Microbiology and Biochemistry MRes/PhD Supervisors
Fungal Biology Supervisors
- Matthias Brock (Fungi, Metabolism, Fungal Infections, Therapy, neutral Products, Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology).
- Paul Dyer (Fungal Biology, Food Mycology, Genetics, Genomics, Mould-ripened Cheese).
- Jasmine Ono (yeast, genetics, evolution, adaptation, speciation, ploidy, hybridisation, Saccharomyces, Candida). I'm an evolutionary geneticist, working primarily with yeasts. My research focuses on the genetics of adaptation and speciation, probing the specifics of how evolution can and does proceed. Using the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, and their close relatives, my lab does evolution experiments as well as analyses existing species differences to test evolutionary theory.
Molecular Biology Supervisors
- Thorsten Allers (Archaeal genome biology)
- Steve Atkinson (Bacterial virulence)
- Andrew Bennett (models of inflammation in disease states including neuro-inflammation and metabolic dysfunction/type II diabetes)
- Ed Bolt (CRISPR Biology & Biotechnology, DNA repair, Homologous Recombination).
- Boyan Bonev (Structural biology; computational biology; biophysics; NMR; membrane proteins; membrane lipids; AMR; bacterial physiology; solvent tolerant bacteria; antimicrobial drug design). Research in the Bonev lab is focused on the study of the organisation and composition of cell membranes, the interfaces of life, to understand their compositional variation and stability. Primary tools include solid state NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), molecular dynamics simulations and other advanced biophysical and computational techniques. The team is interested in the molecular mechanisms of infection and resistance to antibiotics. To understand and tackle bacteria, resistant to antibiotics, they study bacterial physiology and specific molecular targets, which they use to develop new approaches for antimicrobial intervention and bacterial control. Work is funded primarily by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), as well as the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
- William Brown (Chromosome biology).
- (DNA recombination, biochemistry, bacterial genetics, CRISPR-Cas, transposon, evolution).
- Federico Dajas-Bailador (Neurons, RNA, Translation, miRNAs, neurodegeneration, pain)
- Claire Friel (biochemistry, biophysics, proteins, cytoskeleton, cell division, neurodegeneration, microscopy, optical trapping). Research in the Friel lab utilises fundamental biomolecular insights to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular systems and disease. We have a focus on the dynamics and regulation of cytoskeletal filaments. Using advanced biochemical and biophysical approaches, we seek to elucidate the core molecular principles governing filament function and connect these findings to complex cellular processes such as cell division and nervous system function.
- Martin Gering (Blood cell development).
- Alistair Hume (Organelles and disease).
- Ian Kerr (ATP binding cassette transporters, membrane protein expression and purification, transmembrane transport, enzymes in pain processing, paediatric brain tumour cell biology, extracellular vesicles).
- Barnabas King (Determining and characterising mutations in virus surface proteins that influence entry and antibody recognition). My current research interests focus on the identification and characterisation of genetic diversity in pathogenic human viruses. Recent work in the lab has looked at:
Genetic diversity and seasonal fluctuations in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),
Developing pseudotyped virus assays for mammalian alpha coronaviruses,The challenges, inequalities and solutions in preventing mother to child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is under resources healthcare settings,Understanding viral factors involved in MTCT in HBV,Generating infectious clones of genotype 3 hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolated from patients,Describing hepacivirus transmission and infections in horses.
- Robert Layfield (MND mechanisms; ancient proteins; proteomics; protein science).
- Yan Liao My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that archaeal cells use for adaptation, interaction, and division, and on developing these systems for novel biotechnological applications relevant to environmental and human health.
- Luisa Martinez-Perez (Inflammation, lectin receptors, macrophages, infection, cellular biology, biochemistry)
- Christopher Penfold (Bacteriocin production by E. Coli; Anti-microbial peptides; Hybrid molecules)
- Rita Tewari (Functional analysis of signalling pathways modulating malaria parasite development, cell division and parasite proliferation).
- Uwe Vinkemeier (Cytokines; Signal transduction in myeloid cells).
