Experts present research on how flu spreads and how it can be treated

Peter Openshaw and Wendy Barclay taking questions at the seminar

In a recent seminar series, two professors discussed the latest findings that are helping researchers to understand and tackle the flu virus.

Both talks can be viewed in the videos below. Wendy Barclay, Chair in Influenza Virology at Imperial College London, spoke about the reasons why flu pandemics arise and her research at a molecular level to understand what allows the virus to mutate, move between different hosts and spread through populations. She explained how this insight can shed light on the effectiveness of vaccines.

Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London and Consultant Respirologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, discussed research looking at why some people develop severe flu and others remain relatively unscathed. He presented preliminary results from the MOSAIC (Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium) study, indicating some of the causes of severe flu.

The seminar was the fourth event of the ongoing Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) seminar series that was launched in July this year (see sidebar).