The MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology

A conversation with Professor Sheena Cruickshank about the new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology. To mark World Immunology Day, we’re joined by Professor Sheena Cruickshank from the MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology. Sheena and Paul discuss how environmental and lifestyle exposures, from pollution to microbiome and socioeconomic factors, shape immune responses across the life course and contribute to disease. They explore the Centre’s integrated three-pillar approach, combining large-scale population data, mechanistic studies, and human experimental medicine to link exposure to immune function. The conversation also covers interdisciplinary team science, patient and community involvement, and how the Centre is building datasets and infrastructure that can support future discovery. Finally, they discuss the implications of climate change, eco-immunology, and how this work could inform drug repurposing, target identification, and evidence-based policy. The MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology is supported by the Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology [grant number UKRI/MR/B000935/1].  Further reading: • Sheena M Cruickshank, Kathryn J Else, Iris Mair, Holly Shiels, Susanne Shultz, How (Eco)immunology can augment global EcoHealth programmes: opportunities, needs, and challenges, Discovery Immunology, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2024, kyae015, https://doi.org/10.1093/discim/kyae015 • Markel Vigo, Lamiece Hassan, William Vance, Caroline Jay, Andrew Brass, Sheena Cruickshank, Britain Breathing: using the experience sampling method to collect the seasonal allergy symptoms of a country, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 88–92, https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocx148 • Community consultation on health, air quality and active travel in Hulme and Ardwick: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/activities/community-consultation-on-health-air-quality-and-active-travel-in/ • Report of a case study in exploring barriers and developing solutions to encourage take up of active travel in Ardwick, Greater Manchester: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/activities/report-of-a-case-study-in-exploring-barriers-and-developing-solut/