Due to a challenging winter in the presence of the COVID pandemic, new variants of concern such as Omicron and an increase in the number of colds and flu, immunology has never been more important; hence, there has been a large rise in interest in this area of science. Immunology is the study of the immune system and how it can protect us from disease. This brief article derives from an interview with Dr Robert Busch who is a Senior Lecturer from the School of Life and Health Sciences at the University of Roehampton, whose research focuses on the immune system.
Immunology is very important in current times as it is essential for maintaining general human health, responding to disease and also for developing COVID-19 vaccines that can make the virus more survivable and less transmissible. Dr Busch recognises this as a difficult and tragic time for many people, and knowledge of immunology is of great importance.
Dr Busch’s current research is focused on tissue antigens, which are molecules that trigger immune responses by activating other cells of the immune system. In particular he studies how the immune system kicks in when it is faced with infection, but is quiet at other times so that the body doesn't fight itself. Tissue antigens vary from one person to the next and this variation can influence the risk of autoimmunity (when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues).
Other research that Dr Busch conducts is on Vitamin D which is also important for immune regulation and can influence how many tissue antigens are produced and their ability to function in response to different diseases. Vitamin D has also been of interest in relation to COVID; however, so far results have been contradictory and no clear conclusions can be drawn.
Dr Busch stated, “There is much to discover in the future, such as studying new and existing diseases and creating new vaccines.” Another aspect of immunology that needs to be researched further is the question of how to turn off an immune cell once it has been activated, without compromising the immune system’s ability to fight infections. Dr Busch describes this as the ‘Holy Grail’ of immunology. Essentially, the more we know about how our immune system reacts, the better we can make the interventions that will combat viruses and protect people.
Immunology is important now and will remain so in the future, and scientists such as Dr Robert Busch are paving the way in helping broaden our understanding of the immune system so that we can fight disease and stay healthy.
