The Department of Tropical Disease Biology (TDB) is a leading national and international research and teaching centre with a focus on translational research of tropical infectious diseases. Its focus is on developing innovative, equitable solutions to global health challenges, especially in resource-poor settings. 

TDB’s research philosophy spans the full translational continuum (from basic science to population health impact) and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, where community observations inform laboratory research and vice versa. 

The department’s research focus is to carry out world-leading research across all of the major human infections to address unmet Global Health challenges. These include emerging diseases (e.g. Zica, SARS-Cov-2), multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria (e.g., MDR M. tuberculosis and WHO-identified priority antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens), malaria, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as intestinal nematodes or soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomes, filarial worms, and snake bite. 

Partnerships are fundamental to our success, involving collaborations with global academic, governmental, NGO, product development partners (PDPs) and industry partners. 

TDB predominantly resides within the Centre for Tropical Infectious Diseases (CTID) building which has more than 25 Containment Level 3 laboratories (the highest density of such labs in one location in UK academia) and a Containment Level-3 insectary.  

TDB actively engages in undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes as well as providing specialist training in translational and global health research.

Our priority is to drive innovative research to tackle major global health threats, in close collaboration with our research partners.