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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

Pink pig

Research provides ‘atlas’ for studies into pig lung immunity

A study by scientists at The Pirbright Institute and the Babraham Institute has detailed how immune cells in pigs lung change after influenza infection or vaccination. For protection against influenza in livestock or humans, it is important that a vaccine induces the right combination of immune…

Person behind lecturn in front of a screen that has opening slide of a Marek's disease presentation. In the foreground are two people sat looking at the screen

Poultry health course flies high

A practical poultry health course aimed at industry specialists has made a welcome return to The Pirbright Institute after a five-year hiatus. Some 16 participants from veterinary practices and government agencies joined the week-long series of hands-on practical sessions, demonstrations and…

brown chickens with red combs

Watch: Investigating bird flu in cattle

The Pirbright Institute is conducting reactive research into unknown factors behind human cases of bird flu in the US. Traces of the H5N1 virus were first found in pasteurised milk in the US earlier this year, impacting dairy cattle across the US and infecting a small number of dairy workers…

Person stood presenting in front of seated group. On the tv screen is a slide of someone pipetting with the title biorisk

Launch of Biorisk Professional Registration Scheme

A new professional registration scheme for biorisk specialists has been launched in the UK. The programme will allow practitioners to benchmark their competence, develop professional skills and share learning. The Biorisk Professional Registration Scheme (BPRS) from the Royal Society of Biology (RSB…

Two people with a giant red, green and blue FMDV model stood in front of a building

Showcase for Pirbright-Diamond collaboration in virus imaging

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute, the University of Oxford’s Division of Structural Biology and Diamond Light Source have showcased their expertise at the Harwell Open Day, which highlights UK science and innovation to the public. Staged for the first time in eight years, the event gave the…

Sue stood by by red brick wall

Honorary Assistant Professorship for Pirbright scientist

Pirbright scientist Dr Susan Baigent has accepted an Honorary Assistant Professorship in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham. Dr Baigent was nominated by Natalie Mack, Assistant Professor in Biotechnology at the University’s School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, in…

Pink pigs snuffling on mud at dusk

New insights into immune responses

New insights into our immune responses could pave the way for innovative treatments and vaccines. Research by Pirbright scientists, as part of an international collaboration, has informed a new paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The study shows an important section of our immune…

A tribute to former Pirbright director, Professor Brian Mahy

The former Director of the Animal Virus Research Institute at Pirbright, Professor Brian Wilfred John Mahy, BSc, PhD, MA, DSc, has died at the age of 87. After gaining his PhD in 1963 at the University of Southampton, Brian started his career at the University of London as a research biologist. From…

Flock of chickens

Bird flu in cows – Pirbright scientist helps to show pasteurisation inactivates influenza viruses

A study has shown how pasteurisation temperatures, if applied for industry standard times, effectively inactivate H5N1 flu viruses in cows’ milk and render it safe to consume. The research, a collaboration between the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, the University of Edinburgh’s…

Bryan Charleston and Zheng Haixue at a purple table holding a pen with papers in front of them

Pirbright signs MoU with China’s agricultural research institute

The Pirbright Institute has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The agreement builds on existing collaborations between Pirbright and China’s national agricultural research institutes and universities. Established in 1957 and headquartered…

nipah virus

Consortium in quest for ‘single shot’ bivalent Nipah virus vaccine

An international consortium of scientists and commercial partners is aiming to develop a vaccine and companion diagnostic test for Nipah virus (NiV). The newly emerging zoonotic disease infects pigs and can spread to people. Carried by fruit bats, it can cause human encephalitis (brain swelling)…

Pioneering partnership to improve swine health

The Pirbright Institute is partnering with researchers at The Vaccine Group (TVG) in Plymouth on a new project that sets out to control African swine fever (ASF). Pirbright researchers are collaborating with TVG to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against the deadly…