Leading R&D projects/sustaining activities within Molecular and Synthetic Biology Tools team.

Developing strategic approaches to identifying and combating Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) outbreaks and other porcine viral diseases in the Philippines. The project will assess the current health situation in commercial and backyard farms and will aim to identify the current circulating virus strains and specific subtypes. The outcomes will provide the basis for the design of specific, easy-to-use diagnostic tools that would be informative of appropriate vaccination strategies and biosafety measures. The aim is to generate targeted advice for the commercial and backyard farms in order to prevent and combat viral disease.

Project employs three approaches:- Analysis of species-specific epitopes using anti-Candida human monoclonal antibodies for applications in a diagnostic and therapeutic setting;- Generation of recombinant C-type lectin receptor Fc chimeras (dectin-1, dectin-2, mincle, mannose receptor, DC SIGN) to analyse binding to different fungal pathogens/different Candida species as well as under varying environmental conditions;- Analysis of N-mannan diversity in fungi using whole-genome sequencing of F. pedrosoi genome;Skills: Antibody and recombinant protein expression using mammalian systems and purification using affinity chromatography, ELISA, Western Blot, confocal microscopy (3D live imaging), Immunogold labelling and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Flow Cytometry, cloning, tissue culture.

Contributing to the development of a sustained-release drug delivery system in a challenging and international environment.- Designing candidate formulations using biodegradable sustained release technology for clinical product development;- Carrying out in vitro release experiments to monitor formulation performance;- Developing analytical methods for reverse phase HPLC-UV detection and associated trouble-shooting activities;- Performing solubility and stability studies of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients as well as candidate formulations;- Polymer and in situ formed depot degradation analysis by GPC, Karl Fisher and NMR;- Preparation of dosing curves and mobile phases;- Compiling and reporting data in the laboratory notebooks and Excel;- Presentation of data in the internal and commercial partner meetings as well as teleconferences;- Preparation of protocols, written procedures and work instructions;- Coordinating project development and working closely with other team members on other projects;

Project: The role of Candida albicans cell surface components in phagocytosis, killing and expulsion by macrophagesThis research project examined the interaction between macrophages and Candida albicans cell surface glycoproteins. The overall aim was to identify key C. albicans surface components that are important for interactions with macrophages after treatment with antifungals. I tested the over-expression and null mutant strains of GPI-modified proteins, which are present on the C. albicans cell surface for their interactions with macrophages. For overexpression the gene of interest was placed under the control of a strong tetracycline-inducible promoter while for null mutant strains the gene of interest had been deleted. I determined the rate of engulfment using a microscopy-based phagocytosis assay. In addition, I examined the virulence of the strains using the Galleria mellonella (wax moth larvae) infection model.