Division of Immunology

Our Research

The immune system defends us against infections and cancer, but its excessive engagement can result in autoimmunity and allergy. The function of the immune system can also be suppressed in cancer and chronic infection, preventing immune-mediated clearance of disease. Our mission is to advance a fundamental understanding of the immune system in order to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of individuals with infections, autoimmunity, allergy, and cancer.

The Division, led by Prof Adrian Liston, spans multiple research groups with interests in innate and adaptive immunity, cancer immunology, inflammation, and immunity at the foetal-maternal interface. Our research builds upon strengths in signal transduction, epigenetics and gene regulation, molecular biology and antigen processing and presentation. Research at the Division benefits from collaborations within the University of Cambridge and its affiliated institutions, Cambridge University Hospitals, and national and international collaborations with academic and industrial researchers.

Division Lead: Professor Adrian Liston

Our research groups

Altenburg Group MHC-I antigen processing and presentation in virus immune detection and evasion	Machado Group Lymphocyte somatic evolution for improved cancer treatment
Boyle Group Molecular mechanisms controlling peptide selection for immune recognition	Edgar Group Aiming to understand endosome and exosome cell biology.
Ferguson Group Innate immune signalling, anti-viral immunity, vaccinology	Roychoudhuri Group Aiming to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning immune regulation and cancer immunosuppression
Liston-Dooley Group The Liston-Dooley lab aims to understand the interaction of the immune system and the tissues during pathology and to exploit this understanding for therapeutic advantage.	Mahata Group Investigating immune cell-mediated steroidogenesis
McGovern Group Researching the distinct properties of human macrophages and dendritic cells in both health and disease.	Dr Andrew Sharkey Underpinning immune regulation and cancer immunosuppression
Okkenhaug Group Focusing on how a group of enzymes, PI3Ks, are used by cells in the immune system to instruct & coordinate defence against pathogens.	Zielinski Group Human T-cell immunology—from the mechanistic basis to translational applications