ÌÇÐÄVlog

Biography

I joined the University 1986 as Lecturer in Molecular Genetics, after having done post-doctoral work in the Department of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital and the Department of Microbiology, University of Leicester. My PhD was done in the Chemistry Department, University College London. I take part in the activities of the European Study Group on the Molecular Biology of Picornaviruses, which organises the EUROPIC meetings. I am also a member of the ICTV Picornaviridae Study Group which reports on classification of picornaviruses. My research interests are centred on the molecular biology of medically important viruses. These include the enteroviruses which are a large group of RNA viruses and part of the Picornaviridae family. Important enteroviruses include the poliviruses, the causative agents of paralytic poliomyelitis, and coxsackieviruses which can cause a number of human diseases, including aseptic meningitis and heart disease. There is evidence that some enteroviruses can be the trigger for type 1 diabetes. My research interests also include the parechoviruses, which are increasingly being identified as important human pathogens of young children. All the work done in my laboratory is concerned with improving our understanding of how viruses replicate and cause disease and is intended to provide insights which may facilitate the design of effective vaccines or antivirus agents, as well as developing viruses as potential anti-cancer agents. We also have an active interest in virus taxonomy since understanding the relationship between viruses is important in identifying critical features which are central to replication.