Parasites that cause malaria revealed inside and outside of red blood cells using a fluorescent protein; the blood cells appear grey and the parasites are green.

Infectious disease

How do microbes and pathogens function and interact with their hosts?

Every year, millions of people around the world die from infectious diseases such as malaria, flu, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Millions more die from cancers that have a viral cause. 
 
The relationship between pathogens and the body’s immune cells can be viewed as an evolutionary arms race, with both trying to develop new ways to combat the other. 

At the Crick, we study interactions between microbes, pathogens and their hosts to see if we can find ways to boost the body’s natural defences, or develop new drugs to treat infectious diseases. 

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Explore some of our labs researching infectious disease

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