The Tick Cell Biobank - a UK and international biological resource
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Institute of Infection and Global Health
Abstract
Ticks are bloodfeeding arthropods which, as well as causing direct damage to their hosts, transmit many diseases of livestock, companion animals and humans. Research into prevention and cure of these diseases, caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa and filarial worms, is greatly assisted by the use of cell culture systems to study both how tick cells function, and how and why they transmit disease-causing pathogens. Such culture systems, called cell lines, have been developed for many disease-carrying ticks, but they require special skills and much time and patience to establish and maintain. Seven years ago a central collection, the Tick Cell Biobank (TCB), was created for all the tick cell lines available now and in future. The TCB distributes tick cell lines (TCL) on request to research scientists all over the world and provides essential training in their maintenance. The TCB also carries out characterisation studies on TCL, as very little is known about most of them, and is creating new cell lines from species of ticks not already represented in the collection. This proposal requests funding to secure the long-term future of the TCB as an essential resource underpinning UK and international tick and tick-borne disease research, to expand the resource to include cell lines derived from other important arthropods such as biting midges, mites and honeybees, and to give added value to the cell lines through characterisation, cloning and genome sequencing, thereby ensuring that these unique and invaluable biological resources continue to be available to the scientists who need to use them in biomedical, veterinary and agricultural research.
Since the TCB was established in 2009, the crucial role played by TCL in research into ticks and the diseases they transmit has become increasingly clear. Indeed, interest in TCL and the methods used to generate them has spread to encompass pathogens transmitted by other arthropods such as mites, fleas and lice. With environmental and climate change driving the emergence of new vector-borne diseases, the demand for cell lines derived from ticks and other arthropods is likely to continue to increase in the future. This proposal includes generation of novel cell lines from ticks, mites and insects such as sand flies and midges both in-house and through dissemination of the required expertise to scientists in laboratories specialising in these arthropods.
Establishment of TCL takes many years and requires specialised expertise, much patience and, importantly, a stable background of laboratory support. The TCB has brought together almost all the TCL available worldwide into a single repository and point of contact for supply of TCL and training in their maintenance (essential for successful transfer of TCL to recipient laboratories). The TCB has been enormously successful over the past 7 years, generating 18 new TCL, supplying TCL to 71 recipient laboratories and training 80 young scientists representing 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. This proposal includes a workpackage specifically aimed at raising the profile of, and improving access to, TCL and training in lower and middle-income countries, by establishing outposts of the TCB in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil.
TCL from the TCB have already facilitated a wide range of studies, but much remains to be done. UK and global research has only scratched the surface of knowledge of these economically important and biologically fascinating parasites, their microbiota and the pathogens they transmit. Continued maintenance and expansion of the unique resource represented by the TCB, including genomic and molecular characterisation of TCL and generation of new arthropod cell lines, is essential to support this research now and for many years to come.
Since the TCB was established in 2009, the crucial role played by TCL in research into ticks and the diseases they transmit has become increasingly clear. Indeed, interest in TCL and the methods used to generate them has spread to encompass pathogens transmitted by other arthropods such as mites, fleas and lice. With environmental and climate change driving the emergence of new vector-borne diseases, the demand for cell lines derived from ticks and other arthropods is likely to continue to increase in the future. This proposal includes generation of novel cell lines from ticks, mites and insects such as sand flies and midges both in-house and through dissemination of the required expertise to scientists in laboratories specialising in these arthropods.
Establishment of TCL takes many years and requires specialised expertise, much patience and, importantly, a stable background of laboratory support. The TCB has brought together almost all the TCL available worldwide into a single repository and point of contact for supply of TCL and training in their maintenance (essential for successful transfer of TCL to recipient laboratories). The TCB has been enormously successful over the past 7 years, generating 18 new TCL, supplying TCL to 71 recipient laboratories and training 80 young scientists representing 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. This proposal includes a workpackage specifically aimed at raising the profile of, and improving access to, TCL and training in lower and middle-income countries, by establishing outposts of the TCB in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil.
TCL from the TCB have already facilitated a wide range of studies, but much remains to be done. UK and global research has only scratched the surface of knowledge of these economically important and biologically fascinating parasites, their microbiota and the pathogens they transmit. Continued maintenance and expansion of the unique resource represented by the TCB, including genomic and molecular characterisation of TCL and generation of new arthropod cell lines, is essential to support this research now and for many years to come.
