Dr Ellen Nisbet and Dr Paula MacGregor travelled to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, to meet with Professor Vish Nene and colleagues.
During their three-day visit, Ellen and Paula presented their current work, learned about the research being performed at the ILRI and discussed future collaborative research projects. These will involve the study of the molecular and cellular biology of the apicomplexan parasite Theileria parva, the causative agent of East Coast Fever (ECF), which affects cattle and buffalo. ECF kills over a million cattle per year and inflicts a huge economic burden on some of the world's poorest farmers. The long-term aim of this work is to uncover biology of the parasite that can be used for the development of new drugs or vaccines.
This research trip was funded by a GCRF Travel and Networking Fund Award to Drs Ellen Nisbet, Paula MacGregor and Simone Weyand (Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge) and Professor Vish Nene (ILRI, Kenya). Vish is the Director of Vaccine Biosciences at ILRI and he will visit Cambridge on the 9th and 10th of July. Anyone who would like to meet with Vish whilst he is here should contact Ellen (rern2), Paula (pm560) or Simone (sw644).