Major EU project to investigate genes influencing bacterial infections in children

Researchers will study the genetic factors that influence children's susceptibility to bacterial infections in a 12-million euro research collaboration announced today, led by Imperial College London.

Bacterial infections are responsible for more than a quarter of child deaths globally. Despite the availability of vaccines and antimicrobial drugs, large numbers of children continue to be affected in developed countries as well as the developing world.

As well as looking for genetic differences that affect susceptibility to disease and how severe the illness is, the project aims to understand how the genes identified affect disease processes, using cell biology and functional genomics studies.