Infectious diseases
We study infectious diseases both from the aspect of the viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites that cause disease - and the way the body responds to infection.
Our work includes developing new vaccines and diagnostics, as well as investigating sanitation and other public health measures to help protect populations from infectious disease.
We have particular expertise in diseases that spread from people to animals, known as zoonoses.
Finding innovative solutions to tackle the global crisis in antimicrobial resistance is a core theme across our work.
What we do
Research on infectious diseases in the College is organised into seven themes aimed at improving human and/or animal health:
- to understand, prevent and control infectious disease outbreaks
- molecular pathogenesis: exploring diseases at a cellular level
- disease dynamics: follows the way diseases spread through populations
- genetics: the role of genes in population responses to infectious disease
- clinical and translational research: translating knowledge into new treatments for disease
- social and healthcare dynamics: how diseases spread within communities, and how cultural, social, and economic issues influence the uptake of therapies
- antimicrobial resistance: looking for new ways to diagnose and treat life-threatening infections, promoting global governance and stewardship of antibiotics, and monitoring the spread of drug resistance.
Since March 2020, many of our researchers working in this area reacted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic and were able to rapidly pivot research to help in the mission to beat the virus.
You can read more about how University of Edinburgh researchers and experts are responding to coronavirus on the Covid-19 Respnse website.
Where we do it
At the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, our researchers work in multiple locations including the Roslin Institute at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the Centre for Inflammation Research and the Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine. Researchers in the Usher Institute also carry out studies aimed at improving public health responses to infectious diseases.
Our scientists have access to laboratory and clinical facilities, including animal and human imaging suites, animal containment facilities and super-computer infrastructure. We also have strong links with associated organisations such as the Moredun Institute, and Edinburgh Napier and Heriot-Watt universities.
Many of our researchers are members of Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, a network of more than 900 researchers working collaboratively to tackle global infections from bioscience, clinical, veterinary and social science perspectives.
Study
Undergraduate, masters and doctoral programmes in infectious diseases
Explore
Infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh
Centre for Inflammation Research