Technical Summary
Tick cell lines (TCL) are valuable research tools that are increasingly applied in many areas of laboratory-based study of tick biology and control, and the viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens that ticks transmit, as well as the endogenous microorganisms that they harbour. The Tick Cell Biobank (TCB) is a repository for continuous TCL, which are maintained both as growing cultures and, where possible, as cryopreserved stabilates. As well as housing almost all the TCL currently available worldwide, the TCB provides training in establishment and maintenance of TCL to recipient scientists and generates novel cell lines from additional species of ticks and other arthropod vectors. As such, the TCB is a unique biological resources not just in the UK but also globally. The TCB houses TCL derived from embryos, larvae and/or nymphs of 15 ixodid and two argasid tick species and one biting midge, a small collection of BSL2 tick-borne bacteria, and cell lines are under development from seven additional tick species or geographical strains and one sand fly species. We propose, by establishing the TCB at the University of Liverpool, to secure its long-term future as an essential resource underpinning UK and international research into ticks, tick-borne diseases and other arthropod vectors. Moreover, we will give added value to selected TCL by genome sequencing, phenotype characterisation and cloning, thereby enhancing their uptake and application in a wide range of research areas including tick-pathogen interactions, tick innate immunity, tick functional genomics, proteomics and interactomics, and tick and disease control based on acaricides and vaccines against tick and pathogens. Through a GCRF-funded workpackage, we will establish outposts of the TCB in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil, thereby facilitating uptake of TCL and associated technology in these and neighbouring lower- and middle-income countries.
Planned Impact
In addition to the academic beneficiaries listed in the previous section, the following groups should benefit from the Tick Cell Biobank as a UK and international biological resource in the short term:
- The Institute for Infection and Global Health, other departments of the University of Liverpool, and other nearby institutes such as the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and universities on the region will gain opportunities for enhanced research collaborations and training opportunities for students.
- Links between the LMIC institutes involved in the GCRF workpackage and University of Liverpool will be created and strengthened, facilitating future collaborations
- The profile of the UK Bioscience contribution to addressing and solving problems caused by ticks and tick-borne pathogens worldwide, in both veterinary and human medicine, will be raised
In the longer term, use of tick cell lines by UK and international researchers will facilitate delivery of i) improved tick control methods using novel acaricides, plant-based products and anti-tick vaccines, and ii) improved detection, diagnosis, treatment and control of tick-borne pathogens based on pathogens propagated in tick cell lines. These will benefit the following groups:
- Veterinarians who will have access to improved products for diagnosis, treatment and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases affecting livestock and companion animals in the UK and other countries
- Clinicians who will similarly have access to increased knowledge of tick-borne diseases affecting humans and to improved products for diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases affecting humans in the UK and other countries
- Large- and small-scale livestock farmers in the UK and other developed countries whose livestock will be healthier and more productive, thereby increasing their income from sale of animals and animal products, and decreasing their costs for tick and disease control. This will contribute to improved UK food security.
- Through the outputs of collaborative research springboarded by both the parent Tick Cell Biobank and the outposts established through the GCRF workpackage, LMIC farmers and smallholders who will have access to more effective and affordable tick control methods to reduce or eliminate tick burdens on their livestock, and more effective, accessible and affordable vaccines and/or treatments for the tick-borne diseases affecting their livestock. This will in turn improve the access of poor farmers and smallholders, their families and consumers in the general population in LMIC to more and better quality sources of animal protein in their diets
Novel cell lines developed from other arthropod groups such as mites, sand flies, midges, lice, fleas and plant pests, and expertise in their establishment disseminated by the Tick Cell Biobank will additionally benefit equivalent groups affected by these arthropod vectors and the pathogens that they transmit, in ways similar to those outlined above.
- The Institute for Infection and Global Health, other departments of the University of Liverpool, and other nearby institutes such as the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and universities on the region will gain opportunities for enhanced research collaborations and training opportunities for students.
- Links between the LMIC institutes involved in the GCRF workpackage and University of Liverpool will be created and strengthened, facilitating future collaborations
- The profile of the UK Bioscience contribution to addressing and solving problems caused by ticks and tick-borne pathogens worldwide, in both veterinary and human medicine, will be raised
In the longer term, use of tick cell lines by UK and international researchers will facilitate delivery of i) improved tick control methods using novel acaricides, plant-based products and anti-tick vaccines, and ii) improved detection, diagnosis, treatment and control of tick-borne pathogens based on pathogens propagated in tick cell lines. These will benefit the following groups:
- Veterinarians who will have access to improved products for diagnosis, treatment and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases affecting livestock and companion animals in the UK and other countries
- Clinicians who will similarly have access to increased knowledge of tick-borne diseases affecting humans and to improved products for diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases affecting humans in the UK and other countries
- Large- and small-scale livestock farmers in the UK and other developed countries whose livestock will be healthier and more productive, thereby increasing their income from sale of animals and animal products, and decreasing their costs for tick and disease control. This will contribute to improved UK food security.
