Work packages leading:
WP7: A novel African swine fever vaccine for interface regions

Dr Chris Netherton

The Pirbright Institute
Principal Investigator, African Swine Fever Vaccinology

Email:
Web: pirbright.ac.uk/users/dr-chris-netherton

DEFEND role: Work package leader: WP7

Chris Netherton runs the African Swine Fever Vaccinology group and has been investigating different aspects of the life cycle of African swine fever virus (ASFV) for over twenty years.

His studies on ASFV have encompassed analysis of individual viral proteins right through to herd transmission experiments. Chris’ earlier work on ASFV focussed on intracellular virus-host interactions with a strong emphasis on cell-biology.

The aim of the group’s current research is to guide the design of vaccines against African swine fever through a combination of functional genomics, identifying correlates of protection and gaining a deeper understanding of host-pathogen interactions. They aim to identify correlates of protection by analysing the cellular and adaptive immune response of pigs protected from virulent African swine fever virus by experimental vaccines.

Characterisation of how ASFV manipulates host pathways will further their understanding of immune evasion mechanisms and identify additional virulence factors for targeted deletion from candidate live attenuated vaccines.