Really pleased to announce my promotion to Professor of Respiratory Infection and Epithelial Biology @ucl.ac.uk. I couldn't have got here without some amazing people and mentors along the way, and the hard work of current and past group members. #FirstGenPhD #FirstGenProf #promotions

To get better protection against respiratory infections and transmission we need to achieve nasal immunity. A new @cp-immunity.bsky.social review www.cell.com/immunity/abs...

Nasal immunity in respiratory viral infection, transmission, and protection

The nasal mucosa is a key decision point during respiratory viral infection. Here, Kazer et al. review new understanding of how local host cell subsets respond during viral infection and how this know...

cell.com

Delighted to share our new paper, out now in @natureportfolio.nature.com where we show that neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) tracks RSV severity in infants, and can be used as a functional readout of therapeutic efficacy in the lab. 📄 Read it (open access) 👉 rdcu.be/ftx53

Neutrophil myeloperoxidase as a functional biomarker for RSV severity: implications for in vitro therapeutic screening

Nature Communications - Preclinical human models are needed to investigate mechanisms and evaluate therapies for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in children. The authors here...

rdcu.be

Thoroughly enjoyed my first #ICAR2026 in Prague! I was inspired by the spirit of collaboration from everyone involved. Made many new connections and had great discussions, which I hope will help accelerate antiviral research in the years ahead. Thanks @isaricar.bsky.social #Antivirals

Really enjoyed Day 1 of #microbio26 with time to explore sunny(ish) Belfast and catch up with old friends. If you're around today come check out my talk at 2:30 in the 'out of body experience' session @microbiologysociety.org

A reminder that measles cannot be treated, it can only be prevented. It is one of the most contagious diseases in the world and can cause blindness, deafness and life-threatening lung and brain infections.

More than 60 children infected in north London measles outbreak

Cases reported in seven schools and a nursery in Enfield amid concern over low levels of MMR vaccination in capital

theguardian.com

Fantastic final day at #AIR2026. A masterclass in in vitro modelling by Scott Randall followed by a great panel discussion with funders @asthmaandlung.org.uk @wellcometrust.bsky.social @cysticfibrosis.org.uk @karlstaples.bsky.social

Another insightful day of science, discussion and making new friends at #AIR2026 Day 2 Highlights: making sense of big data, spatial transcriptomics and in vitro modelling of respiratory infections @eventswcs.bsky.social @sangerinstitute.bsky.social

UKHSA responds to the confirmation from @WHO that the UK has lost its measles elimination status. Read more from WHO here: https://bit.ly/3YZuOFa

3 weeks until UCL turns 200! 🎉 From library all‑nighters to the friendships that shaped your journey, UCL has meant so much to so many. What’s your standout UCL memory? 📸 Oct 2017 #LoveUCL entry #UCL200

Really excited our paper about how H5N1 rapidly adapted to cattle (and how these adaptations also increased its ability to infect cells from the human respiratory tract) is now published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thinking of pursuing research in Child Health sciences? Join our upcoming online information session where you’ll find out what it’s like to study at a world-leading institution. 🌍 📅 Child Health MRes – 9 February, 17:00-18:00 🔗 Secure your place: www.ucl.ac.uk/population-h...

Graduate Open Events: Paediatric and Child Health

Explore Master’s degrees in Child Health and Paediatric Neuropsychology. Join our virtual open events to meet Programme Directors and plan your next career step.

ucl.ac.uk

If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs. Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them! cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...

Deadline for abstracts extended to 1st December

Dr Claire Smith @drclairesmith.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Interested in respiratory infections? who isn't! Then register for this fab conference with a fantastic line-up of speakers and sessions @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Abstract submission open until 17th Nov!! @eventswcs.bsky.social coursesandconferences.wellcomeconnectingscience.org/event/air-20...

Finished a virology PhD or finishing soon? Check out this job - www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/Londo...

