We have extensive immunology and inflammation experience at The University of Manchester. For the first time, this is being drawn together into a new, multidisciplinary research institute – The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation.
The Institute
We are home to internationally renowned immunology and inflammation expertise in a vast array of basic and applied disciplines. We perform fundamental and translational exploratory science, applying the latest technologies to address the key new concepts in health and many areas of clinical unmet need. The great breadth and diversity of research in our institute emphasises how immunology plays an ever-increasing role in modern medicine.
Download our Institute brochure (pdf).
Watch the launch video.
Read the our latest Newsletter April 2022 (PDF).
Lydia Becker
The Institute is named after Manchester-born Lydia Ernestine Becker. Though better known for her pioneering work in the field of women's suffrage, she was also a celebrated natural scientist who conversed with Charles Darwin. She strongly believed that women were intellectually equal to men and deserved the same opportunities.
Major research activities
Barrier immunology
The University has a critical mass of academics researching health and disease at barrier surfaces. Our research covers lung, gastrointestinal, skin, and oral cavity immunology.
Lead: Dr Joanne Konkel
Cancer immunology
Cancer immunology is revolutionising the treatment of cancer. Our basic researchers and medical oncologists are expanding our knowledge of the power of the immune system in fighting disease.
Leads: Professor Robert Bristow, Dr Santiago Zelenay, Dr Fiona Thistlethwaite
Cardiovascular immunology and multi-morbidities
Inflammation is a recognised feature of obesity-related diseases yet it is relatively unexplored.
Cardiovascular immunology and multi-morbidities
Lead: Dr Ashraf Kitmitto
Cellular immunology
Our internationally leading experts are studying the ways different immune cells work together to detect and deal with pathogens including bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, and in cancer.
Lead: Professor Daniel Davis
Immune tolerance
We are increasing the understanding of how a breakdown of immune tolerance results in debilitating inflammatory disease, and translating scientific discoveries into the clinic to improve the management of these conditions.
Lead: Dr Matthew Hepworth
Immuno-informatics
Immuno-informatics research at Manchester builds on our expertise to create frameworks that integrate immunological data from the cell to populations.
Lead: Professor Andy Brass
Immuno-matrix
Our research is delivering new insights into the interconnectivity between matrix and immune function, with major implications for treatment of chronic diseases and understanding host–pathogen interactions.
Lead: Professor Judi Allen
Life course immunology
Half of all paediatric hospital admissions are due to infectious disease. Our academics are working with paediatricians and nurses to unravel childhood immunity and tailor treatments to this age group.
Lead: Dr Peter Arkwright
Neuro-immunology
Our strengths in immunology and neurology combine to perform fundamental and applied research into mental health, Alzheimer’s, dementia, epilepsy and, at the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, stroke and brain tumours.
Lead: Dr Kevin Couper
Pathogens, parasites and commensals
Our research unites academic and clinical efforts in a portfolio of world-class infectious diseases research. Our research is responsive to the impacts of local and global infectious disease trends.
Pathogens, parasites and commensals
Lead: Professor Richard Grencis
World-leading research
Our immune system is at the heart of a vast array of different diseases. The Institute draws together internationally renowned basic and clinical expertise.
By housing creative excellence across scientific and clinical disciplines, we remove traditional boundaries to find solutions for today’s global disease challenges.
We are training future scientific leaders to work across these boundaries and a have a powerful cohort of early career fellows including five current holders of Wellcome Trust and Sir Henry Dale Fellowship awards.
Our basic scientists and clinicians are developing an understanding of immunological and inflammatory processes in order to improve clinical treatments for patients.
In addition we are driving research into novel areas of clinical unmet need including neuro, cardiovascular, obesity, paediatric, barrier and comorbidity immunology.
Neuroinflammation in stroke
Brain attack: determining the role of neuroinflammation in stroke
Driven by basic science at the University and clinical academics at Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust, we aim to understand the impact of systemic and local inflammation on progression and outcome of acute cerebrovascular disease such as ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
We have unique opportunities to make new insights into disease processes and to develop new therapies.
Read more
How immune cells talk to each other
Discovering how immune cells are able to talk to each other
An emerging hypothesis is that immune responses are regulated, in part, by miniscule nanometre-scale changes to the organisation of immune cell surfaces.
We are now testing how these changes in cell surfaces impact thresholds at which immune responses are switched on or off.
