Department of Veterinary Medicine

Research in Veterinary Medicine

Research description

My research interests are in basic immunology and infection and immunity of virus diseases of domestic animals. I have published widely in the field of basic immunology, the physiology of the immune system, animal disease research and veterinary science with particular emphasis on whole animal systems for the study of disease pathogenesis and infection and immunity. Current research interests focus on lentivirus infections and how they target the immune system. New studies have been published on the involvement of the lymphoreticular system in the pathogenesis of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies ( TSEs, ) . In collaboration with Dr Geoff Barnard we have developed a novel immunodiagnostic for TSEs of animals which is currently being developed as a commercial diagnostic with Revelation Bio and industrial sponsors. "One Medicine" has been a consistent theme of my research career where I have exploited uniqueness offered by animal physiology and animal disease problems to gain insights into basic aspects of immunology and pathology of diseases importance to both veterinary and comparative medicine.

Main collaborators

• Dr Geoff Barnard
• Dr Barbara Blacklaws
• Dr Ian Walker
• Professor Wayne Kimpton
• The Institute of Animal Health
• The Veterinary Laboratories Agency
  426-428 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth Dorset BH8 9AA
• Drs John Clarke and Amanda O'Brien, Enfer Scientific
  Unit T, M7 Business Park, Newhall, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland
• Dr Reza Dabaghian, Health Protection Agency
  Centre for Infections 61 Colindale Avenue London NW9 5EQ
• Drs Jim Hope and Maurice Sauer, Veterinary Laboratories Agency
  New Haw Addlestone Surrey KT15 3NB

Key publications since 2001

• Chan SS, Mastroeni P, McConnell I, Blacklaws BA. Salmonella infection of afferent lymph dendritic cells. J Leukoc Biol. 2008 83:272-9.
• Barnard G, Hopkins L, Moorthie S, Seilly D, Tonks P, Dabaghian R, Clewley JP, Coward J, McConnell I. Direct detection of disease associated prions in brain and lymphoid tissue using antibodies recognizing the extreme N-terminus of PrPC. Prion 2007 1:121-7.
• Hansell C, Zhu XW, Brooks H, Sheppard M, Withanage S, Maskell D, McConnell I. Unique features and distribution of the chicken CD83+ cell. J Immunol. 2007 179:5117-25.
• Baines SJ, Blacklaws BA, McInnes E, McConnell IM. CCH cells are potent stimulators in the allogeneic mixed leucocyte reaction. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2007 119:316-21.
• Chan SS, Lyons N, McConnell I, Blacklaws BA. Cloning and sequencing of ovine Flt3 ligand. Int J Immunogenet. 2007 34:167-71.
• Budhia S, Haring LF, McConnell I, Blacklaws BA. Quantitation of ovine cytokine mRNA by real-time RT-PCR. J Immunol Methods. 2006 309:160-72.
• Singh I, McConnell I, Blacklaws B. Immune response to individual maedi-visna virus gag antigens. J Virol. 2006 80:912-9.
• Dabaghian, R, Barnard G, McConnell I, Clewley JP An immunoassay for the pathological form of the prion protein based on denaturation and time resolved fluorometry. Journal of Virological Methods 2006 132:85-91.
• Pan T, Chang B, Wong P, Li C, Li R, Kang S-C, Robinson JD, Thompsett AR, Tein P, Yin S, Barnard G, McConnell I, Brown DR, Wisniewski T, Sy M-S (2005) An Aggregation-Specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay: Detection of Conformational Differences between Recombinant PrP Protein Dimers and PrPSc Aggregates. Journal of Virology 79: 12355-12364.
• Withanage GS, Wigley P, Kaiser P, Mastroeni P, Brooks H, Powers C, Beal R, Barrow P, Maskell D, McConnell I (2005) Cytokine and chemokine responses associated with clearance of a primary Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection in the chicken and in protective immunity to rechallenge. Infect Immun. 2005 Aug;73(8):5173-82.