This PhD opportunity is being offered as part of the LSTM and Lancaster University Doctoral Training Partnership. Find out more about the studentships and how to apply.
| Abstract | Many monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) licensed today are so-called ‘blockbuster’ therapies, with the majority of the Top 10 best-selling therapeutic drugs being mAbs. Until recently, mAbs for infectious diseases have largely lagged behind those for cancer and immunotherapies. However, the increase in demand for therapies, and spurred on by the COVID pandemic, has led to substantial investments and advances in optimised manufacturing and reducing production costs. As such, there is increasing appetite for investing and developing mAbs for neglected tropical diseases and infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases (EID). Using Lancaster University’s and LSTM’s unique resources and expertise in biologics and antibody discovery, this project will focus on the development of mAbs to provide novel therapeutics and/or diagnostic tools for global health challenges, using in vitro and in silico methods. Due to the nature of the methodological approaches used we can be flexible in the NTD or EID under investigation to suit the candidate’s interests, with potential projects including, but not limited to, snakebite envenoming, viral haemorrhagic fevers, and fungal infection. |
| Where does this project lie in the translational pathway? | T1 - Basic Research |
| Expected Outputs | The expected outputs for this project will be high-impact papers, patents and the potential discovery for discovery of therapeutic candidates or diagnostic tools for the NTD or EID under investigation. |
| Training Opportunities | • Full training in a range of in vitro and in vivo antibody discovery and validation techniques • Training in recombinant engineering of bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells will be provided • Immunological training on a range of high-throughput and sensitive techniques (e.g. Flow cytometry, FACS, SPR) will be provided. |
| Skills Required | We expect the student to possess strong organisational and project solving aptitude. The student would benefit from basic skills in microbiology and immunology, however, this is not essential as we will provide in-depth training in all techniques. |
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Key Publications associated with this project |
Khalek, IS. et al. 2024 ‘Synthetic development of a broadly neutralizing antibody against snake venom long-chain α-neurotoxins’. Sci. Transl. Med.16,eadk1867 DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.adk1867 |
| Torres SV., et al. De novo designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2024 May 17:rs.3.rs-4402792. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4402792/v1. PMID: 38798548; PMCID: PMC11118692. | |
| Laustsen AH. 2019 How can monoclonal antibodies be harnessed against neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases? Expert Opin Drug Discov.14(11):1103-1112. doi: 10.1080/17460441.2019.1646723. Epub 2019 Jul 31. PMID: 31364421. | |
| Lu, RM. et al. 2020 ‘Development of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of diseases’. J Biomed Sci 27, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-019-0592-z | |
| Ledsgaard, L. et al. 2023 ‘Discovery and optimization of a broadly-neutralising human monoclonal antibody against long-chain a-neurotoxins from snakes’ Nature Comms, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36393-4 |