- Through the outputs of collaborative research springboarded by both the parent Tick Cell Biobank and the outposts established through the GCRF workpackage, LMIC farmers and smallholders who will have access to more effective and affordable tick control methods to reduce or eliminate tick burdens on their livestock, and more effective, accessible and affordable vaccines and/or treatments for the tick-borne diseases affecting their livestock. This will in turn improve the access of poor farmers and smallholders, their families and consumers in the general population in LMIC to more and better quality sources of animal protein in their diets
Novel cell lines developed from other arthropod groups such as mites, sand flies, midges, lice, fleas and plant pests, and expertise in their establishment disseminated by the Tick Cell Biobank will additionally benefit equivalent groups affected by these arthropod vectors and the pathogens that they transmit, in ways similar to those outlined above.
Organisations
- University of Liverpool (Lead Research Organisation)
- Moredun Research Institute (Collaboration)
- Government of Sweden (Collaboration)
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) (Collaboration)
- Friedrich Loeffler Institute (Collaboration)
- Karolinska Institute (Collaboration)
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) (Collaboration)
- Heidelberg University Hospital (Collaboration)
- Aix-Marseille University (Collaboration)
- Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN (Collaboration)
- Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (Collaboration)
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (Collaboration)
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) (Collaboration)
- University of Parma (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL (Collaboration)
- University of Malaya (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM (Collaboration)
- Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (Collaboration)
- Lancaster University (Collaboration)
- University of Gothenburg (Collaboration)
- Newcastle University (Collaboration)
- University of Poitiers (Collaboration)
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) (Collaboration)
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology (Collaboration)
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (Collaboration)
- Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Collaboration)
- Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE (Collaboration)
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (Collaboration)
- National Veterinary Institute (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD (Collaboration)
- Environment Agency (Collaboration)
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (Collaboration)
- SWANSEA UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
Publications
Al-Khafaji AM
(2020)
Isolation of Candidatus Rickettsia vini from Belgian Ixodes arboricola ticks and propagation in tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Al-Rofaai A
(2020)
Tick Cell Lines in Research on Tick Control.
in Frontiers in physiology
Artigas-Jerónimo S
(2021)
Tick Importin-a Is Implicated in the Interactome and Regulome of the Cofactor Subolesin.
in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
Bai Y
(2022)
Discovery of Tick-Borne Karshi Virus Implies Misinterpretation of the Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Seroprevalence in Northwest China.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Beliavskaia A
(2021)
Spiroplasma Isolated From Third-Generation Laboratory Colony Ixodes persulcatus Ticks.
in Frontiers in veterinary science
Beliavskaia A
(2023)
Metagenomics of culture isolates and insect tissue illuminate the evolution of Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Bartonella symbionts in Ctenocephalides spp. fleas
in Microbial Genomics
Bell-Sakyi L
(2020)
Continuous Cell Lines from the European Biting Midge Culicoides nubeculosus (Meigen, 1830).
in Microorganisms
Bell-Sakyi L
(2022)
New Cell Lines Derived from European Tick Species.
in Microorganisms
Bell-Sakyi L
(2018)
The Tick Cell Biobank: A global resource for in vitro research on ticks, other arthropods and the pathogens they transmit.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Belova OA
(2017)
Properties of the tick-borne encephalitis virus population during persistent infection of ixodid ticks and tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Dias F
(2020)
Folate pathway modulation in Rhipicephalus ticks in response to infection.
in Transboundary and emerging diseases
Ferreira JDS
(2018)
Ticks as potential vectors of Mycobacterium leprae: Use of tick cell lines to culture the bacilli and generate transgenic strains.
in PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Fuller J
(2019)
Hazara nairovirus elicits differential induction of apoptosis and nucleocapsid protein cleavage in mammalian and tick cells.
in The Journal of general virology
Getange D
(2021)
Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens Associated with Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Northern Kenya.
in Microorganisms
Helmová R
(2020)
Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Adaptation in Different Host Environments and Existence of Quasispecies
in Viruses
Husin NA
(2021)
Replication Kinetics of Rickettsia raoultii in Tick Cell Lines.
in Microorganisms
Jia N
(2019)
Emergence of human infection with Jingmen tick virus in China: A retrospective study.
in EBioMedicine
Jia N
(2019)
Emergence of human infection with Jingmen tick virus in China: A retrospective study.
in EBioMedicine
Kholodilov IS
(2021)
Geographical and Tick-Dependent Distribution of Flavi-Like Alongshan and Yanggou Tick Viruses in Russia.
in Viruses
Kholodilov IS
(2021)
Geographical and Tick-Dependent Distribution of Flavi-Like Alongshan and Yanggou Tick Viruses in Russia
in Viruses
Kholodilov IS
(2020)
Isolation and Characterisation of Alongshan Virus in Russia.
