School of Infection & Immunity

Professor Stephen McSorley

• Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology (University of California Davis)
• Location: Room 103A, Clarice Pears Building

Title:

Fighting Fire with Fire: CD4 T cell-mediated Inflammatory Responses to Bacterial infections

Synopsis:

Salmonella and Chlamydia infections cause disease in millions of humans every year and vaccine development for these infections is progressing at a slow pace. Our work assesses the mechanisms of host immunity to these infections using animal models, with a view to generating vaccines that can elicit similar responses. Our recent work shows the importance of Tissue Resident Memory responses and the diversity of CD4 effector modules in resolving bacterial infections in different tissues.

Bio:

Dr. McSorley obtained his BSc and PhD in Immunology at the University of Glasgow which ignited an interest in host-pathogen models. Further post-doctoral training in the US fanned these flames and led to a conflagration of work addressing the Immune Response to Salmonella and Chlamydia. He is currently a Professor at UC Davis where he continues to work on combustible projects that address mechanisms of protection of bacterial inflammation. 

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First published: 4 March 2026