{"opportunitySpacesMenu":{"title":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","subTitle":"Opportunity space","exploreText":"Explore this space","image":null,"imageMobile":null,"backLink":{"isActive":false,"text":"Back to Opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":"Back to Opportunity spaces"},"signUpLink":{"isActive":false,"text":"Sign up for updates","href":"/sign-up-for-updates-qa","title":""},"items":[{"title":"Overview","link":{"isActive":true,"text":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","href":"/opportunity-spaces/sculpting-innate-immunity","title":"Sculpting Innate Immunity"}}],"activeBackgroundColor":"#ffcd9b"},"modules":[{"type":"op-header","image":{"src":"/media/1p0jpenj/sculptinginnateimmunity_opheader.png?rmode=pad&format=webp&quality=100","alt":"Sculptinginnateimmunity Opheader"},"title":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","intro":"As the body’s first line of defence, the innate immune system has enormous therapeutic potential, sensing and initiating responses to infection, injury, metabolic stress, and chronic inflammation. Modulating innate immunity with precision and accuracy could unlock a new paradigm in human health.","text":"","colour1":"teal","colour2":"purple","btnColour":"teal","breadcrumb":[{"isActive":false,"text":"Home","href":"/home","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":""},{"isActive":true,"text":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","href":"/opportunity-spaces/sculpting-innate-immunity","title":""}],"links":{"opLink":{"isActive":true,"text":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","href":"/opportunity-spaces/sculpting-innate-immunity","title":""},"programmeLinks":[],"seedLinks":[]},"hideGradient":false},{"type":"standout-copy","title":"What is an opportunity space?","text":"

Opportunity spaces are areas of research that we believe are ripe for breakthroughs. They are defined by our Programme Directors, and must be highly consequential for society, under-explored relative to its potential impact, and ripe for new talent, perspectives, or resources to change what’s possible.

","link":null,"color":null,"isWhiteText":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"technical-areas","title":"Core beliefs","text":"The core beliefs that underpin this opportunity space:","items":[{"label":"1.","title":"","text":"

The immune system is responsible for either maintaining health or mediating pathology for nearly all known human disease → effectively harnessing the immune system is essential if we wish to transform human health. 

"},{"label":"2.","title":"","text":"

The innate and adaptive immune systems are equal pillars of immunity but so far, we’ve largely only reaped the benefits of modulating the adaptive immune system → the innate immune system is the next frontier for unlocking the full benefits of immune modulation.

"},{"label":"3.","title":"","text":"

Optimal modulation of the innate immune system will require 'sculpting' with both precision and accuracy → new tools from synthetic biology, drug delivery, and in vitro immune models, combined with new insights from innate immunology, large-scale biological data, and AI, can create a new therapeutic paradigm across the spectrum of disease.

"}]},{"type":"rich-text-content","text":"
\n
Observations
\n

Some signposts as to why we see this area as important, underserved, and ripe.

\n
\n
\"Observations
\n
\n
","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"rich-text-content","text":"
\n
\n
\"Observations
\n
\n
","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"rich-text-content","text":"
\n
\n
\n

Download as a PDF here, or the accessible version here.

\n
\n
\n
","mediumLayout":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"standout-copy","title":"Give feedback on this opportunity space","text":"

Help inform the development of the programme thesis.

","link":{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"Share your thoughts","href":"https://wkf.ms/4mOPaM4?r=euc1","title":""},"color":"ccbbed","isWhiteText":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"spacer-comp","cssSizeClass":"medium","height":0},{"type":"team-cards","items":[{"image":{"src":"/media/vvsjfrlc/brian-1.jpg?width=1000&height=1000&format=webp&v=1dbdb7e2fe6aad0","alt":"Headshot of Brian Wang"},"name":"Brian Wang","text":"Brian co-founded the non-profit Panoplia Laboratories to pre-develop medicine for the next pandemic. Brian has a PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, conducted postdoctorate research in synthetic biology at MIT, and was Head of R&D at vaccine development start-up Alvea.","position":"Programme Director"},{"image":{"src":"/media/wo3p1bwh/andrea-szydlo-shein.jpg?rxy=0.5211165986979767,0.13661456394988214&width=1000&height=1000&format=webp&v=1dbd486f6433f30","alt":"Andrea Szydlo Shein"},"name":"Andrea Szydlo-Shein","text":"Andrea holds a PhD in neuroscience and neurobiology, with postdoctoral work in immunology and industry experience in all three fields. She has expertise in small molecules and RNA therapeutics and has served in a range of roles, from lab research to scientific project management. Andrea supports ARIA as an operating partner from Pace.","position":"Programme Specialist"}],"title":"Meet the programme team","text":"

Our Programme Directors are supported by a Programme Specialist (P-Spec) and Technical Specialist (T-Spec); this is the nucleus of each programme team. P-Specs co-ordinate and oversee the project management of their respective programmes, whilst T-Specs provide highly specialised and targeted technical expertise to support programmatic rigour.

"},{"type":"spacer-comp","cssSizeClass":"medium","height":0},{"type":"standout-copy","title":"Our other opportunity spaces","text":"

Our opportunity spaces are designed as an open invitation for researchers from across disciplines and institutions to learn with us and contribute – a variety of perspectives are just what we need to change what’s possible.

