Funded Projects
Pump-Priming Collaborative Research Funding Call: The Pandemic Institute, Liverpool – Hong Kong Partnership, supported by The Shaw Foundation
The Pandemic Institute (TPI): Liverpool – Hong Kong Partnership, supported by The Shaw Foundation is a combined funding call for pump-priming research and collaborative partnerships to tackle emerging infections and pandemic threats. The aim of the investment is to strengthen partnership between investigators based at three TPI founding partner academic institutions in the United Kingdom, and investigators from three Hong Kong academic institutions: Hong Kong University (HKU), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Funded projects
- Discovery of Synergistic Anti-Influenza Drug Combinations via Machine Learning Prof Saye Khoo, University of Liverpool & Prof Shuofeng Yuan, University of Hong Kong
- Leveraging Antibody Discoveries for the Development of MERS-CoV Rapid Diagnostics Dr Caitlin Thompson, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine & Dr Hin Chu, University of Hong Kong
- Epidemiological Surveillance and Public Health Risk Assessment of Food-Mediated Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Dr Edward Hill, University of Liverpool & Professor Gilman Siu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Advanced Small RNA Therapeutics for Influenza A Virus Brain Injury Dr Cordelia Dunai, University of Liverpool & Dr Keith C.L. Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Using AI to Predict the Evolution of High-Consequence Viral Threat Agents Professor Julian Hiscox, University of Liverpool & Professor Maggie Wang, Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Investigating the Genomic Variations of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) from Clinical Settings Dr Ismini Nakouti, Liverpool John Moores University & Dr Qing Xiong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Studying Enteroviral Neuroinvasion Mechanisms Using In Vitro Blood–Brain Barrier Models Dr Claire Hetherington, University of Liverpool & Dr Philip Man Lung Yeung, University of Hong Kong
- Monoclonal Antibody Toolkit for Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Dr Richard Urbanowicz, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine & Dr Siddharth Sridhar, University of Hong Kong
- Saliva Testing for Emerging Pathogens: Gaps, Opportunities and Evaluation for Use Dr Bhagteshwar Singh, University of Liverpool and Dr Rachel Byrne, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine & Professor Kelvin To, University of Hong Kong
dstl collaboration
The Pandemic Institute and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) have collaborated on a combined funding call for pump-priming research, with the aim of strengthening the partnership between TPI and Dstl investigators
Funded projects
- Effect of environmental pollution particles on host-agent interactions Prof Aras Kadioglu (UoL)
- Towards the development of point-of-care diagnostics for Marburg viral disease Dr Ana Cubas Atienzar (LSTM)
- Generation of novel pseudo-typed viral particle systems for the study of viral threats and testing of anti-viral compounds Prof Georgios Pollakis (UoL)
- In silico tools for studying virus-host interactions with applications in designing novel diagnostics and therapeutics Dr Femi Olorunniji (LJMU)
- Developing a model of plague infection for the investigation of novel therapeutic approaches Prof Neill Liptrott (UoL)
- In vitro modelling for protecting the blood-brain-barrier from viral infections Prof Ben Michael (UoL)
- Fast acting sensor cell line for Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHFV) enumeration and analysis Prof Alain Kohl (LSTM)
- Laboratory and field assessment of a novel air sampling device for investigation of level of detectable virus in inhalable aerosols Dr Susan Gould (LSTM)
- Understanding bacteriophage activity in different ‘host’ conditions Prof Jo Fothergill (UoL)
Emerging Threats Funding Call - Oropouche Virus
A combined call from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (HPRU EZI) and The Pandemic Institute (TPI) of £300,000 for research on Oropouche virus (OROV).
Funded projects
- Understanding placental infection by original and reassortant Oropouche virus Prof Alain Kohl (LSTM)
- Towards the development of a rapid diagnostic test for the diagnosis of Oropouche virus at the point-of-care Dr Ana Cubas Atienzar (LSTM)
- Bridging the Oropouche virus communication gap: contrasting public and professional perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to risk mitigation Prof Ruth Ogden (LJMU)
- Oropouche virus in the Caribbean and introduction risks to the UK: Assessing Vector Dynamics, Diagnostic Capacity, and Epidemiological Profiles with Risk Analysis for Introduction via Travellers to the UK Prof Matthew Baylis (UoL)
- Design and development of vaccines against Oropouche virus Prof Teresea Lamb
- Developing mRNA vaccines against Oropouche virus Prof Lance Turtle (UoL)
Avian Influenza Funding Call
A combined call from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (HPRU EZI), The Pandemic Institute (TPI) in Liverpool and the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) in Oxford. Total funding pot of £750,000 for research on Avian Influenza, in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Funded projects
- Modelling drug knowledge libraries for pandemic/avian flu Prof Saye Khoo (UoL)
- A controlled human infection model of avian influenza Dr Shaun Pennington (LSTM)
- A pre-clinical pipeline for avian influenza therapeutics Dr Shaun Pennington (LSTM)
- Modelling transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry and mapping potential risk to humans Dr Emily Nixon & Professor Kieran Sharkey Prof Saye Khoo (UoL)
- Diagnostics consortium to address challenges in the rapid detection of Avian Influenza Virus Dr Emily Adams (LSTM)
- Duck, duck, goose: a combined modelling and serosurveillance approach to understand H5N1 within England Dr Ash Otter, UK Health Security Agency
- Epidemic simulation of Influenza A: applications to current HPAI, and a deployable pipeline for future outbreaks Dr Marcus Blagrove (UoL)
- Production of human neutralising monoclonal antibodies for influenza strains with pandemic potential (H5N1, H7N9) Prof Paul Klenerman University of Oxford
