Division of Infection and Immunity

PATHSEEK: Automated Next Generation Sequencing for Diagnostic Microbiology

Summary: PATHSEEK is a 3-year research project funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme running from September 2012. 

The project is a collaborative effort led by UCL and involves three further Partners:
Oxford Gene Technology (England),
CLC Bio (Denmark) and
Erasmus Medical Centre (Netherlands). 

PATHSEEK proposes to set up an automated, user-friendly disruptive next generation sequencing platform for use in diagnostic microbiology.  The platform will utilise target enrichment methods to specifically sequence the genetic material of single or multiple pathogens, and relevant host biomarkers, from a single specimen.

PATHSEEK will also develop user-friendly bioniformatics software for use in the diagnostic environment.  The platform will be developed using the following target pathogens: Influenza A, cytomegalovirus, HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Norovirus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Chlamydia trachomatis.

I&I Project Personnel: Professor Judy Breuer, Dr Dan Depledge, Dr Rachel Williams and Ms Helena Tutill

Website link:  www.ucl.ac.uk/pathseek
Contact Name:  Judy Breuer (email) or Rachel Williams (email)

Date: 25 June, 2013

Dr Matthew Bates

Dr Matthew Bates is a Research Associate at UCL but is based at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia, where he directs ‘UNZA-UCLMS’, Professor Ali Zumla’s medical research and capacity development partnership between University College London and the University of Zambia School of Medicine (www.unza-uclms.org).

Dr Bates coordinates a busy research programme under the broad umbrella of ‘infectious disease diagnostics’, and has this month secured on-going funding from philanthropic donors in the U.S, for ‘CHANCE’ (www.unza-uclms.org/chance) an intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality at the neonatal intensive care unit at UTH. Mortality rates are currently as high as 40%, and funds raised will be used to employ additional nursing staff, provide training and procure essential equipment and consumables.

Dr Bates is settled in Zambia with his wife and two sons, and first discovered the desperate situation on the neonatal unit when his son, Kuyoya, was admitted there shortly after birth with mild respiratory problems.

Date: 25 June, 2013

Watch our researchers show and tell...

Dr Clare Jolly (Wohl)
3D tomographic model of cell-cell spread at the T cell virological synapse. Virus (red spheres) is being transmitted from an HIV-1 infected T cell (right, red plasma
membrane) to a target T cell (left, yellow plasma membrane).
Tomography and modelling was performed by Dr Sonja Welsch.

Link

Professor Deenan Pillay (Infection)

Professor Deenan Pillay, Head of the Research Department of Infection delivers a mini-lecture on the challenges of HIV (UCLtv).