in Viruses
Koch J
(2023)
The phenuivirus Toscana virus makes an atypical use of vacuolar acidity to enter host cells.
in PLoS pathogens
Kodama F
(2021)
A novel nairovirus associated with acute febrile illness in Hokkaido, Japan.
in Nature communications
Kotsarenko K
(2020)
Karyotype changes in long-term cultured tick cell lines.
in Scientific reports
Lattová E
(2020)
Comprehensive N-glycosylation mapping of envelope glycoprotein from tick-borne encephalitis virus grown in human and tick cells.
in Scientific reports
Lemasson M
(2021)
Exploration of binary protein-protein interactions between tick-borne flaviviruses and Ixodes ricinus.
in Parasites & vectors
Li L
(2022)
Virome and Blood Meal-Associated Host Responses in Ixodes persulcatus Naturally Fed on Patients
in Frontiers in Microbiology
Li LF
(2022)
Dermacentor silvarum, a Medically Important Tick, May Not Be a Competent Vector to Transmit Jingmen Tick Virus.
in Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)
Luu L
(2020)
Isolation and partial characterisation of a novel Trypanosoma from the tick Ixodes ricinus.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Luu L
(2021)
Bacterial Pathogens and Symbionts Harboured by Ixodes ricinus Ticks Parasitising Red Squirrels in the United Kingdom.
in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
Mangia C
(2018)
Exposure to amitraz, fipronil and permethrin affects cell viability and ABC transporter gene expression in an Ixodes ricinus cell line.
in Parasites & vectors
Marotta C
(2018)
Trypanosoma amblyommi sp. nov. (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) isolated from Amblyomma brasiliense (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
in Parasitology Open
Marotta CR
(2018)
Trypanosoma amblyommi sp. nov. (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) isolated from Amblyomma brasiliense (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
in Parasitology open
Mohd Jaafar F
(2023)
Orbivirus NS4 Proteins Play Multiple Roles to Dampen Cellular Responses
in Viruses
Murgia MV
(2019)
Meeting the challenge of tick-borne disease control: A proposal for 1000 Ixodes genomes.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Palomar AM
(2019)
Isolation of known and potentially pathogenic tick-borne microorganisms from European ixodid ticks using tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Palomar AM
(2019)
Isolation of known and potentially pathogenic tick-borne microorganisms from European ixodid ticks using tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Pan YS
(2022)
Coinfection of Two Rickettsia Species in a Single Tick Species Provides New Insight into Rickettsia-Rickettsia and Rickettsia-Vector Interactions.
in Microbiology spectrum
Salata C
(2018)
The DEVD motif of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleoprotein is essential for viral replication in tick cells.
in Emerging microbes & infections
Salata C
(2020)
Identification and validation of internal reference genes for real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based studies in Hyalomma anatolicum ticks.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Salata C
(2021)
How relevant are in vitro culture models for study of tick-pathogen interactions?
in Pathogens and global health
Salvati MV
(2021)
Virus-Derived DNA Forms Mediate the Persistent Infection of Tick Cells by Hazara Virus and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus.
in Journal of virology
Shi J
(2022)
Differential characteristics of mammalian and tick-derived promoters to trigger protein expression in transfected tick cell lines
in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Shi J
(2022)
Differential characteristics of mammalian and tick-derived promoters to trigger protein expression in transfected tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
| Description | The Tick Cell Biobank is the world's largest collection of tick cell lines, with a remit to store and distribute these cell lines to researchers in the UK and worldwide, to genotypically and phenotypically characterise selected existing cell lines and to generate new cell lines from tick species and strains not already represented in the collection with an emphasis on those of importance in lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In addition, we are generating cell lines from other neglected arthropods of LMIC importance including midges, sand flies, tsetse flies, triatomid bugs and mosquitoes. Since the start of this grant, 13 new tick cell lines, four sand fly cell lines, three biting midge cell lines, four triatomine bug cell lines, two UK mosquito cell lines and a tsetse fly cell line have been established and several other tick and triatomine bug cell lines are under development (a process which takes between 5 months and 7 years). We have generated nuclear and mitochondrial genome sequences from eight tick and five insect cell lines, and isolated novel strains of pathogenic and symbiotic arthropod-borne bacteria. Provision of tick cell lines to collaborators all over the world has led to scientific advancement in a wide range of research areas; for example, in vitro systems are now available for propagation of the human pathogens Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Mycobacterium leprae and members of the emerging Jingmen tick virus group in tick cells. The roles of tick innate immunity and genomics in transmission of pathogens such as tick-borne encephalitis virus and African swine fever virus and persistent infection of ticks with CCHFV are now being determined through in vitro studies, and tick cell lines are helping to elucidate how ticks develop resistance to acaricides (chemicals used to control ticks). The new sand fly, mosquito and midge cell lines are already being used by collaborators in studies on CRISPR gene editing for improved insect control and understanding of arbovirus vector competence. |
