The IAH is an Institute of the BBSRC

Better vaccines for humans and animals

Dendritic Cell and BCG

How to make better vaccines for humans and animals


Researchers at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) and collaborators at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, have discovered why some vaccines are not as effective at stimulating an immune response as we would hope and have investigated ways in which improvements could be made.

The research was led at IAH in Compton, Berkshire, by Dr Jayne Hope (who is now based at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh), Dr Efrain Guzman and Dr Bryan Charleston. The work is published this week in the journal, Vaccine. The project is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

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FMD pioneer retires from IAH after almost 40 years

Institute for Animal Health

Dr Nigel Ferris MBE has retired after almost 40 years at the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright. Dr Ferris is at the forefront of diagnostics for foot-and-mouth (FMD) and other diseases, with his kits leading the field for at least 20 years and a new generation of kits on the horizon thanks to his recent work. His work has had far-reaching positive impacts for livestock farmers and international trade, contributing to animal health and welfare as well as economic and food security in the UK and beyond.

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World-class facilities for virus research

Dr Michael Johnson

Dr Michael Johnson, Head of Estates at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH), Pirbright, describes how this will be the last time anyone takes a video camera into the new IS4L laboratories

Completed on budget, this new high-tech interim laboratory is packed with all the cutting-edge equipment and to allow people to deal safely with deadly animal viruses. "We need high containment-level laboratories that are fit for purpose," says Johnson. "We work with the most dangerous animal pathogens and need the right facilities to do the work effectively."

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