COI Network Meeting 2025
The CAMS Oxford Institute (COI) held its 2025 Network Day on 6 June at the Richard Doll Building, bringing together researchers, clinicians, and collaborators for a day of scientific exchange, collaborative reflection, and discussion on the future of translational immunology. The programme featured a rich mix of talks, poster presentations, and networking sessions designed to highlight both established research strengths and emerging voices across the COI community.
The day began with an opening address from Professor Tao Dong, Co-Director of COI, who reflected on the Institute’s achievements over the past year. She highlighted key developments in scientific leadership, international partnerships, and training initiatives, while reinforcing COI’s vision to bridge fundamental discovery with clinical application through collaborative science.
A total of 11 invited main talks were delivered across four scientific sessions, chaired by Professors Graham Ogg, Julian Knight, Benedikt Kessler, and E. Yvonne Jones. Presentations spanned a wide range of immunological themes, including tumour microenvironment analysis, spatial profiling technologies, innate and adaptive immune regulation, viral replication mechanisms, and high-dimensional data integration. Collectively, these talks offered insight into the latest tools and discoveries shaping the future of immune-mediated research.
Fifteen early-career researchers presented their work through rapid-format flash talks, each offering a five-minute snapshot of novel findings and experimental strategies. Topics included T cell receptor specificity, immune regulation in infection and cancer, cellular heterogeneity, and gene expression control mechanisms. These sessions showcased the creativity and technical depth of the next generation of COI scientists, and were chaired by Drs Christina Heroven, Nikolaos Kanellakis, and Yanchun Peng.
The final scientific session turned to the theme of innovation and research translation. Mr Steve Silvey, Senior Licensing and Ventures Manager at Oxford University Innovation (OUI), gave an invited talk on how OUI supports Oxford researchers in developing commercial and translational pathways for their discoveries. His insights underscored the importance of strategic partnerships in driving biomedical impact.
Following this, Dr Ricardo Fernandes shared COI’s own translational journey in "From COI to Start-up: Our Journey from Discovery to Company", illustrating how foundational science at the Institute is being developed into therapeutic platforms and spin-out ventures.
Throughout the day, participants engaged with over 30 posters displayed in the RDB atrium. These presentations reflected a broad spectrum of research themes—from cellular immunology and pathogen-host interaction to novel technological platforms—and encouraged in-depth discussion among colleagues and collaborators in a more informal setting.
The event concluded with closing remarks and prize giving from Mr Darren Nash, Associate Head of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, acknowledging outstanding contributions across oral and poster sessions. Attendees then travelled to the Ashmolean Museum for an evening reception and formal dinner, providing a fitting end to a day that celebrated the strength, diversity, and shared ambition of the COI research community.
To learn more about the event and view the full programme, please check the following CAMS Oxford Institute Network Day 2025 Booklet.