| Exploitation Route | External and internal use of tick cell lines from the Tick Cell Biobank, and associated collaborative research, is a continuous, ongoing process, as evidenced by the 47 first-, senior- or co-authored papers listed in the Common Outcomes of the previous BBSRC-funded Tick Cell Biobank project (BBS/E/I/00001741). Six of those are also attributed to this grant along with 53 more recent papers. Further in-house or collaborative manuscripts are accepted (x 1) under review (x 2) or nearly ready for submission (x 3). Papers co-authored by Tick Cell Biobank staff or students comprise less than 30% of the ~292 papers reporting use of tick cell lines and published since 2010, a clear indication of how other scientists worldwide are exploiting these tools in their research. As and when new cell lines become established from additional species of ticks and other neglected arthropods, these are added to the collection and made available as research tools for UK and international scientists working on these arthropod species and the pathogens they transmit. In particular, uptake by LMIC scientists is facilitated by our sister project (BB/P024378/1) in which outposts of the Tick Cell Biobank were set up in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil. A new and growing area of interest is use of tick cell lines in development of novel and improved tick control methods (screening of potential acaricidal compounds and plant products, anti-tick vaccine development). Another research area of huge potential impact is the development of an in vitro culture system in tick cell lines for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of human leprosy which was previously uncultivable. Tick cell lines have also played a crucial role in revealing the mechanism by which the highly pathogenic human pathogen Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and other viral pathogens of humans and livestock, persistently infect ticks throughout their lifespan, thereby continually acting as sources of infection for vertebrate hosts in the environment. The nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of eight tick and five insect cell lines, representative of species of importance in UK and many LMIC, have been sequenced and annotated, and are almost ready for public release. These will greatly enhance the applicability of the respective cell lines in many research areas. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Education,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Other |
| URL | https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/health-and-life-sciences/research/liverpool-shared-research-facilities/bio-resources/tick-cell-biobank |
| Description | BBSRC-NRF Newton-Utafiti fund call in enhancing ruminant livestock productivity |
| Amount | £150,797 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/S004890/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 01/2020 |
| Description | Defra Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) Tender Reference: ITT_4649 (project_23900), Lot 3: Bees |
| Amount | £399,924 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2019 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | H2020-SFS-2016-2017 (Sustainable Food Security - Resilient and resource-efficient value) as part of consortium PALE-Blu including ILRI, Pirbright and Tick Cell Biobank |
| Amount | € 6,039,301 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 727393 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 09/2017 |
| End | 11/2020 |
| Description | Newton Fund Institutional Links |
| Amount | £149,930 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 332192305 |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2018 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Title | Midge cell line CNE/LULS44 |
| Description | Continuous cell line derived from embryos of the midge Culicoides nubeculosus, currently at passage 15 after two years in culture |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line derived from a European (UK) midge species, and the first from a midge other than the New World species Culicoides sonorensis. It will greatly facilitate research on Old World midge-borne arboviruses including bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus, both causing economically important livestock diseases. It was generated within the EU H2020 project PALE-Blu; as such became available to all researchers through the Tick Cell Biobank from December 2020. |
| Title | Midge cell line CNE/LULS47 |
| Description | Continuous cell line derived from the midge Culicoides nubeculosus, currently at passage 6 after 20 months in culture |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the second C. nubeculosus cell line developed within the PALE-Blu project, confirming the applicability of the protocols generated for processing midge eggs and generating successful primary cell cultures. It will be made available through the Tick Cell Biobank from December 2020. |
| Title | Midge cell line CSL/LULS64 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from larvae of the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis, provided as eggs under MTA by The Pirbright Institute. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the only cell line derived from the C. sonorensis maintained as a closed colony at The Pirbright Institute since the 1960s, and represents a unique resource as it is the only cell line derived from the American Sonora line of C. sonorensis. |
| Title | Mosquito cell line CPE/LULS50 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from UK Culex pipiens complex mosquito eggs, kindly provided by The Pirbright Institute. It is currently at passage 14, after 14 months in culture. The Wolbachia strain wPip, that naturally infects C. pipiens, was isolated along with the cells. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first reported cell line derived from UK C. pipiens group mosquitoes. Availability of the wPip strain of Wolbachia will be of interest to the Wolbachia research community. |
| Title | Mosquito cell line CPL/LULS56 |
| Description | This cell line was initiated in 2019 from larvae of Culex pipiens molestus mosquitoes from the UK, kindly provided by The Pirbright Institute. It has reached passage 18. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Sand fly cell line LLE/LULS40 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryos of the Brazilian sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis; currently at passage 14 after 3 years in vitro. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the third L. longipalpis cell line known to exist; the others were established in USA and Brazil, and are not held in any international culture collections. LLE/LULS40 will be made available to researchers worldwide through the Tick Cell Biobank and will therefore have potential for widespread use in research on sand flies and the viral and protozoan pathogens they transmit. It is also the first insect cell line to be established by the Tick Cell Biobank, providing proof of concept that techniques applied to ticks can be successfully adapted for application to insects and other arthropods. |
