School of Infection & Immunity

The School of Infection & Immunity's Dr Megan MacLeod partnered with artist Jane Topping for a display at the Pint of Science ‘Creative Reactions’ event in May at the Alchemy Experiment.

Jane, a lecturer at Glasgow School of Art, created an intriguing pamphlet that stitched together images and text to tell a story inspired by the immunological concepts of breach of tolerance and autoimmunity.

Taking inspiration from a trip to Dr Macleod’s lab, and works by Mary Shelly and Jean Cocteau, Jane’s narrative outlines the consequence of T cells recognising altered self, reflecting the gaps in our knowledge about how and why autoimmune diseases develop.

Jane commented on the positive experience of interacting with Megan and the openness of the people she met at Sii.

Senior Lecturer Megan added: “Jane is a great listener, really keen to learn about the underlying science of autoimmunity and use this to communicate what we do in a new and engaging way.”

The ‘Creative Reactions’ event was packed with people interested in art, science, and those who just popped in to see what was going on.

While Jane found it unusual to stand beside her artwork, for Megan the process was second nature and much like presenting a poster at a scientific meeting.

Ultimately, though, Jane was won over by this approach after receiving many positive comments and informed questions, and the discussions these prompted.

---

First published: 3 July 2025