Ancient Antibodies and the Hidden History of Infection: Reconstructing Immune Responses in Past Human Populations

Abstract

This talk explores how emerging biomolecular techniques might transform our ability to reconstruct the history of infectious disease in past populations. While ancient DNA has provided important insights into the presence of specific pathogens, it is limited to detecting certain infections at or near the time of death. By integrating palaeoproteomics with ancient genomics, my work aims to move beyond pathogen detection toward a more complete understanding of individual disease histories. I will outline the methodological challenges of detecting and authenticating ancient pathogen and immune proteins and propose next steps in the development of this field.

About the Speaker

Dr Christiana Scheib is a molecular anthropologist and evolutionary geneticist at the University of Cambridge, where she leads a research group in the Department of Zoology focused on ancient DNA and palaeoproteomics. Her work explores how interactions between genes, disease, and environment have shaped human evolution, with a particular emphasis on infectious disease and immune response in past populations. Scheib completed her PhD at Cambridge, where she developed advanced methods for extracting and analysing ancient DNA and investigated the genetic history of Native American populations.

Following her doctorate, she expanded her research to include pathogen genomics, analysing DNA from historical human remains to better understand the role of disease in shaping human populations over time. She previously served as head of the ancient DNA laboratory at the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, before returning to Cambridge.

Scheib’s current research integrates biomolecular techniques—including genomics, proteomics, and immunological analysis—to reconstruct past disease exposure and immune responses. Her UKRI-funded project “Ancient Antibodies” aims to identify evidence of historical infections preserved in skeletal remains, offering new insight into host–pathogen dynamics and the long-term evolutionary impact of disease.