Professor Tony Nolan

Chair in Functional Genetics

1997 BSc at Imperial College: Applied Biology
2003 PhD at Imperial College: A transformation technology for mosquito vectors of malaria
2003-2008 Postdocs at University of Rome “la Sapienza” and University College London looking at genome defence mechanisms against genetic parasites and ageing.
2008-2018 Senior Research Fellow in the Target Malaria research consortium, leading research to develop gene drives for the control of the malarial mosquito.
2019-2022 Senior Lecturer, LSTM
2022-2023 Reader, LSTM
2023 - Chair in Functional Genetics, LSTM

Our group's research focuses on three areas:

1 - Genetic control of mosquito populations in order to control malaria transmission
2 - Development of functional genetics tools for the study of key mosquito traits (such as insecticide resistance,
mosquito fertility, bloodmeal digestion etc.)
3 - Developing and sharing capacity around the molecular biology and genetics - both knowledge and practical
infrastructure - that is needed to accompany the implementation and monitoring of vector control
programmes

We have active research collaborations in the UK and EU (Liverpool John Moores; Keele; Imperial College; PoloGGB at Terni, Italy) and in Africa (IRSS, Burkina Faso; USTTB, Bamako, Mali; Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe; Ifakara Health Research Institute, Tanzania)

Teaching

Co-director MRes in Tropical Health and Infectious Disease Research
Lecturer, MSc in Tropical Disease Biology
Lecturer, Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Lecturer, BSc in Tropical Disease Biology (University of Liverpool)

Further relevant expertise, professional memberships, awards

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Springboard Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2021-2023)
Vice-Chair of Scientific Committee, ARRIGE (Association for Responsible Research in Genome Editing) 2021-2022

Recent publications: 

    Selected publications

    • Gene-drive suppression of mosquito populations in large cages as a bridge between lab and field
      A Hammond, P Pollegioni, T Persampieri, A North, R Minuz, A Trusso, A Bucci, K Kyrou, I Morianou, A Simoni, T Nolan, R Müller, A Crisanti
      Nature communications 12 (1), 1-9

      Control of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes using gene drives T Nolan Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2021) Vol 367, Issue 1818

      Regulation of gene drive expression increases its invasive potential and mitigates resistance A Hammond, X Karlsson, I Morianou, K Kyrou, A Beaghton, M Gribble, N Kranjc, R Galizi, A Burt, A Crisanti, T Nolan PLoS Genetics (2021) 17(1): e1009321

      A male-biased sex-distorter gene drive for the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Simoni A, Hammond AM, Beaghton AK, Galizi R, Taxiarchi C, Kyrou K, Meacci D, Gribble M, Morselli G, Burt A, Nolan T, Crisanti A. Nature Biotechnology 2020 May 11

      Toward the Definition of Efficacy and Safety Criteria for Advancing Gene Drive-Modified Mosquitoes to Field Testing. James SL, Marshall JM, Christophides GK, Okumu FO, Nolan T. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2020 Apr;20(4):237-251.

      A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive targeting doublesex causes complete population suppression in caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes Kyrou K, Hammond AM, Galizi R, Kranjc N, Burt A, Beaghton AK, Nolan T and Crisanti A Nature Biotechnology 2018, 36, pages1062–1066

      The dynamics of creation and selection of mutations resistant to a gene drive over multiple generations in the malaria mosquito A Hammond, K Kyrou, M Bruttini, A North, R Galizi, X Karlsson, F Carpi, R D’Aurizio, A Crisanti and T Nolan PLoS Genetics 2017, Oct 9

      A CRISPR-based Gene Drive System Targeting Female Reproduction in the Malaria Mosquito. A Hammond, R Galizi, K Kyrou, A Simoni, C Siniscalchi, D Katsanos, M Gribble, D Baker, E Marois, S Russell, A Burt, N Windbichler, A Crisanti and T Nolan. Nature Biotechnology 34,78–83 (2016)