Tackling infection and chronic disease

Researchers from across the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences gathered at the Annual Infection and Immunity meeting held on 12 November in the Wales’s Millennium Centre.

Ground‑breaking research from the Division of Infection and Immunity (School of Medicine), the Systems Immunity University Research Institute and various Schools within the College showcased their latest efforts in tackling infection and chronic disease.

Over 200 delegates hailing from charities, universities and industry in the UK and abroad convened to discuss some of the most pressing health and social challenges confronting modern society.

Talks given at the event centred on immune function, chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases, and the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for infection, cancer and autoimmune disease.

The aim of the meeting is to create new collaborative opportunities for researchers and to increase the profile of the immunology research with a view to leveraging more research funding.

To date, research in this area has attracted over £100M in grants and awards for its cutting-edge research into conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to cancer and cytomegalovirus infection.

Previous breakthroughs include the unravelling of biological processes that lead to rheumatoid arthritis; fresh insights into the role played by the body’s own immune system in tumours; the transmission of antibiotic resistance and mechanisms of immune homeostasis.

Professor Simon Jones, College Theme Lead for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation said: “Events like this illustrate the strength of our current activities, and highlight our ambition to be recognised as a leading research institute in this field. The meeting provides an excellent opportunity for our established researchers, early stage career scientists and PhD Students to discuss their work, and the steering committee should take huge credit for the organisation of the meeting”.