| Title | Sand fly cell line LLE/LULS45 |
| Description | Continuous cell line derived from embryos of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Jacobina strain), currently at passage 21 after 20 months in culture |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The Jacobina strain of L. longipalpis is the laboratory strain most widely-used in research on these sand fly vectors of Leishmania. It complements our other L. longipalpis cell line LLE/LULS40 as each cell line was derived from sand flies with a different pheromone profile (important for development of pheromone-based control methods). We are currently attempting to generate a cell line from sand flies with the third known pheromone profile, thereby providing researchers with cell lines from the full portfolio of strains. |
| Title | Sand fly cell line LLL/LULS52 |
| Description | This cell line is derived from larvae of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Sobral strain), kindly provided by University of Lancaster. It has reached passage 7 after a year in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This cell line joins two previously established cell lines, LLE/LULS40 and LLE/LULS45, to provide cell lines derived from three strains of L. longipalpis each with a different pheromone profile, which will be of importance to scientists developing pheromone-based control methods for this South American insect species. |
| Title | Sand fly cell line PPL/LULS49 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from larvae of the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi, kindly provided by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and is currently at passage 15-18 after 22 months in culture. The Wolbachia strain wPap was also isolated along with the sand fly cells, and we have sublines that are free of, or infected with, wPap. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first report of isolation and continuous cultivation of the Wolbachia strain wPap, that naturally infects Phlebotomus papatasi, in cells of its natural host. Availability of this Wolbachia strain will be of considerable interest to the Wolbachia research community. |
| Title | Tick cell line ARE/LULS41 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryos of the argasid (soft) tick Argas reflexus, which infests pigeons; currently at passage |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line derived from this tick genus, and brings the number of soft tick cell lines to 12 (the remainder are derived from Ornithodoros moubata and Carios capensis). Unlike the Carios and Ornithodoros cell lines that are difficult or impossible to cryopreserve, ARE/LULS41 was successfully cryopreserved and resuscitated at passage 3 following standard techniques for tick cell lines; this demonstrates that inability to freeze is not a characteristic of soft tick cells per se. |
| Title | Tick cell line BME/PIBB36 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryonic Rhipicephalus microplus ticks, currently at passage 10 after four years in vitro. Ready for dissemination through the Tick Cell Biobank |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This cell line is the first derived from Brazilian ticks to be made available through the Tick Cell Biobank and the South American Outpost at Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro. |
| Title | Tick cell line DRE/LULS60 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from eggs laid by a Dermacentor reticulatus tick removed from a wild boar in Germany in 2018. It has reached passage 8. It is not yet ready for distribution |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This cell line is the first to be established from the European tick species Dermacentor reticulatus, an important vector of pathogens of humans and domestic animals. |
| Title | Tick cell line HDE/LURF39 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryos of the tick Hyalomma dromedarii; currently at passage 6 after 8 years in vitro |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This cell line is the third continuous cell line derived from embryonic Hyalomma dromedarii, the camel tick, from East Africa. All three cell lines have potential application in study of bacterial and viral camel pathogens, as well as wider application in study of human pathogens transmitted by Hyalomma spp. ticks, in particular Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. |
| Title | Tick cell line HDE/PIPA33 |
| Description | New cell line derived from embryonic Hyalomma dromedarii ticks, currently at passage 13 after 7 years in vitro. Nearly ready for dissemination through the Tick Cell Biobank. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line derived from H. dromedarii ticks. H. dromedarii (the camel tick) is only the second species from the genus Hyalomma to be represented in the Tick Cell Biobank. Hyalomma ticks transmit several viral and protozoan pathogens of medical and veterinary importance in Europe, Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Africa, including Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and Theileria annulata. Availability of this cell line to the international tick and tick-borne disease research community through the Tick Cell Biobank will widen the scope of studies on these important pathogens. |
| Title | Tick cell line HLE/LULS42 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryos of the tick Hyalomma lusitanicum from Spain, currently at passage 4 after 5 years in vitro |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line to be developed from Hyalomma lusitanicum, an important tick in Spain and the first tick species to be found to harbour the human pathogen Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Spain. |
| Title | Tick cell line HLE/LULS43 |
| Description | Continuous cell line derived from embryos of the tick Hyalomma lusitanicum, currently at passage 8 after six years in culture |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the second cell line to be established from the Spanish tick species Hyalomma lusitanicum, a potential vector of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. |
| Title | Tick cell line HLE/LULS48 |
