Epidemics and Vaccines

Professor Peter Horby is Senior Clinical Research Fellow. His research focusses on epidemic diseases such as Ebola and bird flu, and crosses the disciplines of basic science, medical science and public health. Influenza, SARS & Ebola Research on emerging infectious diseases can only be conducted during outbreaks. Although virology has improved, a well calibrated and effective public health response is often lacking. Epidemiological and clinical research as well as mathematical modelling will give us answers during the epidemics and help us provide better diagnostics and better treatments.

Structure of viruses Professor David Stuart studies the structure of viruses at the molecular level. His work is particularly interested in virus-receptor interaction and the basic puzzles of virus assembly and he uses structural biology to answer these questions.

Dr Jan Rehwinkel talks about the role of our innate immune system in our fight against flu virus. The innate immune response is critical for a successful defence against viral infection. The first arm of our immune response is triggered by the detection of the presence of the virus: cell surface receptors detect the presence of viral genomic information. Dr Jan Rehwinkel is working to dissect the molecular biology of nucleic acid sensors. A better understanding of these mechanisms might help us develop better vaccination strategies.

Professor Sarah Gilbert talks about her work on viral vectored vaccines. Viral vectored vaccines combine a safe virus with a disease protein to protect against specific diseases. These vaccines have the potential to drastically improve public health. Professor Sarah Gilbert has been making and testing vaccines designed to induce T cell responses for ten years, chiefly using antigens from malaria and influenza. Based at the Jenner Institute, several of the vaccines developed in Professor Gilbert's laboratory have progressed into clinical trials.

Dr Richard Antrobus talks about his research in the development of a universal flu vaccines. Universal flu vaccines target specific parts of the influenza virus that stay relatively stable between different strains of flu. Dr Richard Antrobus is conducting a Phase I study for a universal influenza vaccine. Progress so far indicates that this approach induces a potent T cell response, and Dr Antrobus is assessing whether this response is equally potent in the elderly - one of the 'at risk' groups of the influenza virus. If successful this vaccine will protect against a wide range of strains of the virus.

Dr Helen Fletcher talks about progress in the development of a vaccine against tuberculosis. Tuberculosis kills two million people annually, with the majority of infection occurring in developing countries. Dr Helen Fletcher works on multi-partner projects to discover biomarkers of protection from TB disease, develop clinical trials capacity in Africa, and develop new vaccines for TB. Dr Fletcher has also developed her own research programme on transcriptional profiling of immune responses following both TB and malaria vaccination.

Dr Ellie Barnes talks about her research on Hepatitis C and her work on a T cell vaccine. Hepatitis C virus is a global epidemic, affecting around 200 million people worldwide. Many chronically infected patients silently develop complications of liver disease that can include hepatocellular cancer, liver cirrhosis and liver failure. Unlike other vaccines, inducing antibody reactions to Hepatitis C is often ineffective because antibodies only target the outer surface of the virus. To combat this Dr Ellie Barnes is developing a new therapeutic vaccine for this damaging virus.

Professor Paul Klenerman talks about our relationship with persistent viruses, such as Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C virus infects around 200 million people worldwide and is a major cause of liver disease. Understanding immune responses to the virus could help to protect or cure people with Hepatitis C. Professor Paul Klenerman studies relationships between persistent viruses such as Hepatitis C and their human hosts. Professor Klenerman aims to understand the role of our immune responses in determining the outcome of Hepatitis C virus infection.

Professor Helen McShane talks about her work on a new vaccine against tuberculosis. There are about 9 million new cases and two million deaths every year from tuberculosis (TB). BCG, now over 100 years old, remains the only licensed vaccine against TB. It confers good protection against severe disease and meningitis, but doesn't protect against lung disease. After working on TB for 10 years, Professor Helen McShane developed MVA85A, a vaccine with the aim to boost the cellular immune response induced by BCG. Professor McShane explains why developing countries are especially in need of a new vaccine since HIV and TB epidemics overlap and show a devastating synergy.