A centre established to advance child and adolescent health through immune engineering has begun its work at the intersection of laboratory research and clinical application.
The Basel-Oxford Centre for Translational Immune Engineering for Child and Adolescent Health, known as CTIE, unites Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics with the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering in Basel, Switzerland.
The organisation seeks to turn progress in immune engineering into improved diagnostic tools, vaccines and treatments, particularly for children and adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries.
Professor Simon Draper FMedSci serves as CTIE director and as professor of vaccinology and translational medicine within Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics.
He said the partnership creates an opportunity to connect developments in immune engineering in Basel with Oxford’s capabilities in human immunology, clinical translation and global health.
Researchers from the two institutions are expected to develop joint projects that could shorten the route between scientific findings and practical interventions for human health.
CTIE was formally opened last week, when its inaugural scientific gathering took place in Oxford on October 22 and 23.
Participants considered areas of shared expertise and began outlining collaborative research priorities.
Subjects under discussion included clinical cohorts, experimental medicine, global health, precision medicine, antibody discovery, diagnostic techniques and vaccine delivery.
Professor Georg Holländer is head of Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics and medical director of BIIE.
He said the collaboration combines complementary capabilities, linking advanced systems, computational and synthetic immunology with Oxford’s experience in paediatrics, translational medicine and global-health clinical research.
According to Holländer, this connection could establish a clear route from greater knowledge of the immune system to health solutions for children and adolescents worldwide.
At BIIE, immune engineering draws on systems biology, computational approaches and synthetic immunology.
Experimental methods are combined with computational biology, artificial intelligence and machine learning to investigate how immune systems differ between individuals and populations.
Findings from this work are intended to guide the development of new health interventions.
Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics brings knowledge of immunology, infectious disease, vaccinology and early-stage clinical trials to the partnership.
Its contribution also includes access to established networks conducting global-health research.
A shared doctoral training programme forms a central part of the Basel-Oxford arrangement.
Participating students will remain fully enrolled at Oxford while undertaking research at BIIE in Basel, with supervision and instruction provided across both academic centres.
The collaboration will also promote closer academic integration through dual professorial appointments for senior BIIE investigators, with positions involving both Oxford and Basel.
These plans are designed to create a durable scientific partnership dedicated to immune-engineered solutions for child and adolescent health worldwide.