Department of Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge Veterinary School

Research in Veterinary Medicine

Barbara Blacklaws

Position(s): Senior Lecturer in Molecular Virology; Director, Fundamentals of Veterinary Science Summer School; Fellow, Newnham College, Cambridge

Email: bab2@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 337609

Other relevant links

Research description

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.

Main collaborators

  • Prof Ian McConnell, University of Cambridge
  • Prof Gordon Harkiss, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Beatrice Amorena, Universidad Publica de Navarra, Spain
  • Prof Wayne Kinpton, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • Dr Alison Banham, University of Oxford

Key publications since 2006

 

  • 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 78(1): 326-36. [PubMed]
  • Bertoni, G & Blacklaws, B.A. (2010) Small ruminant lentiviruses and cross species transmission. Chpter 10 in Lentiviruses and Macrophages: molecular and cellular interactions. pp.277-306. ed. Moira Desport, Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-60-8.
  • 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 (2008). "Mucosal immunization against ovine lentivirus using PEI-DNA complexes and modified vaccinia Ankara encoding the gag and/or env genes." Vaccine 26(35): 4494-505. [PubMed]
  • Banham, A.H., Lyne, L., Scase, T.J. and Blacklaws, B.A. (2009) 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 127, 376-381 [PubMed]
  • Niesalla, H., de Andres, X., Barbezange, C., Fraisier, C., Reina, R., Arnarson, H., Biescas, E., Mazzei, M., McNeilly, T., Lui, C., Watkins, C., Perez, M., Carrozza, M.L., Bandecchi, P., Solano, C., Crespo, H., Glaria, I., Huard, C., Shaw, D.J., de Blas, I., De Andres, D., Tolari, F., Rosati, S., suzan-Monti, M., Andresdottir, V., Torsteindottir, S., Petursson, G., Badiola, J., Lujan, L., Pepin, M., Amorena, B Blacklaws, B., and Harkiss, G.D. (2008) Systemic DNA immunization against ovine lentivirus using particle-mediated epidermal delivery and modified vaccinia Ankara encoding the gag and/or envgenes. Vaccine 27, 260-269. [PubMed]
  • Wu, C., Barbezange, C., McConnell, I. and Blacklaws, B.A. (2008) Mapping and Characterization of Visna Maedi Virus Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Epitopes. J. Gen. Virol. 89, 2586-2596. [PubMed]
  • Chan, S.S., Mastroeni, P., McConnell, I. & Blacklaws, B.A. (2008) Salmonella infection of afferent lymph dendritic cells. J. Leukoc. Biol. 83, 272-279. [PubMed]
  • Reina, R., Glaria, I., Benavides, J., de Andrés, X., Crespo, H., Solano, C., Pérez, V., Luján, L., Pérez, M. M., Pérez de la Lastra, J. M., Rosati, S., Blacklaws, B. A., Harkiss, G., Amorena, B., de Andrés, D. (2007) Association of CD80 and CD86 expression levels with disease status of Visna Maedi Virus infected sheep. Viral Immunology, 20, 609-622. [PubMed]
  • Luce, R., Shepherd, M., Paillot, R., Blacklaws, B., Wood, J.L.N. & Kydd, J.H. (2007) Equine herpesvirus-1-specific, interferon-gamma (IFNγ) synthesis by PBMC in Thoroughbred horses. Equine Vet. J. 39, 202-209. [PubMed]
  • Singh, I., McConnell, I. & Blacklaws, B.A. (2006) Immune response to individual Maedi-Visna virus gag antigens. J. Virol. 80, 912-919. [PubMed]