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Pirbight's Plowright building from afar with wild plants in front

15 November 2024

Pirbright welcomes two successful Doctoral Landscape Awards in life and environmental sciences

The Pirbright Institute is celebrating two major doctoral training initiatives funded by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), each offering unique opportunities for the next generation of scientists. These programmes…

Close up of a pipette tip in a well of gel electrophoresis. Blue liquid is visible in the wells.

14 November 2024

Nurturing emerging leaders in science

Two talented Pirbright researchers have been awarded with Strategic Career Development Awards (SCDAs) to advance their research and career trajectories. Dr Rory Fortes de Brito, a Senior Postdoctoral researcher in the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Immunology group and Dr Lidia…

Latest news

Antibodies trapped in floating bubbles

15 November 2019

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds development of Pirbright’s Livestock Antibody Hub supporting animal and human health

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute have been awarded US $5.5 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a Livestock Antibody Hub aimed at improving animal and human health globally. The ambitious programme of work will see extensive collaboration between multiple UK research…

Immune cells killing another cell

09 October 2019

Pirbright scientists uncover goat immune genes involved in natural resistance

Genetic research conducted by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has revealed that goat and sheep genes for specific immune cell receptors are extremely diverse and different compared to other livestock relatives. The findings will help scientists to understand how genetic characteristics can…

16 September 2019

Pirbright launches The Immunological Toolbox website

Scientists from The Pirbright Institute and The Roslin Institute have launched The Immunological Toolbox, a website that provides a platform for veterinary researchers to find resources and collaborate. The Toolbox aims to remove barriers to veterinary vaccine development by providing a central…

Eggs

Pirbright scientists identify mutation hotspots that may inform infectious bronchitis vaccine development

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations which may be prone to reversion in the field. IBV causes a poultry disease which results in large economic losses across the globe. Live attenuated vaccines…

Globe and vaccine vials

Further development of low cost foot-and-mouth disease vaccine funded £2.1million

The Pirbright Institute has a received a £2.1 million grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct research on a novel foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine. Scientists will investigate the cattle antibody responses triggered by the vaccine which will help them to improve its…

babraham pigs flu

Pig immunology comes of age: killer T cell responses to influenza

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and University of Oxford have generated tools that allow scientists to understand a vital area of the pig immune system which was previously inaccessible. The breakthrough research, described in PLOS Pathogens, used…

Antibody

20 November 2017

Position and function of goat antibody genes identified at Pirbright

The Immunogenetics Group at The Pirbright Institute has identified the position and function of specific genes in the goat’s genetic code that are responsible for antibody production. Up until now, identifying and characterising the genes related to the immune system of animals, including humans…

20 September 2017

“Superb start” to new conference on animal genetics in controlling disease

A conference showcasing the exciting potential of genetics as a tool for disease control is taking place in Cambridge this week - the first event of its kind to be held in the UK. Jointly organised by scientists from The Pirbright Institute, The Roslin Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden, the…

31 January 2017

Improved genetic database an “invaluable resource” for global disease research

The growing popularity and use of free access scientific databases, is crucial to research into animal and human diseases, say researchers from The Pirbright Institute, who help manage one such database, working in partnership with scientists from the blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan. The IPD-MHC…