Read more
The immune response to respiratory disease
Mapping the lungs: understanding the immune response to respiratory disease
One area of intense immunological discovery is in the lung. We are able to test many explorative hypotheses on the same patient, and by merging the results from multiple investigations we provide a personalised map of the patients’ disease that will feed into the development of a stratified medical approach.
Read more
Skin cells and the immune system
On the surface: understanding the interactions between skin cells and the immune system
We are investigating how the immune system interacts with skin cells to maintain tissue homeostasis, induce immune responses, or cause skin disease.
We have a unique opportunity to understand disease mechanisms and develop new therapeutic entities.
Read more
Tissue remodelling after lung infection and injury
Rebuilding the lungs: investigating how respiratory tissue is remodelled after lung infection and injury
We use models of lung-migrating helminth infection and allergic asthma to understand how repair and tissue remodelling occurs in the lungs following infection and injury.
The underlying mechanisms we discover will have relevance to both healthy lung repair and regeneration, and to many common but severe chronic diseases of the lung such as asthma and COPD.
Read more
Resistance to immunotherapy in cancer
Understanding mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy in head and neck/salivary gland cancer
We are analysing the tumour and immune components within blood and tumour samples to understand the biology of anti-tumour immunity and develop newer and better cancer therapies.
The research seeks to identify mechanisms of response and resistance to immunotherapies and to use deep immune phenotyping to identify signatures which can be used to personalise current treatments.
Read more
Key people
Professor Tracy Hussell
Director, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation
Director, Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research
Professor of Inflammatory Disease
Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite
Clinical Lead Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Medical oncology
Dr Phil Crosbie
Clinical Lead Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT)
Clinical Senior Lecturer
Professor Christopher Griffiths
Clinical Lead Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Professor of Dermatology
Dr John Grainger
Deputy Director, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation
See all researchers within the Institute.
Partnerships with impact
Health Innovation Manchester
Our domain is closely aligned to the inflammation and repair domain of Health Innovation Manchester (formerly MAHSC). We are working in collaboration to improve the treatment, management and care of patients with inflammatory disease.
We have formed close partnerships with the University Hospital of South Manchester, Salford Royal and Manchester Royal Infirmary. This will ensure collaborative research on well-characterised patient cohorts and take discoveries from the laboratory bench to the bedside – and vice versa.
Find out more about the Health Innovation Manchester inflammation and repair domain.
Allied centres of excellence
We are home to a number of charity and industry-funded centres of excellence:
- Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR)
- Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research
- NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
- Versus Arthritis Centre for Epidemiology
- Versus Arthritis Centre for Genetics and Genomics
- Cochrane Wounds group
UK-CIC
UK-CIC researchers, including Professor Tracy Hussell, say thank you to study participants, sample donors, their family members and UK healthcare workers. Over the last year, UK-CIC researchers have analysed data from thousands of samples donated from patients with COVID-19, the families of those affected by it, or healthcare workers. UK-CIC's research would not have been possible without the generosity of those people, and to express our thanks, we have put together a video showing just how much those donations are appreciated.
Training future scientists and clinicians
The Institute draws together undergraduate, postgraduate and clinical teaching in immunology. It provides a sense of belonging and continuity to those studying in this area.
Undergraduate and master's courses
Our immunology taught courses enable students to study for a BSc, BSc with industrial experience, integrated master's (MSci) or MSc.
We also work closely with MAHSE as the national lead for the Clinical Immunology pathway within the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP).
Contact for UG courses: Kathleen Nolan
Contact for PGT teaching: Nicholas Barnes
Clinical PhD programme
The Kennedy Trust IMPACT Inflammation MB-PhD is a funded three-year programme aimed at MBChB students who wish to intercalate to train as clinician-scientists.
Doctoral Training
Our research programmes enable students to undertake a research project that will further improve their understanding of immunology.
We also provide a framework of postgraduate research training in research council-funded doctoral training partnerships.
- Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership
- BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (including CASE Studentships)
- Wellcome Trust Immunomatrix in Complex Disease
Resources
Access a wide variety of immunology resources.
Our resources have been compiled for anyone with an interest in immunology, from teachers and schoolchildren through to grandparents, and are available in different formats - books, top trumps and lots more!
Contact us
Institute Director
Professor Tracy Hussell
email: tracy.hussell@manchester.ac.uk
Follow us
Twitter: @LydiaBeckerIII
Institute Manager
Mr Ameur Bayar
email: ameur.bayar@manchester.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)161 306 3771