Biography
2023.10 - present: PhD in Biological Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
2022.08 - 2022.12: Research Assistant, Molecular Microbiology Department, John Innes Centre, UK
2021.09 - 2022.09: MSc Biological Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, UK
2019.07 - 2021.06: BSc Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia
2017.09 - 2021.09: BSc Biotechnology, Southwest University, China
Research
Streptococcus suis is a common pig pathogen colonising nearly all pig farms. While hardly lethal in pigs, S. suis still causes large economic losses to the swine industry because infected meat cannot be sold. Moreover, S. suis is extremely dangerous for the meat industry workers, because when transmitted to human it causes meningitis in 80% of patients and deafness in 60% of recovered casualties.
Unfortunately, neither vaccine nor diagnostic tool against S. suis is available, therefore the development of alternative control is an utterly important task. To develop such methods detailed understanding of how pathogenicity of S. suis evolved is required. Depending on whether pathogenicity evolved via the lack of recombination ability or the lack of recombination opportunity interventions based on increased biosecurity or use of antimicrobials, blocking horizontal gene transfer may be preferable.
In my PhD I aim to produce a comprehensive model of how restricted recombination is involved in emerging pathogenicity and thus contribute to the food safety and sustainability by facilitating design of novel treatment strategies.
