Parasites@York

Here at York we focus on four main diseases; malaria, and NTDs - leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and schistosomiasis.  NTDs are most prevalent in tropical areas, specifically low and middle income countries (LMICs).  They are often diseases of poverty and affect over 1 billion people.  

Key Researchers

Dr Nicola Baker is a Wellcome Trust Career Development Award Fellow in the Department of Biology.  Her research focus is on pathology biology and disease transmission.

Professor Paul Kaye is a Professor of Immunology at Hull York Medical School.  His lab focuses on the immunopathology of leishmaniasis, with emphasis both on exploring opportunities for developing novel vaccines, host-directed therapies and also for gaining new insight into myeloid cell function.

Professor Jeremy Mottram is Professor of pathogen biology and current Director of York Biomedical Research Institute.  His research interests focus on the molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemistry of parasitic protozoa.

Dr Elmarie Myburgh is a Lecturer in Immunology and Infection at Hull York Medical School.  Her research is related to host-pathogen interactions, immunoregulation and drug discovery.

Dr Natalie Prow is a Research Fellow in Vaccinology at Hull York Medical School.  Her research is focused on identifying new therapeutic targets for drug and vaccine development.

Dr Pegine Walrad is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology.  Her research centres on regulators of Leishmania parasite differentiation, with emphasis on post-transcriptional control as the primary mode of gene regulation.

Dr Daniel Jeffares is a Lecturer in Computational Microbiology in the Department of Biology.  His research is focused on molecular evolution, molecular epidemiology and quantitative genetics of microbes. He aims to understand the interaction between evolutionary processes, demographic change and molecular biology, including host-parasite interactions.

Dr Katrien Van Bocxlaer is a Lecturer in Skin Research at Hull York Medical School. Her research interest focuses on drug delivery to the skin affected by infectious pathogens.

Professor Tony Wilkinson is a Professor based in the York Structural Biology Lab, Department of Chemistry.  His research focuses on the structural analysis of proteins involved in cell fate and disease processes.  One of his current projects focuses on enzymes of post-translational modification systems which constitute potential drug targets against Leishmania.

Dr Laurence Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology.  His research interests are in biophysics and bioengineering, in particular the development of new optical microscopy methods to study microorganisms.  He applies these methods to the biophysics of propulsion in swimming microorganisms.

Active funding:  

Dioraphte, European Commission, Medical Research Council, National Institutes of Health, Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation, Wellcome Trust.

Key Researchers

Dr Joana Faria is a Wellcome Trust / Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow based within the Department of Biology. She is interested in genetic mechanisms underpinning antigenic variation, a key virulence mechanism that allows African trypanosomes to alter the identity of proteins displayed to the host immune system. More broadly, her lab is interested in how nuclear bodies and genome architecture shape the gene expression landscape in Trypanosomatids. 

Dr Mathieu Cayla is an MRC Career Development Award Fellow based within the Department of Biology.  His research focus is on the signalling pathways that regulate autophagy and lysosome exocytosis in the parasite life-cycle and host adaptation.

Dr Damian Perez Mazliah is a Royal Society University Research Fellow in Hull York Medical School.  His lab studies B cell and antibody responses to the response to Trypanosoma cruzi.  To shed light on the mechanisms that regulate B cell responses to these diseases, and open the door to novel immune therapies and biomarkers to aid in the control of these diseases.

Professor Gavin Wright is a Professor of Microbial Biochemistry in Hull York Medical School and the Department of Biology. His research is centred on taking large scale systematic extracellular receptor protein interaction screens to identify host-pathogen interactions that are important for the pathology of infections. His research has identified leading vaccine candidates for malaria and trypanosomiasis.

Active funding:  

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Medical Research Council, The Royal Society, Wellcome Trust

Key Researchers

Dr Cecile Crosnier is an MRC Career Development Award Fellow in the Department of Biology.  Her research is focused on identifying host:parasite interactions involved in immune modulation as well as parasite antigens that are the targets of protective immunity to develop them as vaccines.

Dr James Hewitson is a Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences within the Department of Biology.  His lab focuses on mammalian immune responses to parasitic worm infections and the resulting changes in haematopoietic stem cells (HSC).

Active funding:  

Medical Research Council

Key Researchers 

Professor Gavin Wright is a Professor of Microbial Biochemistry in Hull York Medical School and the Department of Biology.  He is applying large scale extracellular protein interaction screens to identify host-pathogen interactions that are critical for disease pathology and thereby reveal targets for therapeutic intervention. 

Dr Cecile Crosnier is an MRC Career Development Award Fellow in the Department of Biology. Her research is focused on identifying parasite antigens that are the targets of protective immunity to develop them as vaccines.