The MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge are setting up a Public Partnership on advanced therapies to bring together people with lived experiences and those conducting scientific research. We are looking for people with primary immunodeficiencies to join our group.
We study advanced therapies, a new group of treatments that use DNA and RNA molecules to target disease causing genes and proteins in the cell. These are promising for currently undruggable diseases as scientists can make a new treatment for each disease just by changing the DNA or RNA sequence. The MRC Toxicology Unit is working to understand how vulnerable groups including those with inherited immunodeficiencies respond to advanced therapies, in particular vaccines and gene therapies.
Alongside those with inherited immunodeficiency, the group will include people who are being treated with advanced therapies and those with relevant conditions such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This is a chance for you to provide your experiences to shape research and learn about the latest scientific advances.
You would need to join 2-3 meetings per year and review some documents via email. Discussions will be held in a small group of 10-12 people with all members given the opportunity to provide input. You will be reimbursed for your time and reasonable travel expenses with £75 for a half day meeting and £25 per hour for reviewing documents. We will provide support for those with additional mobility, learning or other needs. The Partnership is funded by the Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge School of Biological Sciences and the academic lead is Professor James Thaventhiran.
For questions and to get involved please contact communications@mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk.
Posted January 2026.