- Ying Zhang (strain engineering; bioproducts from renewable sources; synthetic biology approaches to generate novel strains with advanced properties; synthetic bioactive peptides/protein).
Molecular Microbiology Supervisors
- Thorsten Allers (Archaeal genome biology).
- Steve Atkinson (Bacterial virulence).
- Ed Bolt (CRISPR Biology & Biotechnology, DNA repair, Homologous Recombination).
- Matthias Brock (Fungi, Metabolism, Fungal Infections, Therapy, neutral Products, Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology).
- Ruth Griffin (Mucosal vaccines, platform delivery technologies, infectious diseases, bacterial pathogens, antimicrobial peptides).
- Stephan Heeb (Clinical and cellular microbiology of medically important bacteria - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus).
- Luisa Martinez-Perez (Inflammation, lectin receptors, macrophages, infection, cellular biology, biochemistry).
- Neil Oldfield (molecular microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, vaccines, Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae).
- Christopher Penfold (Bacteriocin production by E. Coli; Anti-microbial peptides; Hybrid molecules)
- Bill Wickstead (Genomic, molecular and bioinformatic methods to understand the fundamental biology of microbial parasites). The Wickstead lab conducts research to understand the biology of parasites and the evolution of complex cells. This includes work on cell division, evasion of the immune system, and gene family evolution. Our research often integrates genomics and molecular biology with bioinformatic and computational tools. Much of the work in the lab involves the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, which causes a fatal disease known as "sleeping sickness" in humans.
- Klaus Winzer (Bacteria, Metabolism, Physiology, Biochemistry, Fermentation, Metabolic Engineering, Biological Engineering)
- Karl Wooldridge (Molecular and cellular microbiology, bacterial protein secretion, and bacterial vaccines)
- Ying Zhang (strain engineering; bioproducts from renewable sources; synthetic biology approaches to generate novel strains with advanced properties; synthetic bioactive peptides/protein)
Molecular Biosciences Supervisors
- Steve Alexander (Endogenous cannabinoid system, with particular focus on inflammation and pain).
- Andrew Bennett (Neuroinflammation and metabolic dysfunction).
- William Brown (The genetics and evolution of centromere assembly in vertebrates and fission yeast; Human mini-chromosome engineering).
- Federico Dajas-Bailador (Neurons, RNA, Translation, miRNAs, neurodegeneration, pain).
- Claire Friel (biochemistry, biophysics, proteins, cytoskeleton, cell division, neurodegeneration, microscopy, optical trapping). Research in the Friel lab utilises fundamental biomolecular insights to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular systems and disease. We have a focus on the dynamics and regulation of cytoskeletal filaments. Using advanced biochemical and biophysical approaches, we seek to elucidate the core molecular principles governing filament function and connect these findings to complex cellular processes such as cell division and nervous system function.
- Marios Georgiou (Cancer biology; Cell morphogenisis)
- Alistair Hume (Organelles and disease)
- Ian Kerr (ATP binding cassette transporters, membrane protein expression and purification, transmembrane transport, enzymes in pain processing, paediatric brain tumour cell biology, extracellular vesicles)
- Robert Layfield (MND mechanisms; ancient proteins; proteomics; protein science)
- Yan Liao My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that archaeal cells use for adaptation, interaction, and division, and on developing these systems for novel biotechnological applications relevant to environmental and human health.
- Lopa Leach (Regulation of vascular flow and barrier function in the human placenta in normal and compromised pregnancies)
- Andrew Renault (Drosophila, germ cells, cell migration, embryogenesis)
- Rita Tewari (Functional analysis of signalling pathways modulating malaria parasite development, cell division and parasite proliferation)
- Uwe Vinkemeier (Cytokines; Signal transduction in myeloid cells)
- Sally Wheatley (mitosis, cytokinesis, mitochondria, survivin, cancer, cytoskeleton, biochemistry, cell biology, microscopy) My work focusses on a small protein called "survivin" that is involved in many cellular processes. It has been extensively studied by oncologists as it is highly overexpressed in all cancers. However, it is not an enzyme, and so targetting it for therapeutic gain has not been hugely successful. Survivin does everything in collaboration - its interactome is vast and list of interactors ever increasing. Found in different parts of the cell at different times, as a chromosomal passenger protein, survivin is essential for mitosis and cytokinesis, but it is also an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) and its presence in the cytoplasm correlates with poor repsonse to chemo and radiation therapies. More recently, it has become appreciated that when it is in the nucleus it can alter transcriptional programming, and this seems to have relevance to cells experience stress such as hypoxia. In identifying novel survivin interactors, we hope to find an association that could be targetted for therapeutic purposes.
