Structure, function and evolution of immunity
My lab is interested in the evolution of immunity in the broadest sense, but focuses mainly on the chicken MHC as a major determinant of immune response and disease resistance in a model organism and an important food source. We develop scenarios for the origin and evolution of the adaptive immune system, underpin the global poultry industry, and discover phenomena difficult to discern in the more complicated immune systems of mammals.
Keywords
Evolution / immune system / MHC / immunogenetics / disease resistance