Investigating in vitro correlates of protection and functional assays for Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Lead Institute / Faculty: Medicine

Main Supervisor: Professor Myron Christodoulides

Other members of the supervisory team: Dr. Vega Masignani and Dr. Mariagrazia Pizza (GlaxoSmithKline supervisors)

Duration of the award: 4 years

Project description: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus) is the causative organism of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea and there are ~100 million cases reported each year, affecting both men and women. For women, infection is often asymptomatic and particularly serious if untreated, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and permeant sequelae such as infertility. These are leading issues for women’s health worldwide and are exacerbated by the emergence of multi-antibiotic resistant gonococci: indeed, resistance has led to this organism now being classified as a ‘superbug’. The development of modern genome- and proteome-based technologies has stimulated new interest in the field of gonococcal vaccine research, but robust, reproducible and validated in vitro assays for vaccine evaluation and correlates of protection are lacking. The main research objectives of the PhD project are to i) develop reliable new in vitro assays that could be adopted for antigen identification and screening and immunological/functional characterization, and ii) use state-of-the-art immuno-proteomics to evaluate the outer membrane composition of gonococcal strains and examine immunological reactivity of sera raised to candidate gonococcal vaccine antigens.

This 4 year PhD studentship is available within the Neisseria Research Group in the University of Southampton, Faculty of Medicine. The Group has made fundamental contributions to understanding the immunobiology of this pathogen. The studentship is under the supervision of Professor Myron Christodoulides (Southampton) and involves a placement of between 3-6 months at GlaxoSmithKline-Siena Vaccine Division, Italy, under the supervision of Dr. Vega Masignani and Dr. Mariagrazia Pizza. This industrial placement will provide the successful applicant with a unique opportunity to develop further research skills in the vaccine division that has been at the forefront in using genomics and proteomics approaches to develop new vaccines. The PhD student will be trained in the molecular and cellular microbiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, protein biochemistry and immunology. Enthusiasm to work in stimulating and interdisciplinary academic and industrial environments is highly desirable and the ideal candidate for this studentship will have a strong background in microbiology and an interest in vaccine development.

.Please contact: Name of Academic with email address. Professor Myron Christodoulides, [Email Address Removed]

Person Specification: See below.
https://jobs.soton.ac.uk/Upload/vacancies/files/15700/USE%20Doctoral%20Researcher%20Person%20Specification_UoS_FoM_PhD.docx

The successful candidate is likely to have the following qualifications:
• A 1stor 2:1 degree in Microbiology or a relevant discipline and/or second degree with a related Masters.
Administrative contact and how to apply:
Please complete the University’s online application form, which you can find at
https://studentrecords.soton.ac.uk/BNNRPROD/bzsksrch.P_Login?pos=4355&majr=4355&term=201718

You should enter Myron Christodoulides as your proposed supervisor. To support your application provide an academic CV (including contact details of two referees), official academic transcripts and a personal statement (outlining your suitability for the studentship, what you hope to achieve from the PhD and your research experience to date).

Informal enquiries relating to the project or candidate suitability should be directed to Myron Christodoulides, [Email Address Removed].

Closing date: 31st May, 2017
Interview date: July 3rd-5th, 2017