- Bill Wickstead (Genomic, molecular and bioinformatic methods to understand the fundamental biology of microbial parasites). The Wickstead lab conducts research to understand the biology of parasites and the evolution of complex cells. This includes work on cell division, evasion of the immune system, and gene family evolution. Our research often integrates genomics and molecular biology with bioinformatic and computational tools. Much of the work in the lab involves the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, which causes a fatal disease known as "sleeping sickness" in humans.
- Steve Alexander (Endogenous cannabinoid system, with particular focus on inflammation and pain).
- Andrew Bennett (Neuroinflammation and metabolic dysfunction).
- Ed Bolt (CRISPR Biology & Biotechnology, DNA repair, Homologous Recombination).
- Steve Briddon (Molecular Pharmacology of GPCRs; Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy; Single cell pharmacology; Live cell confocal microscopy; Advanced imaging approaches; Single cell calcium measurements; Cell microinjection; Radioligand binding; Second messenger assays; Western blotting and immunoprecipitation)
- Matthias Brock (Fungi, Metabolism, Fungal Infections, Therapy, neutral Products, Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology)
- (DNA recombination, biochemistry, bacterial genetics, CRISPR-Cas, transposon, evolution).
- Claire Friel (biochemistry, biophysics, proteins, cytoskeleton, cell division, neurodegeneration, microscopy, optical trapping). Research in the Friel lab utilises fundamental biomolecular insights to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular systems and disease. We have a focus on the dynamics and regulation of cytoskeletal filaments. Using advanced biochemical and biophysical approaches, we seek to elucidate the core molecular principles governing filament function and connect these findings to complex cellular processes such as cell division and nervous system function.
- Marios Georgiou (Cancer biology; Cell morphogenisis).
- Alistair Hume (Organelles and disease).
- Ian Kerr (ATP binding cassette transporters, membrane protein expression and purification, transmembrane transport, enzymes in pain processing, paediatric brain tumour cell biology, extracellular vesicles).
- Rob Lane (G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)).
- Robert Layfield (MND mechanisms; ancient proteins; proteomics; protein science).
- Luisa Martinez-Perez (Inflammation, lectin receptors, macrophages, infection, cellular biology, biochemistry).
- Daniel Scott Utilising iPSC models we study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Motor neurone diseases.
- Sebastian Serres (metabolism, brain, imaging, astrocyte, tracer).
- Dmitry Veprintsev (developing approaches for incorporation of protein and systems dynamics GPCRs into drug discovery).
- Uwe Vinkemeier (Cytokines; Signal transduction in myeloid cells).
- Sally Wheatley (mitosis, cytokinesis, mitochondria, survivin, cancer, cytoskeleton, biochemistry, cell biology, microscopy) My work focusses on a small protein called "survivin" that is involved in many cellular processes. It has been extensively studied by oncologists as it is highly overexpressed in all cancers. However, it is not an enzyme, and so targetting it for therapeutic gain has not been hugely successful. Survivin does everything in collaboration - its interactome is vast and list of interactors ever increasing. Found in different parts of the cell at different times, as a chromosomal passenger protein, survivin is essential for mitosis and cytokinesis, but it is also an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) and its presence in the cytoplasm correlates with poor repsonse to chemo and radiation therapies. More recently, it has become appreciated that when it is in the nucleus it can alter transcriptional programming, and this seems to have relevance to cells experience stress such as hypoxia. In identifying novel survivin interactors, we hope to find an association that could be targetted for therapeutic purposes.
