Miss Helen Irving

Biography

Helen Irving has gained many years of experience at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), working within a higher education environment with Professor Charles Wondji across his Wellcome trust and Bill & Melinda Gates research projects.

She has developed a broad range of expertise from laboratory, management, logistics, finance, procurement, and capacity building.

Helen’s role has evolved from a predominantly laboratory technical support role to a laboratory management and institutional liaison role, to meet the organisational needs of The Centre of Research in Infectious Diseases, an LSTM partner research unit based in Cameroon.

Helen maintains effective operational links with Cameroon researchers to enable scientists and students to successfully perform their research activities. Co-ordinating activities in Cameroon and LSTM, as well as with other collaborators across Africa whilst ensuring all finances are managed appropriately and efficiently. She has established strong connections within LSTM and externally with collaborators, partners, and suppliers.

Helen is a member of LSTM’s lab user group, the technical forum and Technicians make it Happen Initiative.

Professor Wondji was awarded as the 2021 winner of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Chalmers Medal for Capacity building and the mentoring and professional development of junior investigators, a great achievement for all involved across the team.

Prior to working at LSTM Helen gained a BSc (Hons) Genetics from the University of Liverpool and worked in the Research and Development department at Dynal Biotech.

Research interests

Helen’s research explores insecticide resistance using genetic and molecular biology laboratory techniques. She works predominantly with anopheles funestus mosquitoes and drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) micro-injected with mosquito genes of interest identified from RNAseq analysis experiments.

Teaching

Helen contributes to capacity building by developing training for students, scientists and collaborators when visiting LSTM from southern partner institutes. 

Selected research publications

Genetic Mapping of Resistance: ddRADseq-Based QTL and Associated Polymorphism Conferring Resistance to Alpha-Cypermethrin in Anopheles funestus – Journal: Molecular Ecology – Published: 29th December 2025

Investigating the potential role of metabolic resistance genes in conferring cross-resistance to pyrethroids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants in the major malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii – Journal: BMC Genomics – Published: 7th November 2025

Genomic Drivers of Pyrethroid Resistance Escalation in the Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus Across Africa – Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution – Published: 24th October 2025

Association of a rapidly selected 4.3kb transposon-containing structural variation with a P450-based resistance to pyrethroids in the African malaria vector Anopheles funestus – Journal: PLoS Genetics – Published: 29th July 2024

Functional validation of endogenous redox partner cytochrome P450 reductase reveals the key P450s CYP6P9a/-b as broad substrate metabolizers conferring cross-resistance to different insecticide classes in Anopheles funestus. – Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Published: 25th July 2024

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