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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

Person in dark blue scrubs holding a small chick in their hands

Poultry health course flies back after five years

A week-long poultry health course for vets, technical staff and poultry managers is being relaunched after a five-year break. Designed and taught by specialists at The Pirbright Institute, University of Surrey, and UK industry experts, the course combines hands-on practicals, demonstrations and…

Group of wild boar running on grass

DEFEND celebrates five years of success

A global scientific consortium which set out to control two major livestock virus epidemics in Europe is celebrating five years of research findings. Coordinated and led by The Pirbright Institute, and funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 innovation and research programme, DEFEND brought…

Advancing African swine fever virus (ASFV) vaccines

In an effort to combat the devastating impact of African swine fever (ASF) on global food security, Pirbright researchers have secured funding from the Medical Research Council to assess the cross-protection potential of modified live vaccines (MLV) against diverse ASF virus (ASFV) strains in Africa…

Dengue virus electron microscopy image

Paving the way for rapid detection of vector-borne viruses

Vector-borne viruses pose a significant global health threat, particularly in low- and middle-income tropical countries. Pirbright researchers and their collaborators from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have secured a grant from the Medical Research Council to develop innovative…

nipah virus

New collaboration to find vaccine protection for the 'known unknown'

A new collaboration between the The Pirbright Institute and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been initiated to support the development of vaccines against a group of lethal viruses. Researchers will address the threat of outbreaks caused by previously unknown or emerging henipaviruses, akin…

26 February 2024

Career support builds bright futures

Talented early career scientists at The Pirbright Institute are celebrating new horizons. Researchers Dr Tim Harvey-Samuel and Dr Christine Reitmayer were supported by Pirbright to transition from Senior Postdoctoral positions to their first independent positions at Keele University. Their…

Microscopy image of ASF cells

22 February 2024

Study examines ‘virus and host’ factors in African swine fever

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute are joining UCL experts in a study to understand how African swine fever virus (ASFV) enters and replicates in pig cells. Scientists at UCL’s Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, led by Professor Finn Werner and funded by BBSRC and the Wellcome…

pigs in a field

21 February 2024

Pirbright joins European African Swine Fever Project

The Pirbright Institute has joined a European Union-funded project which will study next-generation vaccines against African swine fever (ASF). Backed by support from Horizon Europe and led by the biotechnological pharmaceutical company, HIPRA, the four-year VAX4ASF project builds on the potential…

Close up of biting midge on skin

20 February 2024

Scientists identify T-cells involved in anti-viral immunity and disease during bluetongue virus infection in sheep

A unique study has highlighted an important role for ‘helper’ T-cells in enabling sheep to mount a timely protective immune response to bluetongue virus (BTV) infection. Transmitted by Culicoides biting midges, bluetongue virus has recently been detected in over 80 sheep and cattle across farms…

Group of 13 people stood on steps in front of window panelled building

14 February 2024

Pirbright strengthens animal disease partnership with India

The Pirbright Institute has co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India’s National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) to create an animal disease and zoonosis laboratory partnership with the UK. Pirbright director, Professor Bryan Charleston, joined representatives from the UK’s Animal…

Pig sniffing at apple

12 February 2024

Pirbright animal specialist joins LASA Council

A member of the animal services team at The Pirbright Institute has been elected to the council of the UK’s leading expert body on the care of animals used in experimental studies. Lauren Cresser, Home Office Liaison Contact and Named Information Officer at The Pirbright Institute, has accepted a…

Culicoides biting midge feeding on blood

02 February 2024

New seasonal control measures for bluetongue virus

Defra has announced a seasonally ‘vector low’ period when midge activity is much lower, leading to some changes to disease control measures for bluetongue virus (BTV-3). BTV-3 is the new strain of virus currently being found in northern Europe and UK. The virus is mainly transmitted via biting…