","link":{"isActive":false,"text":"Discover our opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":""},"color":"ccbbed","isWhiteText":false,"fullWidth":false},{"type":"spacer-comp","cssSizeClass":"medium","height":0}],"scriptsAtTop":" \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n","scriptsAtBottom":"","id":3141,"languageCode":"en","pageName":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","scrollSmoothness":0.0,"gtmCode":"GTM-T8Z5F55","topNav":{"logo":{"text":"ARIA - Home","href":"/media/hsxblxrf/logo-aria-black.svg"},"nodes":[{"text":"About us","href":null,"target":null,"id":null,"nodes":[{"text":"About us","href":"/about-aria","target":null,"id":"2207","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Our team","href":"/about-aria/our-team","target":null,"id":"2159","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Programme Directors","href":"/about-aria/our-team/programme-directors","target":null,"id":"2831","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Reporting and policies","href":"/about-aria/reporting-and-policies","target":null,"id":"2160","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false}],"noOpener":true,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"What we do","href":null,"target":null,"id":null,"nodes":[{"text":"How we work","href":"/how-we-work","target":null,"id":"2817","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Live opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","target":null,"id":"2215","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Emerging areas","href":"/emerging-areas","target":null,"id":"2963","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Activation Partners","href":"/activation-partners","target":null,"id":"2174","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false}],"noOpener":true,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Funding","href":null,"target":null,"id":null,"nodes":[{"text":"Funding opportunities","href":"/funding-opportunities","target":null,"id":"2164","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Applicant guidance","href":"/funding-opportunities/applicant-guidance","target":null,"id":"2162","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Being funded by ARIA","href":"/funding-opportunities/the-creator-experience","target":null,"id":"2433","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"FAQs","href":"/funding-opportunities/faqs","target":null,"id":"2649","nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false}],"noOpener":true,"noReferrer":false},{"text":"Careers","href":"https://aria-jobs.teamtailor.com/","target":"_blank","id":null,"nodes":[],"noOpener":false,"noReferrer":false}],"headerLinks":[{"target":"","isActive":false,"text":"Become a Programme Director","href":"/about-aria/our-team/programme-directors/cohort-3","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Opportunity spaces","href":"/opportunity-spaces","title":""}],"menuLinks":[{"isActive":false,"text":"Contact us","href":"/contact","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Terms of use","href":"/terms-and-conditions","title":""}],"activeItem":"3141","menuText":"Menu","menuTextClose":"Close menu","search":{"isActive":false,"text":"Search","href":"/search","title":""},"animationOffText":"Motion: Off","animationOnText":"Motion: On"},"footer":{"header":"Help us drive momentum ","text":"ARIA is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation + Technology.","copyright":"Copyright 2026","headerLinks":[{"isActive":false,"text":"Contact","href":"/contact","title":""},{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"Careers","href":"https://aria-jobs.teamtailor.com/","title":""}],"socialHeader":"Follow our progress","footerLinks":[{"isActive":false,"text":"Privacy Policy","href":"/privacy-policy","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Terms and Conditions","href":"/terms-and-conditions","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Cookie Policy","href":"/cookie-policy","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Accessibility Statement","href":"/accessibility-statement","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Accessibility Support","href":"/funding-opportunities/accessibility-support","title":""},{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"Careers","href":"https://aria-jobs.teamtailor.com/","title":""},{"isActive":false,"text":"Supply to us","href":"/supply-to-us","title":""}],"socialItems":[{"link":{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"ARIA Research Twitter","href":"https://x.com/aria_research","title":""},"type":"x"},{"link":{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"LinkedIn","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/advanced-research-and-invention-agency","title":""},"type":"Linkedin"},{"link":{"target":"_blank","isActive":true,"text":"ARIA Research Substack","href":"https://ariaresearch.substack.com/","title":""},"type":"SubStack"}],"formText":"","formSubmit":"Sign up","formId":"","recaptchaSiteKey":"6LcuyY4bAAAAAE2OzRFfA7vDWyohfZXyl2uTuHLa","verificationToken":"","redirectUrl":null,"submitMessage":"","formTheme":""},"seo":{"title":"Sculpting Innate Immunity","description":"Precision modulation of innate immunity can unlock transformative solutions for society’s major health challenges, from rapidly mutating pathogens to chronic disease.","keywords":"innate immunity, research and development, R&D, immune systems, ARIA, health research","includeInSitemapXml":true,"canonicalTag":""},"sharing":{"og":[{"property":"og:title","content":"Sculpting Innate Immunity"},{"property":"og:description","content":"The immune system sustains human health via the complementary action of its two branches: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. Precision modulation of innate immunity can unlock transformative solutions for society’s major health challenges, from rapidly mutating pathogens to chronic disease."},{"property":"og:image","content":"https://aria.org.uk/media/r4rc50k0/aria-_web_16by9_cards-sculpting_innate_immunity2_720.png?width=600&format=webp&quality=100&v=1dbd48ff5f55730"},{"property":"og:url","content":"https://aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/sculpting-innate-immunity"}],"twitter":[{"name":"twitter:card","content":"summary_large_image"},{"name":"twitter:site","content":"@ARIA_research"},{"name":"twitter:title","content":"Sculpting Innate Immunity"},{"name":"twitter:description","content":"The immune system sustains human health via the complementary action of its two branches: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. Precision modulation of innate immunity can unlock transformative solutions for society’s major health challenges, from rapidly mutating pathogens to chronic disease."},{"name":"twitter:image","content":"https://aria.org.uk/media/r4rc50k0/aria-_web_16by9_cards-sculpting_innate_immunity2_720.png?width=600&format=webp&quality=100&v=1dbd48ff5f55730"},{"name":"twitter:url","content":"https://aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/sculpting-innate-immunity"}]},"pageType":"opSpacePage"}