The Immunology group has the following main areas of active research.

Understanding the way factors such as the rearing environment affect the development of the mucosal immune system and susceptibility to disease in young pigs. The group established the importance of “cross-talk” between intestinal microbiota and innate and adaptive immunity in livestock, providing a rational scientific basis for the development of probiotics.

A program of translational research using the pig as a large animal model of human disease. Successful pig laryngeal transplants have been followed by the first clinical transplantation of tissue engineered bronchi to an adult human. 

Studies on the basic mechanisms of activation and regulation of T cells, particularly CD8+ T cells, and potential novel therapies aimed at cancer and autoimmunity in animals and humans. The demonstration that T-cell receptor specificity is highly promiscuous has opened the way for novel therapeutic approaches

The Immunology research group at The Vet School has a worldwide reputation for the development of immunological tools in the pig and is the repository to one of the largest collection of reagents for pig immune markers in Europe. Please contact Mick Bailey to discuss collaborations using these reagents.