lnfection, Immunity and Inflammation

Increased life span and survival is among some of the most remarkable aspects of human progress. The significant increase in longevity can be attributed to the decline in infectious disease mortality. However, the significant global threat of infection and its control, so visible during the Coronavirus pandemic, has highlighted the need for greater understanding of the pathophysiology of infectious disease, source control and how the immune system responds to these pathogens.

The greatest challenge in being ready for, and preventing future outbreaks, epidemics or indeed pandemics, is the development of new anti-microbials, host targeting drugs and vaccines.

Our research strives to understand the molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmune conditions independent of infection. Principal investigators in the Infection, Immunity and Inflammation research area are involved in basic research, clinical trials of new therapeutics, epidemiological spread of infection, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), host-pathogen interaction, the microbiome, inflammatory processes, immunology, chronic inflammatory disease, autoimmune conditions and critical care.

Our team is funded by national and international funding bodies including Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Health Research Board (HRB), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the European Research Council (ERC). Our researchers are also involved in a large number of national and international collaborations across the globe. 

Researchers in this theme have extensive expertise in a range of areas associated with infection, immunity and inflammation including mechanisms of host pathogen engagement at both the cellular and molecular level, drug/vaccine discovery, microRNAs dysregulation in inflammatory disorders, disruption of the molecular clock in innate immune cells, development of novel 3D systems to improve our understanding of the cellular changes and spread of infection, real-time PCR and improved environmental sampling to detect hospital pathogens, pathogenesis of inflammation in the brain, colon and eye.

Meet our researchers