01, Research themes
We build mechanistic, often quantitative pictures of how the immune system and the microbiota shape each other, and turn those pictures into interventions that work in the field, the clinic and the barn.
01
Confocal micrograph, epithelium
Mucosal immune system
Mapping how diet, microbiota and the host immune system negotiate barrier function at the gut interface.
Explore projects
02
Glycoconjugate render
Next-generation vaccines
Engineering safe, effective and oral-ready vaccines for application in livestock rearing and AMR control.
Explore projects
03
Colony plate, OMM¹²
Microbiota metabolism
Mechanistic understanding of food-as-therapy for microbiota and immunity-related diseases.
Explore projects02, Mission
Our current understanding of microbiota population dynamics in the gut is based largely on sequencing or selective culture. The lab develops new methods, from oral vaccines to quantitative live-imaging, that let us see and steer those dynamics in real time.
We work at the seam between molecular immunology, microbial ecology and translational engineering, and we publish, teach and spin out the results.
03, Recent publications
Read the work.
A small selection of recent papers from the group. The full list, with preprints and protocols, lives on the publications page.
04, In the news
Highlights from the press desk: new faculty, fresh science in major journals, and the spinout company Baxiva, building glycoconjugate vaccines for the world's most stubborn bacteria.
New Faculty Appointment: The BIIE Welcomes Prof. Emma Slack
The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) proudly welcomes Prof. Emma Slack to its growing faculty. Prof. Slack holds a joint appointment as the Barclay-Williams...
Welcome to Baxiva – a startup that originated in the Slack Lab
Check out Baxiva, a biotechnology startup developing next-generation glycoconjugate vaccines to combat bacterial infections. Their mission is to address urgent global health needs by targeting...
Boosting vaccines with harmless bacteria to fight intestinal pathogens
Published in Science, a ground-breaking study by the Slack group reveals how combining vaccines with friendly bacteria can boost vaccination efficacy and potentially reduce reliance...
05, Open Positions
All open positions will be advertised here. Please check back if you are interested in joining us and apply through the official channels listed within the adverts.