I use functional genomics to study AMR and Host-pathogen interactions in Enterobacteriaceae.
BBSRC Research Development Fellow
Immunopharmacology
01223 766232
Application of novel mass spectrometry methods for the rapid identification of bacteria and AMR directly from clinical samples
Sarah is a Veterinary Surgeon and Clinical Research Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (CITIID).
Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow/ Honorary Consultant Immunologist. Medicine, University of Cambridge.
I investigate the role of PI3K delta signalling in infection and immunity in humans and mouse models
Research Facilitator, Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences
Facilitates research activities between academic and industry partners via funded exchange programs, educational.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and the glyoxylate shunt.
Research Associate, Medicine
I have particular interest in understanding susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) and mycobacterial infection.
Molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions during bacterial infection
Epidemiology and Immunology of Schistosomiasis and other Human Parasitic Diseases.
My research interests span the molecular mechanisms underlying primary immuno-deficiencies and human genetics
Understanding the role of HLA-DRB1 molecules in driving the host immune responses against Leishmania parasites
Department of Medicine
The response of Macrophages and Dendritic cells to bacterial and mycobacterial infection.
CJ Martin Biomedical Research Fellow, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Sam's work combines microbiology, immunology and computational analysis to interactions between the microbiota and pathogen
A consultant in infectious diseases with an interest in primary and secondary immunodeficiencies and transplantation.
Clinical microbiology, development and spread of resistance to antimicrobial and antiviral agents.
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Host-pathogen interactions and the molecular basis of virulence.
Stanley Elmore Research Fellow and Associated PI in the Department of Medicine.
I research the molecular interactions between retroviruses and human cells.
Department of Medicine
Targeting latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection by novel immunotherapeutic strategies in transplant settings
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Staphylococcus aureus in humans and animals.
Comparative Pathology of Viral Infections
Head of the Lab of Viral Zoonotics
Research Fellow, Babraham Institute
Lymphocyte Signalling and Development
Studying T cell and antibody responses to global health vaccines
Post-doctoral research associate
Guest lecturer
I work on understanding the nature of the T cell mediated response to Cytomegalovirus infection.
The evolution and genetics of insects and their pathogens
01223 333175
Salmonella host-pathogen interactions
Whole genome sequencing based prediction of Drug resistance in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Social evolution and virulence in parasites by way of experimental evolution of various strains of bacteria and bacteriophages
Principal Investigator
Department of Biochemistry
The molecular basis and evolution of host-parasite interactions in African trypanosomes.
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Reader in Infection and Immunity
Pathogen behaviour (e.g. location, growth, spread in the body, gene regulation) in vivo at the single cell level in relation to immunity, vaccines and antibiotics.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Pathology
Basic biology of the human malaria parasite and impact of this biology on virulence. Molecular genetics and cell biology
Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow
Reader in Virology and Immunology
01223 267282
Postdoctoral researcher, University of Cambridge
My research utilises proteomics to better understand the interactions between African trypanosomes and their hosts.
Secondary metabolite production in different microbes.
Professor of comparative oncology and genetics
PhD candidate
Studying the transmission and risk factors of Lassa virus.
PhD Student and Research Assistant
Developing an in vitro model for the stable recapitulation of cystic fibrosis associated polymicrobial communities in the lab.
TB virulence factors and drug tolerance.
Clinical and research interests in inflammation, sepsis , nutrition and the relationship between gut microbiota and the host
Director, COVID-19 genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) and Professor of Public Health & Microbiology
Characterisation of B cell immune repertoires in measles infection.
Anopheles gambiae hemocyte response to Plasmodium infection
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Postdoctoral Research Associate assisting Professor Mark Holmes
We are interested in understanding the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and the basis of vastly different susceptibilities to this disease.
Cell autonomous innate immunity, i.e. the ability of individual cells to defend themselves against infection
Cambridge Institute of Medical Research (CIMR)/Department of Medicine
High throughput approaches to understand the biology of malaria parasites and prioritise new drug and vaccine targets
Graduate Researcher, Department of Genetics
Computational approaches to understand the influence of host-protein molecular interactions on global viral evolution
I am using biophysical tools to understand the properties that underlie TLR9 activation by ssDNA from pathogens.
Assistant Director for Biological Sciences & EU Matters, RO
Research support for School of Biological Sciences and EU funding
Gatsby Research Group Leader
We study plant processes underlying the accommodation of beneficial and pathogenic microbes.
Postdoctoral Scientist, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
I am a structural virologist. In past I worked on Picornaviruses structure and assembly. Currently working on E3 ligases.
Academic Clinical Fellow in Infectious Diseases
Department of Pathology
Deciphering actin signalling mechanisms hijacked by numerous pathogens to gain entry and establishing systemic infection. Bacteriology, Signalling, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Salmonella, Shigella.
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Molecular microbiologist using glycoengineering approaches to develop vaccines to prevent bacterial disease in chickens
Department of Medicine
Basic immunological mechanisms, and how defects in regulatory control of the immune system can lead to autoimmunity and alter defence against infection.
I am a postdoctoral Research Associate with Dr Andrew Firth, working on RNA regulatory structures within RNA viral genomes.
Currently I work on protein:protein interactions in innate immunity and phagocytosis using our confocal microscope facility in the Physics of Medicine centre. I also work on molecular modelling of signalling complexes and viral RNAs. I previously worked o
Understanding and predicting acute pulmonary exacerbations in adults with Cystic Fibrosis
Molecular Cell Biology and Evolution of Apicomplexan Parasites
+44 (0)1223 766057
Department of Genetics
Research Associate studying the impact of antigenic and genetic diversity of dengue virus (DENV) on driving DENV's transmission and disease risks.
Animal pathogens, vaccine, antimicrobial resistance and functional genomics
Recently started PhD student aiming to look at interactions between liver fluke parasite and its host.
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Host-microbial interactions, mucosal immunology, bacterial infection and immunity, intestinal-health related research.
Investigating host-pathogen interactions during BK Polyomavirus infection. Working in the Crump Lab.
Vet, BBSRC PhD Candidate, Resident of the European College of Veterinary Public Health
Livestock associated AMR in the UK and its implications for public health and the livestock industry.
I am interested in extracellular receptor-ligand interactions for host-pathogen interactions and reverse vaccinology.
Isolating and investigating generalised transducing LamB-dependent phages from the environment
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Genetic modification of Plasmodium falciparum