Bacteriophage-based biocontrol of pathogens in the food chain

The presence of Listeria in the food chain is a persistent threat to public health. In this project, the student will investigate the use of bacteriophages, viruses of bacteria, as biocontrol agents to act against Listeria present in the food production chain. The project will focus on phage discovery, characterisation and phage-host interactions linked with bacterial and phage genomics.

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Mechanisms of infection and virulence of Salmonella in the liver

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a foodborne pathogen that induces gastroenteritis in humans and animals. While most of the research investigating Salmonella infection have focused on intestinal and immune cells, the liver is one of the main targets of Salmonella.

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Chew on this! Understanding food structure transformation during oral processing and its impact on digestion

Ever wondered how chewing transforms your food? Be it a crunchy cracker, gooey cookie, or a lumpy porridge, our mouth is capable of transforming these different textures into a bolus that is safe to swallow. As we chew, bite-size chunks are reduced to smaller particles and mixed with saliva through complex and dynamic oral processes which result in the formation of a soft and smooth bolus ready to pass down the

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Bacterial evolution in gut microbiomes

Bacterial strains in the human gut microbiome can live for decades in association to us. During this time their genomes mutate, we assume that this happens partly to adapt to our own lifestyles. In this project, we will investigate such mutations and their evolutionary impact, using metagenomic time series data of dietary interventions, family cohorts and experimental evolution trials in mice, created in

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Combatting Salmonella infection in the gut with sialic acid derivatives

This PhD studentship provides an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to address fundamental questions on the role of mucin-derived glycans on Salmonella infection in the gut. The mucus layer in the intestine represents an important line of defence against bacterial infections such as Salmonella. Sialic acid is an abundant sugar residue found in terminal locations of mucin glycan

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How does a Superbug evolve?

Bacteria are key parts of the human microbiome, and we carry as many bacterial cells as our own representing hundreds or thousands of species in any individual. These bacteria have a large impact on our health and can also cause disease making understanding how they adapt and evolve to live with us critical. One group of important bacteria are the coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) which commonly

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