Profile
I received my
D.V.M. in 1999 from the School of Veterinary
Medicine, U.W.I. After graduation I worked in
a mixed practice in Trinidad, before moving to
southern Morocco in 2001 to take up an appointment
with the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al Saud
Foundation for the Conservation and Development
of Wildlife. This wildlife facility led the world
in the artificial breeding and release of their
flagship species- the houbara bustard. Through
the kind sponsorship of our patron, we were able
to set up a world class avian veterinary diagnostic
laboratory to service similar breeding centres
in the wider Middle-East.
I completed
an internship in raptor medicine in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, before moving to Abu Dhabi in
2003, and was one of a team of veterinary surgeons
working at the world’s largest bird-of-prey
hospital. The appointment involved clinical work
as well as the preservation of the cultural traditions
in the art of falconry and raptor conservation.
I am presently funded by the Cambridge Infectious Diseases Consortium (C.I.D.C., Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, Univ. of Cambridge) to pursue research in avian molecular immunology at the Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Berkshire. I work on the Mx gene in the chicken, and its role in antiviral action against high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI). I investigate Mx polymorphisms in the genotypes of highly inbred lines and ancestral breeds of chicken, and relate this to in-vitro antiviral action. I am also interested in visualizing the Mx protein interactions within the cell, in the presence of avian influenza virus. By identifying genotypes that better resist infection and pathology, breeding strategies may be employed to reduce the reservoirs to human infection. I believe the definitive establishment of the role of the Mx gene in the chicken will further inform us as to the contribution of innate immunity of birds in combating HPAI. |
