Biography
I obtained my PhD in comparative immunology from the University of St Andrews before moving to Peter Parham’s laboratory at Stanford University to study immune receptor evolution in mammals. After 5 years I moved to The Pirbright Institute to study immunogenetics in ruminants. I am now the Director of Research and lead the Immunogenetics Group studying the mechanisms and consequences of genetic variation on the mammalian immune system. The main focus of his research is investigating the role of NK cells and B cells during vaccination and viral infection of livestock species. As part of this work, I also leads the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Livestock Antibody Hub, aimed at narrowing the gap in research capability between livestock and model species. Research interests
The Immunogenetics Group at Pirbright studies the genes that initiate and control the immune response in livestock species. These genes, and the regions of the genome in which they are located, can be very diverse and variable between individual animals. This makes these regions difficult to characterise which has often prevented functional studies. Therefore, characterising this genetic diversity and studying how it influences the immune system has great potential to improve disease resistance. Projects you're working on
We currently have several projects, largely focusing on cattle, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund. These projects can be divided into two broad themes:
1. Characterising the diversity and function of the highly variable natural killer cell receptors and MHC class I on immune function
2. Examining the antibody response at high resolution and how this is influenced by infection and vaccination. Discipline
Immunology – B-cells Immunology – innate Molecular biology Host species
Buffalo Cattle Pigs Small ruminants Pathogen
Viruses›Bluetongue virus Viruses›Foot-and-mouth disease virus Viruses›Respiratory syncytial virus Stage of vaccine development
Antigen discovery and immunogen design Correlates of protection – immunomonitoring