Clinical Immunology

This meeting examines how pollutants, infections and other environmental exposures interact with genetic susceptibility to cause chronic inflammatory disease. Immunologists and environmental scientists study how barrier-surface immunity decodes these influences. The programme combines early-life and population cohorts, single-cell methods, microbial and dietary environments, experimental exposures and mucosal defence to connect mechanisms with prevention and treatment. Programme participants include Martine Vrijheid (Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain); Petter Brodin (Imperial College London, UK); Darragh Duffy (Pasteur Institute, France); Magnus Rattray (University of Manchester, UK); Sheena Cruickshank (University of Manchester, UK); Fenna Sillé (Johns Hopkins University, US). Schedule: 12–13 October 2026, 09:00–17:00 each day, Europe/London (BST, UTC+1). Researchers may attend online or at the Royal Society, 6–9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, United Kingdom. Both modes are free; advance registration is required using the appropriate online or in-person ticket. Optional lunch is £25/day, subject to availability; outside food is permitted. A poster session is planned for 12 October; no fixed submission deadline is stated.

Support animal-virus diagnostics and vaccine research within the One Health Virology team at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research. Work includes developing and validating PCR, sequencing and immunological assays, characterising outbreak viruses and maintaining research data. Based in Lelystad for 32–36 hours weekly, initially on a one-year contract with possible renewal. Apply through the university website by 12 October inclusive.

Develop antibody-based approaches to Alzheimer’s disease at the Queensland Brain Institute. The project investigates tau-targeting monoclonal antibodies through protein production, cell-based experiments and mouse studies. Responsibilities include analysing results, preparing publications, contributing to funding applications and supporting junior researchers. This full-time appointment runs for up to 12 months, with an immediate start preferred. Annual base pay is AUD 85,373–113,660, plus 17% superannuation.

Shimon Sakaguchi, Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell explain how peripheral immune tolerance prevents the immune system from attacking the body. Sakaguchi follows the identification of regulatory T cells, the CD25 marker, and the relationship between central tolerance and active suppression of self-reactive cells. He considers how changing regulatory T-cell activity could support cancer treatment and transplantation. Brunkow describes genetic investigation of scurfy mice, identification of FOXP3, and the connection between mutations in this gene and human IPEX syndrome. The work establishes a molecular basis for the development and function of regulatory T cells. Ramsdell traces the move from these basic discoveries toward therapeutic strategies, including engineering a patient’s regulatory T cells to target inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. He discusses early clinical investigation and the ambition of restoring immune balance; these approaches are presented as developing treatments rather than established cures.

Fred Ramsdell traces the discovery of FOXP3 from the striking immune phenotype of the scurfy mouse to the mapping and cloning of the responsible gene. He explains how linking a disease phenotype to its genetic cause opened a route to understanding the regulation of immune responses and the biology of regulatory T cells. The lecture considers FOXP3 as a regulator of immune function and the implications of this history for therapeutic intervention. It argues for the continuing value of phenotype-first research and naturally occurring disease mutations in discovering biological mechanisms and identifying potential treatment targets, even as genome sequencing becomes increasingly routine.

Alexander Rudensky examines why an immune system capable of amplifying responses to pathogens also needs a dedicated mechanism of restraint. He connects the activity of effector CD4 T cells to the emergence of regulatory T cells and explores how loss of this regulatory population accounts for the severe disease associated with FOXP3 deficiency. The lecture follows genetic experiments that test the continuing requirement for regulatory T cells and trace the stability of their lineage. It also considers regulatory T cells generated outside the thymus, their relationship with commensal microorganisms, and their role in limiting inflammation at mucosal barriers. Together these studies explain how a specialised cell lineage can maintain immune tolerance throughout life.

MRC funding for academically led research using experimental interventions or challenges in humans to investigate mechanisms of disease. Projects should address an important mechanistic question and show a credible route to clinical impact. The opportunity covers all disease areas and supports established and new investigators. Purely efficacy-focused trials and untargeted observational studies do not meet this mechanistic remit. Applicants must be based at a research organisation eligible for MRC funding; international project co-leads may participate under UKRI rules. There is no fixed award ceiling or project-duration limit: applicants must justify resources and timescales. MRC normally funds 80% of full economic cost and 100% of permitted exceptions. Submit stage one through Funding Service opportunity OPP1248 by 7 October 2026 at 16:00 Europe/London (BST). Successful applicants are invited to stage two. This listing concerns the October 2026 round, which is currently open.