Changing pathogens in a changing world
Growing human populations, environmental shifts and increasing international movement are the recognisable features of our changing world, and are contributing factors to the emergence, resurgence, and redistribution of many infectious diseases. Cambridge researchers are working across disciplinary boundaries to understand how pathogens are responding to our changing world. Working collaboratively and in partnership with affected communities, we will deliver effective strategies to protect our planetary health and the global community across future generations.
Cambridge's world-leading expertise
Researchers in the School of Biological Sciences are at the forefront of understanding and responding to these threats. Drawing on world-leading expertise across the biological sciences, and working in close collaboration with colleagues in mathematics, engineering, medicine and the social sciences, our researchers are building the knowledge and tools needed to protect populations around the world. This work is grounded in One Health — the recognition that human, animal, plant and environmental health are inseparable, and that the most dangerous infectious threats can only be understood and confronted by studying the whole system.
Equitable Partnerships in Global Health
The diseases that pose the greatest threat to humanity do not fall equally. Low- and middle-income countries bear a disproportionate burden of infectious disease. Yet for too long, the research addressing that burden has been designed, led and published from elsewhere. Cambridge is committed to changing that.
Across the School of Biological Sciences, researchers are building long-term partnerships with scientists, health systems and communities in the countries where the need is greatest: partnerships grounded in mutual respect, jointly defined research questions, and shared benefit. Through initiatives including Cambridge Global Challenges and Cambridge Africa, the University provides the infrastructure to help researchers build collaborations that are genuinely equitable, not extractive.
Recent Highlights
System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks
Researchers have come up with a new way to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria that start spreading in humans.
New vaccine effective against coronaviruses that haven’t even emerged yet
Scientists have developed a new vaccine technology that has been shown in mice to provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses with potential for future disease outbreaks.
The Changing Landscape of UK Vector-Borne Disease
The Infection and Immunity Research Theme convened Cambridge researchers with representatives from The Pirbright Institute, The UK Health Security Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and the British Trust for Ornithology.
Academic Leads
Kate S Baker
Genetics
Stephen Graham
Pathology
Jeanne Salje
Pathology/Biochemistry
Lucy Weinert
Veterinary Medicine
Key Collaborators
Kate Baker, Genetics
Neil Bryant, Veterinary Medicine
Clare Bryant, Veterinary Medicine
Cinzia Cantacessi, Veterinary Medicine
John Carr, Plant Sciences
Andrew Conlan, Veterinary Medicine
Colin Crump, Pathology
Brian Ferguson, Pathology
Julia Gog, Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
Stephen Graham, Pathology
Charlotte Hammer, Veterinary Medicine
Rachel Hewitt, Veterinary Medicine
Nerea Irigoyen, Pathology
Freya Jephcott, Veterinary Medicine and Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Nicola Lawrence, Gurdon Institute
Valeria Lulla, Pathology
Catherine Merrick, Pathology
Julian Parkhill, Veterinary Medicine
Anna Protasio, Pathology
Julian Rayner, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Olivier Restif, Veterinary Medicine
Jeanne Salje, Pathology and Biochemistry
Henrik Salje, Genetics
Jordan Skittrall, Pathology
Flavio Toxvaerd, Economics
Caroline Trotter, Pathology
Lucy Weinert, Veterinary Medicine
Work with us
We are actively seeking partners to accelerate this work, supporting the next generation of researchers, strengthening surveillance and genomic infrastructure, and deepening our equitable collaborations with scientists and health systems around the world. Investing in this programme means investing in the science that stands between emerging threats and the communities they could harm.
To explore opportunities to work together, please contact:
Dr Abi Herrmann, Research Strategy Manager
To learn more about supporting this vital research, please contact:
Holly Singlehurst, Associate Director, Biological Sciences
Cambridge University Development and Alumni Relations Office