| Description | This is the third continuous cell line derived from embryos of Hyalomma lusitanicum from Spain |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line HLE/LULS63 |
| Description | This is the fourth cell line to be established from embryos of the Spanish tick Hyalomma lusitanicum. It is currently at passage 8 after 9 years in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line HSE/LULS51 |
| Description | This young cell line is derived from embryos of Hyalomma scupense from Spain. It has reached passage 6 after 5 years in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line HSE/LULS59 |
| Description | This embryo-derived cell line was initiated from eggs laid by Hyalomma scupense ticks collected in Spain in 2016. It has reached passage 9. It is not yet ready for distribution. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line IRE/LUAP46 |
| Description | Continuous cell line derived from embryos of the tick Ixodes ricinus, currently at passage 5 after 5 years in culture |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line derived from I. ricinus ticks of Spanish origin, developed through the collaboration with CIBIR, La Rioja. It complements the existing I. ricinus cell lines derived from UK and German ticks, thereby expanding the possibilities for comparative genomic studies on European ticks |
| Title | Tick cell line IRE/LULS55 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from eggs of Ixodes ricinus from Spain and is currently at passage 31 after 42 months in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line RAE/PIPM38 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryonic Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, currently at passage 5 after 6 years in vitro. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None so far |
| Title | Tick cell line RBE/LULS58 |
| Description | This embryo-derived cell line was initiated from eggs laid by ticks collected in Spain in 2018, and is currently at passage 10. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the world's first cell line derived from the tick Rhipicephalus bursa, an important parasite of sheep in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East. As such, it will have application in research on control of this species and the pathogens it transmits. |
| Title | Tick cell line RBE/LULS62 |
| Description | The is the second cell line to be established from embryos of the European tick Rhipicephalus bursa. It is currently at passage 8 after 7 years in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Tick cell line REN/PIPA34 |
| Description | Cell line derived from developing adult (moulting nymphal) Rhipicephalus evertsi ticks, currently at passage 13 after 7 years in vitro. Nearly ready for dissemination through the Tick Cell Biobank |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the second cell line to be derived from moulting nymphal R. evertsi; in contrast to REN/CTVM32 and all other tick cell lines derived from multiple (10 - >10,000) individuals, this line was derived from only three individual ticks. REN/PIPA34 will therefore be extremely valuable for tick genomics studies, as the level of genetic variation within the cell line is expected to be very low. |
| Title | Tick cell line RSE/PILS35 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryonic Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, currently at passage 12 after three years in vitro. Nearly ready for general dissemination through the Tick Cell Biobank. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the first cell line to be derived from R. sanguineus of European (French) origin. It has already been used by collaborators at University of Glasgow in a study on acaricide resistance genes in tick cell lines. Koh-Tan et al., 2016; DOI 10.1186/s13071-016-1708-x We are sequencing the genome of this cell line as part of the current Tick Cell Biobank cell line characterisation activities |
| Title | Triatomid bug cell line RPE/LULS53 |
| Description | This cell line is derived from embryos of the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus, kindly provided by University of Swansea, and is currently at passage 6 after 22 months in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Rhodnius prolixus is an important vector of Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, and will be of interest to scientists studying biology and control of this pathogen. |
| Title | Triatomid bug cell line RPE/LULS57 |
| Description | This cell line was initiated from embryos of Rhodnius prolixus, kindly provided by Swansea University, in 2019. It has now reached passage 10. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Title | Triatomid bug cell line TIE/LULS54 |
| Description | This cell line is derived from embryos of the kissing bug Triatoma infestans, kindly provided by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and has reached passage 5 after a year in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is, as far as we know, the only cell line derived from T. infestans, and should this be of interest to scientists working on control of this bug and pathogens it transmits, such as Trypanosoma cruzi. |
| Title | Triatomine bug cell line TIE/LULS65 |
| Description | This is the second cell line to be derived from embryos of Triatoma infestans provided by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It Is currently at passage 7 after 3 years in culture. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | No impacts yet. |
| Title | Tsetse fly cell line GMA/LULS61 |
| Description | This cell line was derived from adult tissues of Glossina morsitans tsetse flies provided by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2018. It has reached passage 8. It is not yet ready for distribution. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | As far as we know, this cell line is the only extant tsetse fly cell line, and is certainly the only cell line derived from adult Glossina tissues. As such, it will be useful in studies on control of tsetse flies and the trypanosomes they transmit to humans and livestock in Africa. |
| Title | Insect cell line genomes |
