Rob Edwards

Rob Edward's role within the Centre for Infection Prevention and Management is as a main collaborator in the laboratory-based work-stream 2 “network for clinical infection diagnostics” which is looking at Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridum difficile and other nosocomial pathogens of importance. This work builds on existing strong collaborative links between Prof Sriskandan’s ‘Gram positive’ research group based in the category 2 Infectious Diseases laboratories and Dr Edwards’s Proteomics research group in Experimental Medicine. The work concerns the development of novel diagnostics and is using proteomics to identify proteins secreted by bacteria responsible for hospital acquired infections. This information will then be used to develop new diagnostic tests of infection

In particular Dr Edwards is responsible for managing the CIPM research technician, Magdalena Gierula, who is providing by assistance in the identification proteins in various bacterial preparations including Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile, synthesising peptides to be used to raise antibodies and analysis of antibodies by western blotting and ELISA to determine their usefulness for diagnosis of infection.   

Dr Edwards also co-supervises Mark Reglinkski, a centre PhD student,  who will undertake a project using proteomic techniques to identify the major proteins secreted by S. aureus and S. pyogenes. Exoproteins will be selected for study based on abundance and will include those of known pathogenetic interest. Antibodies will be raised against peptides using established techniques and the antibody panel will then be evaluated as a diagnostic tool in in-vivo clinical infection. In parallel, the student will evaluate an existing panel of S. pyogenes antibodies.

Background

Rob is a Research Lecturer in the Department of Experimental Medicine and Toxicology. His main research interests, which are closely aligned with his work with the Centre include investigation of protein biomarkers and the development of a universally-applicable approach for the generation of protein-specific antibodies.

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