Research

Our systems biology-based research informs the development of novel diagnostics, therapies and vaccines against some of the greatest public health threats of our times.

The immune system functions as a highly evolved network of biological structures and processes that facilitate a discrimination between the normal state and "danger" caused by infectious agents, injury and tumour development.

In order to help maintain the integrity of a healthy body, immune and non-immune cells communicate with each other continuously. Ideally, such interactions establish protection against pathogenic insults and drive tissue repair and wound healing. When the delicate balance between these interactions becomes distorted, acute and chronic diseases develop.

Research on the underlying mechanisms and their exploitation in the clinic paves the way for novel interventions and immunisations, and has direct relevance for public health. We aim to identify the molecular and cellular drivers that underpin infection, inflammation and tissue repair, and understand how protective immune responses become chronic, ineffective and overtly harmful.

Our interdisciplinary teams address the alarming emergence of untreatable infections, the growing rates of allergies and autoimmune disorders, and the substantial health challenges associated with a world-wide ageing population.

The complexity of the immune system necessitates the utilisation of 'big data' -based investigations, such as gene expression profiling, high-throughput screenings and genome-wide linkage and association studies. Such information feeds ultimately into systems-based approaches through mathematical modelling and prediction.