Award details

Local and systemic immunity to pathogens

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001932
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Elma Tchilian
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	391,654
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	06/01/2014
End date	31/03/2017
Duration	38 months

Abstract

In recent years it has become clear that there are many more lymphocytes resident in non-lymphoid tissues than previously thought and that tissue resident cells may be crucial for protection against pathogens, but many questions remain to be resolved. For example: 1. What is the importance of local versus systemic immunity in different infections and species? 2. Does protection of a host animal also prevent transmission? 3. How a correct balance of local and systemic protective immunity best be induced and maintained in different diseases? 4. What is the role of the innate immune system and signals from pathogen associated molecular patterns in initiating protection? 5. How does the microbiota of the host influence development of systemic and local immunity? We shall ask these questions initially in pigs using influenza virus as a model. We shall use different routes of infection and methods of immunisation to establish the hallmarks of protective local and systemic immune responses. Using different vaccine vectors, adjuvants and formulations, we shall dissect the essential innate and adaptive components of a protective response. Furthermore we shall determine whether these hallmarks are reflected in prevention of transmission. Using antibiotic treatment, diet or administration of defined commensal organisms, we shall manipulate the microbiota and define their effect on protective immune responses. The mechanisms will be further analysed in mouse transgenic or homologous recombinant (knockout) models. These studies will help us understand the role of local and systemic immunity in protection against pathogens and to identify in which circumstances it will be essential to recruit local immunity to achieve successful protective immunity by vaccination

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health, Immunology, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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