🚨 New preprint from the group - #Neutrophil myeloperoxidase as a functional biomarker for RSV severity: implications for in vitro therapeutic screening. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Neutrophil myeloperoxidase as a functional biomarker for RSV severity: implications for in vitro therapeutic screening.

Neutrophils play a dual role in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, contributing to both viral clearance and lung damage. Analysis of peripheral blood-derived neutrophils from infants with RS...

biorxiv.org

Interested in respiratory infections? who isn't! Then register for this fab conference with a fantastic line-up of speakers and sessions @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Abstract submission open until 17th Nov!! @eventswcs.bsky.social coursesandconferences.wellcomeconnectingscience.org/event/air-20...

Irish skies

Please join us if you can for this year's Influenza Update Meeting, and please spread the news! It will be another fun opportunity to meet other influenza researchers, make connections and discuss our ongoing research.

Influenza Update Meetings@influenzaupdate.bsky.social · last yr.

SAVE THE DATE! The 2025 Influenza Update Meeting will be held ‪@uni-of-warwick.bsky.social on the 15th and 16th December - ‪@nicolerobb.bsky.social‬ is leading the organisation for this year's event. We hope you'll join us there - please repost! www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

Our study on pasteurising influenza viruses in milk is now out! It's a nice simple story: influenza viruses (including H5N1) are killed really effectively by pasteurisation, but in raw milk they stay infectious - obvious public health implications of both points... (1/2) rdcu.be/d73te

Really proud to share our preprint describing early adaptation of H5N1 to US dairy cattle, and showing how these mutations enhance the ability of the virus to infect other mammals, such as pigs and humans. With @influenzal.bsky.social @vidhid.bsky.social @drclairesmith.bsky.social and many more!

Polymerase mutations underlie adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals.

In early 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle in the USA. The epidemic remains uncontrolled, with spillbacks into poultry, wild birds...

biorxiv.org

🚨 New paper alert! We developed a simple cell assay to evaluate drug efficacy and synergy against emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains. Here we test both novel and repurposed antiviral drugs, identifying synergies that could enhance treatment effectiveness. Read more here: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Efficient in vitro assay for evaluating drug efficacy and synergy against emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains | Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Broad-spectrum antivirals approved for treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as remdesivir, molnupiravir, favipiravir, and nirmatrelvir, target key viral enzymes ...

journals.asm.org

last 2 days to apply! : We have a fully funded #PhD #studentship available in my lab for Oct25 @UCLchildhealth. Project will research new treatments/targets for airway inflammation during viral infection using complex in vitro models. Deadline 13th Dec Apply here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

ucl.ac.uk

I'll be speaking this morning @btsrespiratory.bsky.social in "A Winter's Tale" session about the model we have developed to study RSV infection in children which was funded by Animal Free Research UK. Come find out more in Moore/4th at 11:05 #BTSwinter2024.

Emma Johnson and Tereza Masonou for the BALR early career researcher awards! Congratulations to both and to the BTS and Asthma+Lung UK winners!

British Association for Lung Research@balrcommunity.bsky.social · 2y ago

Wow what a session! The future is bright for respiratory research in the UK! 🥁and the winners are…..

A big day of output for the Human Cell Atlas, a global collaborative project with 100 countries to understand our ~37 trillion cells A Wikipedia of our cells, a "remarkable achievement" nature.com/articles/d41... nature.com/immersive/d4...

The preliminary sequence from the H5N1 human case in British Columbia has been posted and it is not good news. The virus potentially has a quasispecies at HA residue 226 (H3 numbering). This is bad news because we know that mutations at residue 226 can increase binding to human receptors. 1/

#USDA has confirmed 3 more #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds in California, bringing the state's total to 294, nearly 27% of herds in the state. All those herds were recorded in the past 2.5 months. The cumulative national total is 508 herds across 15 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Incredibly proud of our talented postdoc Tereza Masonou for her talk on how the neutrophil response to SARS-CoV-2 differs depending on the age of the infected nasal epithelial cells @options2024. If you're here come see our posters P153, P198, P139 & P461 later today!