Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely and 1 million die as a consequence. My lab focuses on understanding immune cell development and function in human neonates, including both those born at term and prematurely. We have identified novel T cell effector functions in neonates and factors that affect immune cell development post birth. We have ongoing research in both areas. These studies will promote our understanding of the developing immune system in human infants to identify those more at risk from inflammation and infection and subsequently reduce infant mortality - a current NHS target and huge health burden.