John Ackers MA MSc DPhil

Emeritus Professor

• Affiliation
• Teaching
• Research
• Publications

• 
• Room 359A
• LSHTM
• Keppel Street
• London
• WC1E 7HT
• T: +44 (0) 20 7927 2443

John Ackers has  retired but remains heavily involved in teaching to both London-based and Distance Learning students. He joined the School initially to work on improved diagnostic methods for Trichomonas vaginalis. Later he became interested in other protozoa which infect the mucous-covered surfaces of our bodies, in particular Entamoeba histolytica. He played a small part in the research which led to the realisation that amoebiasis was caused by two different but, in appearance identical, species of Entamoeba - the truly pathogenic E. histolytica and the harmless E. dispar. T. vaginalis, for many years neglected, is also now attracting research interest as it appears to make transmission of the AIDS virus more likely. In 2002 he successfully completed a year's sabbatical taking a Computational Genetics & Bioinformatics MSc course at ImperialCollege, London, and has subsequently developed new research interests and teaching in this area.

Affiliation

• Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology

Teaching

He now co-organises the Basic Parasitology module and teaches on the MSc Medical Parasitology course, the DTM&H course and several other internal and external MScs, including those at the London Hospital Medical College, Middlesex University and the University of Western Australia in Perth, as well as being a tutor for the Distance Learning MSc in Infectious Diseases.

Research

The main aim of his research now in a computer-based annotation and description of the E. histolytica genome and, in particular, trying to understand how it differs from the closely related but non-pathogenic E. dispar. He has a particular interest in the SINEs (mobile genetic elements) which are present in the genomes of both organisms.

• Selected publications

• A preliminary investigation of microsatellite-based genotyping in Trichomonas vaginalis.

  Prokopi, M.; Chatzitheodorou, T.; Ackers, J.P.; Clark, C.G.;

  Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 2011; 105(8):479-81

• Bioinformatic analysis of Entamoeba histolytica SINE1 elements.

  Huntley, D.M.; Pandis, I.; Butcher, S.A.; Ackers, J.P.;

  BMC Genomics, 2010; 11(1):321

• Sexual transmission of intestinal parasites in men who have sex with men

  Abdolrasouli, A.; McMillan, A.; Ackers, J.P.

  Sexual Health, 2009; 6(3):185-194

• SINE elements of Entamoeba dispar.

  Shire, A.M.; Ackers, J.P.;

  Mol Biochem Parasitol, 2007; 152:47-52

• Structure and Content of the Entamoeba histolytica Genome.

  Clark, C.G.; Alsmark, U.C.; Tazreiter, M.; Saito-Nakano, Y.; Ali, V.; Marion, S.; Weber, C.; Mukherjee, C.; Bruchhaus, I.; Tannich, E.; Leippe, M.; Sicheritz-Ponten, T.; Foster, P.G.; Samuelson, J.; Noël, C.J.; Hirt, R.P.; Embley, T.M.; Gilchrist, C.A.; Mann, B.J.; Singh, U.; Ackers, J.P.; Bhattacharya, S.; Bhattacharya, A.; Lohia, A.; Guillén, N.; Duchêne, M.; Nozaki, T.; Hall, N.;

  Adv Parasitol, 2007; 65:51-190

• The genome of the protist parasite Entamoeba histolytica.

  Loftus, B.; Anderson, I.; Davies, R.; Alsmark, U.C.; Samuelson, J.; Amedeo, P.; Roncaglia, P.; Berriman, M.; Hirt, R.P.; Mann, B.J.; Nozaki, T.; Suh, B.; Pop, M.; Duchene, M.; Ackers, J.; Tannich, E.; Leippe, M.; Hofer, M.; Bruchhaus, I.; Willhoeft, U.; Bhattacharya, A.; Chillingworth, T.; Churcher, C.; Hance, Z.; Harris, B.; Harris, D.; Jagels, K.; Moule, S.; Mungall, K.; Ormond, D.; Squares, R.; Whitehead, S.; Quail, M.A.; Rabbinowitsch, E.; Norbertczak, H.; Price, C.; Wang, Z.; Guillan, N.; Gilchrist, C.; Stroup, S.E.; Bhattacharya, S.; Lohia, A.; Foster, P.G.; Sicheritz-Ponten, T.; Weber, C.; Singh, U.; Mukherjee, C.; El-Sayed, N.M.; Petri, W.A.;Clark,C.G.; Embley, T.M.; Barrell, B.; Fraser, C.M.; Hall, N.;

  Nature, 2005; 433(7028):865-8

• A bioinformatic analysis of the RAB genes of Trypanosoma brucei.

  Ackers, J.P.; Dhir, V.; Field, M.C.;

  Mol Biochem Parasitol, 2005; 141(1):89-97

• Differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar by PCR and their correlation with humoral and cellular immunity in individuals with clinical variants of amoebiasis

  Sanchez-Guillen, M. D.; Perez-Fuentes, R.; Salgado-Rosas, H.; Ruiz-Arguelles, A.; Ackers, J.; Shire, A.; Talamas-Rohana, P.

  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2002; 66(6):731-7

• → View all John Ackers's publications

• Introducing Our School
• People Search
• Expert Directory
• Giving to the School
• Jobs
• Division of Education
• Academic and Administrative Services
• Governance and Organisation
• Contact Us
• Term Dates
• Policies and Regulations
• Alumni

• All John Ackers's publications

Back to top