Bacterial immune evasion. (360G-Wellcome-102908_Z_13_Z)

The overall aim of research in my laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens cause disease and to exploit this to design novel approaches for preventing infection. The main questions we will address in this application are: i) what is the basis of host susceptibility to meningococcal disease? A genome wide association study (GWAS) has highlighted that complement factor H related proteins (CFHRs) contribute to host susceptibility to meningococcal disease, and thi s application takes advantage of recent insights into CFHR function, and ii) what are the mechanisms that enable Neisseria meningitidis to evade host immunity and what are the implications for survival of this important human pathogen in the human nasopharynx? This will be achieved by studying the molecular mechanisms underlying virulence in this important human pathogen, and analysing the dynamics of carriage of the meningococcus and other members of the flora in the human nasopharynx.