National Postdoc Appreciation Week - University of Glasgow

Malaria is still a global health burden with around 249 million cases being reported worldwide. The malaria parasite is transmitted between human and mosquitoes by the mosquito vector Anopheles. We can grow the parasite under in vitro conditions but are reliant on human serum to complete its transmission cycle. Our research shows a more sustainable path forward without using human serum thereby reducing some of the ethical implication and other experimental complications associated with using human serum. This protocol will streamline and expedite the development of new and improved transmission blocking interventions for the disease

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a known modifiable risk factor for dementia. Many neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to TBI, including Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Over the past few years, we have provided evidence to show a variety of contact sport athletes, including former footballers (soccer players), and rugby players have increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, a finding which has since led to rule changes within sport. Although widely welcomed, are these restrictions justified by current evidence, and what is the future of TBI related research?

Emerging infections pose significant threats to wildlife conservation and the communities relying on these species. This study shows how high-resolution genomic data obtained from intensive sampling of wildlife disease outbreaks can provide a wealth of insights into the spread of the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae among muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a land mass > one million square kilometres in area. Our results lay the foundation for disentangling the components of the epidemiological triad that may be facilitating an opportunistic pathogen to cause widespread and impactful disease in an Arctic environment disproportionately affected by climate change.