Professor Nicola Stonehouse

Profile

I am a virologist, interested in both the fundamental aspects of the viral lifecycle and the development of novel vaccines. While a post-doctoral fellow, an interest in perusing high-resolution structural studies of RNA-protein complexes led to a long-term collaboration with Lars Liljas’ group in Uppsala, Sweden and ultimately led to the award of a Career Development Fellowship from the UK Medical Research Council. Over time, I moved from working on bacteriophage to picornaviruses and was appointed as Lecturer in 2001 and to Chair in Molecular Virology in 2014.

I collaborate widely and my current funding supports vaccine development, studies of the replication of foot-and-mouth disease virus and understanding the fundamental aspects of viral capsid assembly. The vaccine projects involve studies to generate a generic vaccine ‘scaffold’ and the development and characterisation of stabilised empty viral capsids as vaccine candidates for poliovirus and other enteroviruses.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (FRSA) and the UK Higher Education Academy. I teach at all levels and have undertaken a number of roles aiming to support more junior scientists.

Research interests

Viral replication and assembly and vaccine development.

• Development of vaccine platforms
• Live cell imaging capability for research on pathogenic viruses
• Mass spectrometry infrastructure for in-cell structural biology
• The development of a virus-free VLP polio vaccine
• Understanding enterovirus maturation

Qualifications

• BSc, UEA; PhD 1992, Leeds.
• PGCLTHE
• FRSB
• FRSA

Professional memberships

• Microbiology Society
• Biochemical Society

Student education

Postgraduate studentship areas:

• Picornaviral replication
• Virus-like particle vaccine development
• Use of RNA aptamers to study viral proteins and inhibit their function

See also:

• Faculty Graduate School
• FindaPhD Project details:
  • Project 2662
  • Project 41347
  • Project 41271

Modules managed

BIOL3400 - Skills in the Cell Biology of Human Disease

Modules taught

BIOC1301 - Introductory Integrated Biochemistry: the Molecules and Processes of Life
BIOC3111/12/BIOL3112/MICR3120 A - ATU - Visualising Viruses
BIOC3160 - Laboratory/Literature/Computing Research Project
BIOL2301 - Intermediate Skills for Biological Sciences
BIOL2301/03 - Intermediate Skills - BIOL
BIOL3306 - Biological Sciences Research Project
BIOL3399 - Extended Research Project Preparation
BIOL3400 - Skills in the Cell Biology of Human Disease
BIOL5180M - Biopharmaceutical Drug Discovery and Pre-clinical testing
BIOL5294M - MSc Bioscience Research Project Proposal
BIOL5296M - Treatment of Infectious Disease and Cancer
BIOL5382M - Extended Research Project
BIOL5392M - Bioscience MSc Research Project
BIOL5394M - Specialised Research Topics and Skills
BIOW5902X - Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design
BLGY3110 - Applied Genetics
BMSC2120 - Scientific Skills
MICR1120 - Introduction to Microbiology
MICR2121 - Molecular Virology
MICR2222 - Medical Virology
MICR3110 - Medical Microbiology Research Project
MICR3120/BIOC3111/12/BIOL3112 A - ATU - Respiratory infections
MICR3343 - Skills for Microbiology in Relation to Medicine

Academic roles

UG Programme Leader - MCB intercalated programmes

Committees

Member of Undergraduate School Taught Student Education Committee