Re-watch the webinar below:

 

 

Wednesday 15 July 2020, 15:00–16:00 BST

 

Organised by Morag Mansley, University of St Andrews, UK and Mike Althaus, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany

 

In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to understand how the lung epithelium functions as a first line of defence against pathogens including respiratory viruses. Claire Smith (University College London, UK) and Oliver Wittekindt (Ulm University, Germany) discussed their research which explores how these epithelial cells form an immediate barrier but also sense and react to the ever-changing environment. We heard how the epithelial cells act as “first responders” during viral infection and the complex interplay between inflammatory processes, barrier function and transepithelial transport.