Dr A Shaw, Dr F Mawas, Prof Brendan Wren
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
A 3-year full-time studentship is available at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Division of Bacteriology, in collaboration with the Department of Pathogen and Molecular Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
The focus of the studentship is the development of a novel glyco-conjugate vaccine against Group A Streptococcus. The studentship is expected to start on 1st October 2018.
NIBSC is a global leader in the characterisation, standardisation and control of biological medicines and has a major role in protecting and improving public health globally. NIBSC is the leading WHO International Laboratory for Biological Standardisation and is responsible for producing and distributing over 90% of all WHO International Standards introduced for the quality assurance of biological medicines. Our scientists also test products, carry out valuable research and provide advice on a routine basis and in response to emergencies. The importance of the Institute’s work is well recognised nationally and internationally.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health. The mission is to is to improve health and health equity worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
Staff, students and alumni work in more than 150 countries in government, academia, international agencies and health services. The School’s multidisciplinary expertise includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, molecular biologists and immunologists, and we work with partners worldwide to support the development of teaching and research capacity. The LSHTM was named University of the Year 2016 by Times Higher Education, in recognition of our response to the Ebola epidemic. The LSHTM Department of Pathogen and Molecular Biology is part of the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a major human pathogen causing diseases ranging from mild pharyngitis to severe invasive diseases such as toxic shock syndrome and necrotising fasciitis, or further immunological disorders including rheumatic heart disease (RHD). There is as yet no licenced vaccine but a number of virulence factors have been identified but these are limited by strain variability globally. The GAS cell wall polysaccharide (PS) is conserved between strains, but as a vaccine component alone it would be a poor immunogen. Building on previous work by the supervisors the successful candidate will investigate the efficacy of a glyco-conjugate vaccine composed of GAS protein antigens and the GAS cell wall PS, as well as investigating the use of biological conjugation for this process.
Funding Notes
Tuition fees and consumables are covered and there is an £18,500 annual stipend. Please note
funding is available for UK and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals only.