Abstract: Viral infection often confers immunity to antigenically related viruses as well as the infecting virus. The mechanisms by which prior cross-reactive immunity can be protective or detrimental will be described in the context of two viral infections. We demonstrate how this immunity can be protective, restricting the antigenic evolution of influenza by targeting broadly neutralising constrained highly-immunogenic epitopes. We also outline how immunity can be detrimental describing how prior immunity conferred by the circulation of seasonal coronaviruses is associated with more severe COVID-19, including fatal outcomes. Finally, we will assess the information derived from these studies in the context of vaccine development.

Biography: Bio: Following a PhD at the University of Cambridge, I spent some time working as a consultant in London. After missing academic research, I moved to the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford for a postdoctoral research position. I subsequently moved to the Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research in Oxford where I established my own research team as a Principal Investigator, and also held the position of Chief Scientific Officer at a vaccine start-up created to commercialise one of our vaccines. Our team moved into the newly built Interdisciplinary Bioscience Research Building (IBRB) at Warwick in 2022.