Bioterrorism

BIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgements: Members of the group all contribute to evaluations for Faculty of 1000 Medicine.

Research Interests: Development of vaccines and therapies for diseases caused by biowarfare or bioterrorism agents. Three vaccines, against plague, anthrax and Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin are currently being developed by industry.

Genomics and proteomics, from genome sequencing to exploiting this information to DNA and proteins microarrays. His groups have been involved in the projects to sequence the genomes of Yersinia pestis, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Francisella tularensis.

Structural biology of bacterial virulence factors. The grouphas determined the crystal structures of several bacterial toxins, and protective antigens.

The laboratory is primarily a molecular biology group, in the broadest sense of the word. They are currently working mainly on mechanisms of virulence of B. pseudomallei and F. tularensis, with a view towards devising vaccines.

Membership: Member of the American Society for Microbiology, the Society for General Microbiology and the Society for Applied Microbiology. Elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.

Currently Group Leader for Microbiology at Dstl Porton Down and a Senior Fellow. Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a visiting Professor at Birkbeck College and the Universities of Glasgow and Plymouth.