Biochemistry PhD

Life Sciences PhD Biochemistry: Serological and antigenic studies of viruses with a significant one-health importance (2022)

What you get

This School/Pirbright-funded position covers Home tuition fees and a stipend at standard UKRI rates. 

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Serological and antigenic studies of viruses with a significant one-health importance

Emerging and zoonotic viruses pose an increasingly serious threat to both human and animal health due to the majority being highly pathogenic in their natural host. For some of these viruses, this is compounded by the lack of easily accessible assays to help improved our understanding of their interactions with the host and shortage of effective countermeasures to minimise the burden they have in populations where outbreaks occur. This project will address both of these shortfalls in provision.

When studying the early events in viral life cycles, pseudotyped viruses (PV) based assays offer an attractive alternative to handling the native virus. This is primarily because they are unable to replicate so studies using them can be undertaken outside of high containment. Our lab has developed an international reputation for developing PV assays and we now want to apply this expertise to answer crucial questions related to African swine fever virus (ASFV) such as which viral and cellular receptors are involved in binding and entry?

Secondly, with no antivirals against many of these viruses, their impact in the hosts they infect is most often mitigated through the development of vaccines that confer protection against infection. However, vaccines are only as good as their antigen(s). While it is known that upon infection with such viruses a strong humoral immune response is normally stimulated against the viral envelope protein(s; VEP), the antigens that dictate potent neutralising antibody production are often ill defined. Further, virus vaccines are routinely generated from serially passaged virus strains that are lab adapted and may have generated mutations that alter the neutralising antibody response to the protein in question. Together these factors can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of these vaccines. An example of this is with the existing rabies virus (RABV) vaccines that are based on classical rabies isolates. Rabies disease is caused by a number of antigenically divergent viruses within the lyssavirus genus. Whilst the existing vaccines protect against the prototypic lyssavirus, RABV, these vaccines are unable to confer robust protection against other lyssavirus species. Therefore, a better understanding of the antigenicity of these VEP will aid the development of more wide-ranging and potent vaccines.

Both parts of the PhD will require serological and molecular studies using PV. The ASFV work is a collaboration between the University of Sussex and the Pirbright Institute that has a longstanding programme of ASFV research. Combinations of viral genes will be tested for their ability to form PV capable of infecting cells before receptor identification and serology studies are undertaken. For the lyssavirus antigen work, this will build on our existing projects studying individual antigenic sites in lyssavirus VEPs and in silico generated VEPs.

The majority of the work will be carried out within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex drawing on collaborations with the Pirbright Institute and University of Cambridge where needed.

Eligibility

Ideal candidates will have a strong background in molecular biology and virology.

Eligible applicants will hold a 2:1 BSc in a relevant subject. Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with not less than 6.0 in any section.

Deadline

How to apply

Please submit a formal application using the online system at www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply attaching a CV, degree transcripts and certificates, statement of interest and two academic references.

On the application system select Programme of Study – PhD Biochemistry.

Please ensure you state the project title under funding and include the supervisor’s name where required

Contact us

For enquiries about the application process, contact Emma Chorley: lifesci-rec@sussex.ac.uk

For enquiries about the project, contact the supervisor by email: ew323@sussex.ac.uk