Professor Tracy Hussell – Director, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation said: “This new award is further recognition of the exciting work Matt is driving in the field of mucosal immunology here at the Lydia Becker Institute. This new funding will help to uncover ways in which the immune system keeps the peace with its “good bacteria”, and conversely reveal what goes wrong with the immune system in patients who develop diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
The award will fund research utilising next-generation technologies and in vivo models to reveal novel mechanisms of immune crosstalk, identify tissue niches and dissect the consequences of ILC3-mediated interactions in health, infection and inflammatory disease.
Dr Hepworth believes this program of research will result in a paradigm shift, enabling new insights into how ILCs and the broader immune system maintain the health of the gut and the whole body.
The Wellcome Trust’s prestigious Career Development Awards are awarded to researchers who have the potential to be international research leaders in their field. Funds enable them to develop their research capabilities, train the next generation of scientists, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
