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Mr Andrew Hanton
The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK
“100 ways to cook a virus: development of a reverse genetics platform for transmissible gastroenteritis virus”
Bio: I am a final year PhD student at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, in the lab group of Dr Christine Tait-Burkard. Prior to my PhD, I undertook a BSc (Hons) and an MScR in biomedical sciences at the University of Edinburgh, where I specialised in infectious diseases and immunology. My PhD focusses on the porcine alphacoronavirus transmissible gastroenteritis virus and the development of novel high-throughput RNA genomics tools to study host-pathogen interactions within a porcine model. Furthermore, I have worked on applying emerging reverse genetics
technologies to the study of TGEV, and will present my work on establishing a reverse genetics system and the difficulties involved. Lastly and more recently, I have been involved in responding to the recent outbreak of a novel feline coronavirus in Cyprus. I have particular research interests in One Health, zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases, veterinary infectious diseases, and RNA virology.
Mr James Kirk
The Pirbright Institute/ The University of Bristol, UK
“Evaluating changes in the spike S2′ cleavage site of the avian gammacoronavirus infectious bronchitis virus on virus tropism and protease usage”
Bio: I am a first year PhD student in the Coronavirus group at The Pirbright Institute, and The University of Bristol. Before starting my PhD I completed a BSc in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry which included an 11-month placement at The Pirbright Institute where I researched the avian gammacoronavirus, Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV). My PhD research is also based on IBV. Specifically, ways in which we can better propagate the virus in cell culture in an aim to improve vaccine development. The main way I am doing this is by reverse genetics and modification of the spike protein in order to improve in vitro replication.
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