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Dr Theresa Ward

Associate Professor

United Kingdom

Theresa Ward is a cell biologist with particular interest in host-pathogen interactions and how membrane trafficking pathways are used and subverted during an infection.

Originally with a PhD in Biochemistry from University of Sussex, Theresa was then a Research Fellow at National Institutes of Health before joining LSHTM as a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow.

Theresa is Academic lead for the Imaging and Cytometry Platform for Infection Biology.

Affiliations

Department of Infection Biology
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases

Centres

Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health
Antimicrobial Resistance Centre

Teaching

Theresa teaches on the MSc Immunology of Infectious Diseases and is Module organiser for the Molecular Cell Biology and Infection module.

Research

When activated B cells differentiate into plasma cells, huge changes in the cell's secretory machinery take place as the cell converts into an antibody production factory. I am particularly interested in regulation of the early secretory pathway, how the machinery recognises the so-called ER (endoplasmic reticulum) exit sites, where they form, and how this system is then controlled in the specialised secretory plasma cells. In the first instance, I am studying trafficking through the secretory pathway and the maintenance of organelle identity in undifferentiated cell types. I can then build on this knowledge to understand the changes that occur during proliferation of the secretion apparatus in normal plasma cell development and also when the cells are infected with Epstein Barr virus (EBV). I use a wide range of cell and molecular biological approaches in addition to confocal microscopy and other advanced imaging techniques to investigate the spatial and temporal relationship of intracellular components in living mammalian cells. Specific topics include:

* biogenesis and maintenance of ER exit sites

* the role of microtubules in ER-Golgi transport

* recruitment and sorting of secretory cargo

* mechanisms involved in proliferation of the secretory pathway during B cell activation

* pathogenesis of B cells upon infection with EBV, in collaboration with Dr Tanzina Haque (Department of Virology, Royal Free Hospital).

I am involved in a number of collaborations looking at the interaction of membrane trafficking machinery with intracellular pathogens, including the interaction of E. coli K1 strain with human brain endothelial cells, with Dr Naveed Khan (Sunway University, Malaysia).

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has recently funded a study to investigate the relationship between neonatal bacterial infections and maternal cholesterol levels in collaboration with Dr Kenneth Ssebambulidde (Infectious Diseases Research Institute, Makerere University, Uganda).

Research Area
Immunology
Bacteria
Virology
Microbiology
Cell biology
Neonatal health
Disease and Health Conditions
Infectious diseases
Meningitis
Sepsis
Country
Uganda
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)
World

Selected Publications

Relationship between maternal and/or newborn cholesterol levels and neonatal septicemia: protocol for a Ugandan cohort of mother-newborn pairs.
Ssebambulidde, K; Kayiira, A; Segawa, I; Namanda, S; Nakibuuka, V; Musiime, V; WARD, TH;
2022
BMC Pediatrics
Escherichia coli K1 utilizes host macropinocytic pathways for invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells.
Loh, LN; MCCARTHY, EM C; Narang, P; Khan, NA; WARD, TH;
2017
Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Dose-dependent effect and pharmacokinetics of fexinidazole and its metabolites in a mouse model of human African trypanosomiasis.
BURRELL-SAWARD, H; Harris, AJ; De LaFlor, R; Sallam, H; Alavijeh, MS; WARD, TH; CROFT, SL;
2017
International journal of antimicrobial agents
Trehalose dimycolate interferes with FcγR-mediated phagosome maturation through Mincle, SHP-1 and FcγRIIB signalling.
Patin, EC; Geffken, AC; WILLCOCKS, S; Leschczyk, C; Haas, A; Nimmerjahn, F; Lang, R; WARD, TH; Schaible, UE;
2017
PloS one
Bioluminescence Imaging to Detect Late Stage Infection of African Trypanosomiasis.
BURRELL-SAWARD, H; WARD, TH;
2016
Journal of visualized experiments
Mincle-mediated anti-inflammatory IL-10 response counter-regulates IL-12 in vitro.
Patin, EC; WILLCOCKS, S; Orr, S; WARD, TH; Lang, R; Schaible, UE;
2016
Innate immunity
A sensitive and reproducible in vivo imaging mouse model for evaluation of drugs against late-stage human African trypanosomiasis.
BURRELL-SAWARD, H; Rodgers, J; Bradley, B; CROFT, SL; WARD, TH;
2014
The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
Trafficking of bluetongue virus visualized by recovery of tetracysteine-tagged virion particles.
Du, J; BHATTACHARYA, B; WARD, TH; ROY, P;
2014
Journal of virology
Pathogen imaging applications.
TAYLOR, MC; WARD, TH;
2017
Methods (San Diego, Calif)
Cervical gene delivery of human beta-defensin 3 prevents ascending infection in pregnant mice
Suff, N; Karda, R; Bajaj-Elliott, M; Tangney, M; WARD, TH; Peebles, D; Buckley, SM K; Waddington, SN;
2017
HUMAN GENE THERAPY
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