Biomedical Sciences Supervisors
- Steve Alexander (Endogenous cannabinoid system, with particular focus on inflammation and pain)
- Nick Blockley (Advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods to non invasively measure challenging aspects of human physiology, particularly oxygen metabolism, vascular reactivity and blood volume). My research focuses on developing advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to measure human brain physiology non invasively. I concentrate on imaging aspects of brain function that are otherwise difficult to capture, particularly oxygen metabolism, cerebrovascular reactivity and cerebral blood volume.
- Ed Bolt (CRISPR Biology & Biotechnology, DNA repair, Homologous Recombination).
- Steve Briddon (Molecular Pharmacology of GPCRs; Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy; Single cell pharmacology; Live cell confocal microscopy; Advanced imaging approaches; Single cell calcium measurements; Cell microinjection; Radioligand binding; Second messenger assays; Western blotting and immunoprecipitation).
- Marios Georgiou (Cancer biology; Cell morphogenisis).
- Ruth Griffin (Mucosal vaccines, platform delivery technologies, infectious diseases, bacterial pathogens, antimicrobial peptides).
- Ian Kerr (ATP binding cassette transporters, membrane protein expression and purification, transmembrane transport, enzymes in pain processing, paediatric brain tumour cell biology, extracellular vesicles).
- Chloe Peach (receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signalling, studying how they are modulated by growth factors, drugs or their local microenvironment, with a focus on neuronal regeneration). Despite major advances in our understanding of human biology, over 90% of drugs fail in patients. Many drugs target receptors, as membrane proteins that detect extracellular stimuli and evoke intracellular responses. RTKs are a family of 58 membrane proteins that respond to growth factors. These large ligands trigger signalling cascades that lead to cell proliferation, avoidance of cell death and initiation of migratory processes. They are therefore major targets in the field of oncology, however RTKs have wide-reaching pathological implications. Neurotrophins, for example, are a family of growth factors that stimulate neuronal growth. These growth factors, as well as their receptors, are promising targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease (agonists) or chronic pain (antagonists), however they lack clinically approved drugs.
- Christopher Penfold (Bacteriocin production by E. Coli; Anti-microbial peptides; Hybrid molecules)
- Daniel Scott Utilising iPSC models we study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Motor neurone diseases.
- Rebecca Trueman (Myotonic Dystrophy; RNA repeat expansion disorders; Drug discovery). My research group investigates the pathological mechanisms of myotonic dystrophy, with a particular focus on developing novel therapeutic approaches and on understanding how this disease impacts the brain. Combining neuroscience, cell biology and translational medicine, we aim it have in impact on patients lives.
- Uwe Vinkemeier (Cytokines; Signal transduction in myeloid cells).
- Bill Wickstead (Genomic, molecular and bioinformatic methods to understand the fundamental biology of microbial parasites). The Wickstead lab conducts research to understand the biology of parasites and the evolution of complex cells. This includes work on cell division, evasion of the immune system, and gene family evolution. Our research often integrates genomics and molecular biology with bioinformatic and computational tools. Much of the work in the lab involves the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, which causes a fatal disease known as "sleeping sickness" in humans.
- Sally Wheatley (mitosis, cytokinesis, mitochondria, survivin, cancer, cytoskeleton, biochemistry, cell biology, microscopy) My work focusses on a small protein called "survivin" that is involved in many cellular processes. It has been extensively studied by oncologists as it is highly overexpressed in all cancers. However, it is not an enzyme, and so targetting it for therapeutic gain has not been hugely successful. Survivin does everything in collaboration - its interactome is vast and list of interactors ever increasing. Found in different parts of the cell at different times, as a chromosomal passenger protein, survivin is essential for mitosis and cytokinesis, but it is also an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) and its presence in the cytoplasm correlates with poor repsonse to chemo and radiation therapies. More recently, it has become appreciated that when it is in the nucleus it can alter transcriptional programming, and this seems to have relevance to cells experience stress such as hypoxia. In identifying novel survivin interactors, we hope to find an association that could be targetted for therapeutic purposes.