Research
I have a long term interest in the immune response to persistent viral infections, in particular the CTL response to viruses. I have been investigating the immune response to visna maedi virus, a lentiviral infection of sheep. This is a model lentiviral infection with a strict tropism for macrophages and dendritic cells and as such allows the study of viral control mechanisms in the absence of immune deficiencies as is seen with HIV. The group has also been part of a European wide project to study possible protective vaccination antigens and protocols against the virus. The work of the group has expanded to look at dendritic cell function in this infection as well as in other pathogen diseases including Salmonella. I have investigated the immune response to visna maedi virus, a lentiviral infection of sheep. This is a model lentiviral infection with a strict tropism for macrophages and dendritic cells and as such allows the study of viral control mechanisms in the absence of immune deficiencies as is seen with HIV. We are also beginning to move into mouse models with an interest in murine norovirus pathogenesis and immune responses to the virus.
Publications
Peters, S. E., G. K. Paterson, E. S. Bandularatne, H. C. Northen, S. Pleasance, C. Willers, J. Wang, A. K. Foote, F. Constantino-Casas, T. J. Scase, B. A. Blacklaws, C. E. Bryant, P. Mastroeni, I. G. Charles and D. J. Maskell Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium trxA mutants are protective against virulent challenge and induce less inflammation than the live-attenuated vaccine strain SL3261. Infect Immun 2010 78(1): 326-36.
Banham, A.H., Lyne, L., Scase, T.J. and Blacklaws, B.A. Monoclonal antibodies raised to the human FOXP3 protein can be used effectively for detecting Foxp3+ T cells in other mammalian species. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 2009 127, 376-381
De Andrés, X., Reina, R., Ciriza, J., Crespo, H., Glaría, I., Ramírez, H., Grilló, M.-J., Pérez, M.-M., Andrésdottir, V., Rosati, S., Suzan-Monti, M., Luján, L., Blacklaws, B., Harkiss, G., De Andrés, D.-F. & Amorena, B. (2009) Use of B7 costimulatory molecules as adjuvants in a prime-boost vaccination against Visna / Maedi ovine lentivirus. Vaccine 27, 4591-600.
Reina, R., C. Barbezange, H. Niesalla, X. de Andres, H. Arnarson, E. Biescas, M. Mazzei, C. Fraisier, T. N. McNeilly, C. Liu, M. Perez, M. L. Carrozza, P. Bandecchi, C. Solano, H. Crespo, I. Glaria, C. Huard, D. J. Shaw, I. de Blas, D. de Andres, F. Tolari, S. Rosati, M. Suzan-Monti, V. Andresdottir, S. Torsteinsdottir, G. Petursson, L. Lujan, M. Pepin, B. Amorena, B. Blacklaws and G. D. Harkiss. Mucosal immunization against ovine lentivirus using PEI-DNA complexes and modified vaccinia Ankara encoding the gag and/or env genes. Vaccine 2008 26(35): 4494-505. [
Banham, A.H., Lyne, L., Scase, T.J. and Blacklaws, B.A. Monocolnal antibodies raised to the human FOXP3 protein can be used effectively for detecting Foxp3+ T cells in other mammalian species. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 2009 127, 376-381
Wu C, Barbezange C, McConnell I, Blacklaws BA. Mapping and Characterization of Visna Maedi Virus Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Epitopes. J. Gen. Virol 2008 (89):2586–2596
