Hiscox Lab
Several research projects are on going and these are summarized here:
Project 1: Interaction of IBV with the cell cycle. The aim of the project is to investigate the specific interaction between IBV and cyclin D1 focusing on elucidating viral interactions with cell cycle regulatory pathways and identification of viral proteins responsible for the observed phenotype.
Project 2: The cell and molecular biology of hRSV. Whilst the details of hRSV replication and immuno-biology are well characterized, how the virus interacts with the host cell is an unexplored area. The focus of this project area is to use molecular cell biology to map host cell interactions and to understand their functions in virus biology. This project is conducted in collaboration with Dr John Barr at Leeds.
Project 3: Interaction of CCHFV with the host cell. CCHFV is a Biosafety Level 4 pathogen and we are studying the interaction of this virus and its proteins with the host cell. This project is conducted in collaboration with Dr John Barr at Leeds and the Health Protection Agency.
Project 4: The nucleolus and cancer. This project investigates changes in the nucleolus as a result of cellular proliferation focusing on models of colorectal cancer and looks at how such cells might be specifically targeted and killed. This project is conducted in collaboration with Dr Adrian Whitehouse at Leeds.
Project 5: Functioning of the PRRSV N protein. This project focuses on the biological properties of the PRRSV N protein specifically examining RNA binding and sub-cellular localization and how knowledge of this can be exploited for vaccine development. This project is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Fernando Osorio at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA.
Our publications can be found by following this link: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/showPubs.php?staff=Hiscox
We are happy to provide pdf copies and answer any questions on these.
Currently research in the laboratory is supported by the BBSRC, MRC, Health Protection Agency, and the Wellcome Trust.