Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Four related projects aim to unravel how the iron we eat shapes how the immune system develops and responds to vaccines.

Three people stand next to the sign outside the MRC WIMM at the University of Oxford. © MRC WIMM
Professor Hal Drakesmith, Dr Nicole Stoffel and Professor Michael Zimmerman (L-R) stand outside the MRC WIMM.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. A lack of iron can have a significant impact on a range of tissues and organs and can lead to anaemia, while too much free iron can promote bacterial growth and increased risk of inflammation and diarrhoea. Recent research has highlighted the importance of dietary iron not only in supporting red blood cell production, but in the efficacy of our immune response.

The grants awarded to Professor Hal Drakesmith from the MRC Human Immunology Unit, Professor Michael Zimmerman, a visiting Professor at the MRC HIU, and post-doc Dr Nicole Stoffel, aim to explore this relationship between dietary iron, immune response and health in more depth.

Read the full story on the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine website. 

Similar stories

New study reveals role of lymphatic system in bone healing

It was previously assumed that bones lacked lymphatic vessels, but new research from the MRC Human Immunology Unit at Oxford's MRC Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine not only locates them within bone tissue, but demonstrates their role in bone and blood cell regeneration and reveals changes associated with aging.

How HIV acquires its lipid membrane shell

The Eggeling group used super-resolution microscopy to show that HIV-1 creates its own specialized lipid membrane environment for virus assembly.

Immune response explained by mathematics of narrow escapes

Study finds that shape of immune cells plays key role in recognising invaders.

Single cell analysis paves the way for better treatments for IBD

Researchers at MRC HIU examined the large intestine using sophisticated single cell technology, in work that paves the way for better treatments for IBD.

Controlling infection essential to tackle global anaemia

New proposals published today by MRC HIU suggest that iron supplements on their own are not enough to efficiently tackle this disease.

New research makes progress towards general Salmonella vaccine

Work by researchers at MRC HIU zeroes in on the mechanisms by which T cells respond to Salmonella infections.