Title: Human genetics and infectious antibodies: lessons to modernise infection care? 

Abstract: Infectious diseases remain a major global challenge, causing both acute illness and long-term complications. Despite their enormous impact, novel treatment strategies remain scarce—partly because defining infection exposures and outcomes at scale is inherently difficult. In this talk, I will discuss how my group is pioneering alternative approaches to infection phenotyping in large-scale cohorts and then using host genetics to uncover mechanisms of susceptibility, protection, and unexpected sequelae. A key focus will be demonstration of how antibody responses can serve as powerful tools to define infection history and immune responses. Through case studies from national and international collaborations, I will highlight both the promise and challenges of working with large-scale antibody datasets. Finally, I will explore the future of multiplex antibody profiling, discussing how emerging technologies could transform our understanding of host-pathogen interactions—and ultimately, how these insights could lead to improved clinical outcomes for patients. 

Biography: I am an NDM/COI Senior Clinical Researcher at the Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford. My research focuses on understanding how human genetic variation shapes susceptibility to and outcomes from infection. My group leverages cutting-edge infection data linkage and multiplex serology approaches, integrating them into large-scale cohort studies and randomised vaccine trials. We then apply multi-omic, patient-centric profiling to define distinct patient endotypes, paving the way for personalised therapies. Our work has contributed to significant advancements in COVID-19 care and has deepened our understanding of HLA disease biology, particularly in understudied and underserved populations worldwide.