Reservoir host immunity
Mechanisms that allow bats and other wildlife hosts to tolerate infection while limiting tissue-damaging inflammation and controlling viral infection.
BatsInflammasomesIFN/ISGs
Emerging zoonoses · Comparative immunology · Translation
Learning from reservoir hosts to prevent the next spillover.
The Irving Lab studies evolution of the pathogen, host & host–pathogen interactions for emerging zoonotic diseases. We use comparative genomics, bat immunology, functional validation and rapid diagnostics to translate reservoir-host biology into diagnostics, antiviral and anti-inflammatory defense strategies.
Impacthigh-impact infectious disease and immunology publications
FundingNHC Major Infectious Disease Research Program, NSFC RFIS-II, GZLab Major Talent Program
FacilitiesGuangzhou National Laboratory Facilities and High-Containment labs
One HealthConnecting South-East Asia, empowering metagenomic surveillance and outbreak preparedness
Research focus
Wildlife hosts, viral zoonosis and outbreak preparedness
Integrating bat/host comparative immunology, virus/receptor discovery, zoonotic transmission risk factors and rapid field-based diagnostics.
BatsVirusesComparative genomicsDiagnostics
Comparativegenomics & immunology
Translationalantiviral discovery
Research programmes
From wildlife reservoirs to human immunity.
We combine comparative biology and deployable experimental systems to understand viral resistance, immune tolerance and calculation of zoonotic risk.
Viral entry & host factors
From metagenomic surveillance & discovery to functional validation, virus-receptor dynamics across species and susceptibility to infection. for new/emerging viruses.
SurveillanceEntry dynamicsInfection Risk
Preparedness technologies
Rapid diagnostic assays that can be deployed in the field, surveillance-ready tools and response to future outbreaks.
RT-LAMPMetagenomicsTraining & Outreach
Scientific direction
A comparative system for genotype-to-phenotype discovery.
The lab utilizes large-scale comparative genomics with experimental virology and immune assays. The aim is to discover host adaptations that shape viral resistance, tolerance and/or control of inflammation, then translate this into human antiviral or anti-inflammatory strategies.
Selected publications
Recent and representative work.
News