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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…

28 January 2016

New analysis of the H9N2 strain of bird flu could help prevent veterinary and human pandemics

A new study of a strain of avian influenza virus, which can pose a risk to both poultry and human health, will help guide surveillance efforts and ensure vaccines are more effective; helping prevent serious outbreaks. The H9N2 virus leads to significant losses in poultry production across Asia, but…

28 January 2016

Influenza research reveals previously unknown factor limiting virus host range

A new study by a group including Dr Munir Iqbal, from The Pirbright Institute, has identified a previously unknown factor which works to limit the host range of influenza viruses. The research, recently published in Nature, has revealed that the avian protein ANP32A works as a species barrier…

16 December 2015

Pigs are a more effective model than mice for respiratory disease research

A new collaborative study with the Pirbright Institute on the porcine respiratory system, has shown that pigs are a valuable intermediate model between mice and humans for studying influenza, and other respiratory diseases affecting humans. The pig immune system presents many similarities to those…

30 October 2015

Pirbright receives joint funding award by Enterprise M3, Local Enterprise Partnership

The Pirbright Institute has been jointly awarded £1.2 million in funding by the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (the LEP), alongside the University of Surrey. The funding will go towards a state-of-the-art ‘Animal Health Innovation Hub’ which will help scientific researchers to work more…

15 October 2015

The Pirbright Institute announces Director Professor John Fazakerley to step down

The Pirbright Institute’s Trustee Board announces that Professor John Fazakerley has decided to step down as Director. Professor Fazakerley joined the Institute as Director in 2011 and will leave by the end of the year to take on a new challenge. The Trustee Board will appoint an Interim Director…

12 October 2015

Designing foot-and-mouth disease synthetic vaccine design using computer simulations

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in large parts of South America, Africa, The Middle East and Asia and is the most economically important infectious disease of livestock, affecting cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other artiodactyl (even-toed) species. In endemic countries FMD affects national…

22 September 2015

Promiscuity of H3N8 flu virus raises concern as scientists demonstrate some strains can go undetected in pigs

Scientists have shown for the first time that two different strains of the H3N8 influenza A virus (IAV) are able to infect and replicate in pigs; one isolated from seals and an avian strain circulating in poultry in the US. The study, which was led by Pirbright’s Dr Maria Montoya, also revealed that…

13 August 2015

Pirbright vaccine study provides hope for protection against a major cause of severe respiratory disease in babies

A new type of vectored vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that causes respiratory disease in humans, has been shown by scientists at Pirbright to provide immunity against a closely related virus in calves, giving strong evidence that a similar type of vaccine could work in humans…

28 July 2015

Imperfect vaccines could put unvaccinated individuals at greater risk of severe illness

Pirbright study reemphasises the importance of vaccination Imperfect vaccines allow for the evolution and survival of increasingly virulent versions of a virus in the population Research highlights benefits of ‘perfect’ vaccines that completely prevent transmission Scientific experiments with the…

27 July 2015

A look back at The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2015

At the start of this month The Royal Society played host to their annual Summer Science Exhibition week in London, which featured 22 cutting edge science exhibits on a diverse range of subjects, making sure there was something for everyone. A host of different science disciplines were represented…

24 July 2015

Engaging with rural communities in Tanzania to develop locally-specific foot-and-mouth disease control strategies

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most significant viral livestock diseases across the world. Reduced fertility, milk production and growth rates are just some of the detrimental effects that infected animals experience, which have devastating effects on agricultural production. The disease…

24 July 2015

CuliOme project receives funding from BBSRC

Pirbright leading scientist, Dr Simon Carpenter is to be part of a new BBSRC funded project with Dr Paul Kersey from the European Bioinformatics Institute, predicting the emergence and spread of Culicoides-borne arboviruses in Europe according to genetic drivers. Culicoides biting midges are…

Featured news

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

Nurturing emerging leaders in science

Latest news

New analysis of the H9N2 strain of bird flu could help prevent veterinary and human pandemics

Influenza research reveals previously unknown factor limiting virus host range

Pigs are a more effective model than mice for respiratory disease research

Pirbright receives joint funding award by Enterprise M3, Local Enterprise Partnership

The Pirbright Institute announces Director Professor John Fazakerley to step down

Designing foot-and-mouth disease synthetic vaccine design using computer simulations

Promiscuity of H3N8 flu virus raises concern as scientists demonstrate some strains can go undetected in pigs

Pirbright vaccine study provides hope for protection against a major cause of severe respiratory disease in babies

Imperfect vaccines could put unvaccinated individuals at greater risk of severe illness

A look back at The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2015

Engaging with rural communities in Tanzania to develop locally-specific foot-and-mouth disease control strategies

CuliOme project receives funding from BBSRC