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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…

14 July 2022

COVID-19 booster vaccinations help the immune system fight SARS-CoV-2

Pirbright research shows that immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, decreases over time after vaccination, but that booster vaccinations can help restore immunity and help the immune system recognise new variants of the virus, including Omicron. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has…

31 May 2022

New insights into how foot-and-mouth disease virus interacts with the immune system discovered at Pirbright

Research at the Pirbright Institute reveals that foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) interacts with immune cells in tissues called lymphoid tissues, which are an essential part of the immune system. This helps the virus to persist in animals such as African buffalo and allows these animals to become…

11 April 2022

Pirbright scientists investigate pig coronavirus infection to understand COVID-19 in humans

Researchers at Pirbright have developed a pig respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) model which will help to understand how coronaviruses cause disease and how the immune system responds to them. Human coronaviruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS…

14 February 2022

Pirbright’s ground-breaking research explores how pig immune system fights flu

Pirbright scientists investigate the pig’s immune response to flu and identify specific cells which are important for fighting infection and for long term protection against influenza infection. It is hoped the findings will shed more light on human response to flu and help the development of new…

01 October 2021

New research giving insight into the persistence of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease virus features on front cover of Science Magazine

A major new study, featured on the cover of Science Magazine today (1 October 2021), undertaken by scientists at The Pirbright Institute, Oregon State University, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and SANParks, Veterinary Wildlife Services, Kruger National Park explores the mechanisms at play that…

a vaccine vial on blue background with overlayed text saying 'One health vaccinology, the key to preventing future pandemics?

21 June 2021

Pirbright collaboration illuminates path to preventing future pandemics through ‘One Health vaccinology’

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided yet another stark reminder that more than 70 percent of human infectious diseases emerge from animal populations. It has further emphasised the need for a more holistic approach to developing vaccines and treatments that could improve the health of humans and…

23 June 2020

Studies at Pirbright demonstrate two doses of Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine boosts immune response in pigs

The Pirbright Institute, working in collaboration with the University of Oxford, have successfully shown that two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine produce a greater antibody response than a single dose in pigs. The emergence and subsequent spread of SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global…

Genetic differences between FMD viruses cause variation in capsid proteins, shown by red dots.

09 January 2020

Pirbright scientists shed new light on foot-and-mouth disease virus evolution

New research from The Pirbright Institute has shown that different populations of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) swap sections of genetic material at a far higher rate than originally thought. The information will help scientists to understand how the frequency of these changes can shape virus…

18 October 2019

Pirbright collaboration proves Rift Valley fever vaccine safe in pregnant animals

Collaborative research involving scientists from The Pirbright Institute has shown that a new vaccine, ChAdOx1 RVF, is effective at protecting pregnant sheep and goats from Rift Valley fever (RVF), a debilitating disease that can also be transmitted to humans. This work will also help progress the…

A man herds cows across land in Tanzania

02 September 2019

Pirbright grants licence for new foot-and-mouth disease vaccine

The Pirbright Institute and its research partners have granted MSD Animal Health a commercial licence for a new, effective and affordable vaccine to protect livestock against several serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The new vaccine is more stable than current foot-and-mouth disease…

african buffalo - needs credit: Haplochromis [CC BY-SA 3.0 (httpscreativecommons.orglicensesby-sa3.0)]

29 May 2019

Persistently infected African buffalo not a likely cause of new FMD outbreaks say Pirbright scientists

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that African buffalo persistently infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are unlikely to be the source of new outbreaks in other buffalo and cattle. African buffalo do not usually present any clinical signs of infection and can carry FMD for years…

foot-and-mouth disease virus pink blue grey

20 September 2018

Pirbright switches it up: creating foot-and-mouth disease hybrids for better vaccines

In collaborative research led by The Pirbright Institute, scientists have generated a ‘hybrid’ foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) with improved stability, which will increase its effectiveness when administered as a vaccine. They targeted the Southern African Territories (SAT) 2 serotype viruses…

Featured news

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

Nurturing emerging leaders in science

Latest news

COVID-19 booster vaccinations help the immune system fight SARS-CoV-2

New insights into how foot-and-mouth disease virus interacts with the immune system discovered at Pirbright

Pirbright scientists investigate pig coronavirus infection to understand COVID-19 in humans

Pirbright’s ground-breaking research explores how pig immune system fights flu

New research giving insight into the persistence of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease virus features on front cover of Science Magazine

Pirbright collaboration illuminates path to preventing future pandemics through ‘One Health vaccinology’

Studies at Pirbright demonstrate two doses of Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine boosts immune response in pigs

Pirbright scientists shed new light on foot-and-mouth disease virus evolution

Pirbright collaboration proves Rift Valley fever vaccine safe in pregnant animals

Pirbright grants licence for new foot-and-mouth disease vaccine

Persistently infected African buffalo not a likely cause of new FMD outbreaks say Pirbright scientists

Pirbright switches it up: creating foot-and-mouth disease hybrids for better vaccines