The Clinical Microbiology programme is hosted by the Centre for Immunobiology at the Blizard Institute, part of Queen Mary University of London's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
The Centre combines top-quality research and education in immunology, with particular focus on acute and chronic inflammatory disease, lymphocyte development, and the mucosal immune system. Its wider research investigates the major mechanisms by which the immune system functions, with the ultimate aim of easing the burden of major immune-related public health issues, including inflammatory bowel disease; liver diseases such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B and non-viral liver illnesses; exploring treatments for haemophilia; antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics; and Type I diabetes.
Professor Aine McKnight from the Centre for Immunobiology, who also teaches on the course, oversaw the setup of COVID-19 diagnostic studies in record time at the Blizard Institute at the start of the pandemic. She was also involved in research which has shown evidence of lasting antibody and T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in health care workers who had asymptomatic or mild infection. She is a leading researcher in the cross-institutional COVIDsortium study, looking to identify host and pathogen correlates of protection and pathogenesis in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Sir Mark Caulfield from Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute is conducting a programme of COVID-19 research across Barts Health hospitals. The work undertaken by him and his team will delve into the microbiology of the virus. In doing so, they hope to discover why the impact of the infection differs so dramatically across individuals.