| Description | We have sequenced the genomes of six new cell lines that we have derived from insect vectors of veterinary and/or medical importance: the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans, the mosquito Culex pipiens, the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi and the triatomine bugs Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma infestans. These are currently being assembled and partially annotated prior to public release via Genbank. We also intend to deposit them in Vectorbase. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Availability of the genome sequences will greatly enhance the applicability of the insect cell lines in different areas of research. The P. papatasi cell line is naturally infected with the Wolbachia strain wPap, and sequencing of this cell line has also yielded the genome sequence of wPap, which will be of use to researchers studying the application of Wolbachia in insect and disease control. |
| Title | SISPA-seq of new cell lines derived from laboratory colony Triatoma infestans and Rhodnius prolixus |
| Description | RNAseq datasets derived from Triatoma infestans cell line TIE/LULS54 and Rhodnius prolixus cell lines RPE/LULS53 and RPE/LULS57 deposited in NCBI Sequence Read Archive under Bioproject PRJNA843092, and published in Penrice-Randal et al. 2022 https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13100906. No restrictions on use by others. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The dataset confirmed absence of known viruses harboured by T. infestans and R. prolixus in the cell lines, indicating that they can be used as laboratory research tools to isolate and propagate such viruses. The Tick Cell Biobank South America Outpost has already been approached by researchers in Brazil to obtain the cell lines for this purpose. |
| URL | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA843092/ |
| Title | Tick cell line genomes |
| Description | We have sequenced seven tick cell lines derived from five tick species of veterinary importance in Africa, Asia and/or South America. The data sets are currently being analysed and will be made publicly available as soon as possible. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | One of the cell line sequences has revealed the first evidence for integration of bacterial genome segments within the tick cell genome. This led to discovery of integrated bacterial sequences in many ticks of this species collected from different parts of Africa, which has implications for surveys using molecular screening to assess prevalence of the bacterium in field ticks. |
| Title | Tick cell line mitochondrial genomes |
| Description | We have assembled the mitochondrial genomes of eight tick cell lines derived from the economically important species Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma anatolicum, Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. We are currently finalising them for public release by deposition in Genbank |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None yet |
| Title | Tick cell/HAZV transcriptomes and proteomes |
| Description | We are generating transcriptomes and proteomes of tick cell lines infected with Hazara virus, a BSL2 model for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus to determine genes and proteins differentially expressed upon virus infection. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None to date |
| Description | Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Thailand |
| Organisation | Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences |
| Country | Thailand |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We have sequenced the genome of the main scrub typhus vector, Leptotrombidium deliense, a chigger mite. We will attempt to establish a chigger cell line using material supplied by AFRIMS. |
| Collaborator Contribution | AFRIMS will supply fresh chigger mite material for attempts in cell line establishment. |
| Impact | No outputs to date. Not multi-disciplinary. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with ANSES Paris on tick-borne virus propagation in tick cell lines |
| Organisation | French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I have provided them with tick cell lines and associated training for use in the ARBONET project in which we are both partners |
| Collaborator Contribution | They will share results with me from their experiments on propagation of West Nile virus in tick cell lines. |
| Impact | No outcomes yet |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaboration with Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology on tick-borne bacteria |
| Organisation | Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners funded me to visit their laboratory for a week to provide tick cell training, present a seminar and discuss future collaborations. |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaboration with CIBIR, La Rioja, Spain on generation of cell lines from Spanish ticks and tick-borne bacteria |
| Organisation | Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) |
| Department | Biological Research Center |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration started prior to the start of the present project. I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance. I also provided training in tick cell line establishment. I have hosted a PhD student for three collaborative visits to The Pirbright Institute, in 2014, 2015 and 2017. I hosted the same scientist, now post-doctoral, for a collaborative visit to the University of Liverpool in 2019. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners used the tick cell lines in experiments which led to several joint conference posters and three joint publications, with another manuscript in preparation. The partners provided me with engorged female ticks of several species from Spain, enabling me to prepare primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment. The visiting PhD student assisted me in screening tick cell lines for endosymbiotic or contaminating bacteria. The visiting post-doctoral scientist assisted me in identifying tick-borne bacteria isolated in tick cell lines. |
| Impact | Joint publications: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.micinf.2015.09.018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.05.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.02.008 Joint funding proposals to EU H2020 MSCA ITN programme in 2015 and 2016 (unsuccessful) |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Collaboration with CVR on tick-borne viruses |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Department | School of Engineering Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners used the tick cell lines in experiments that led to a joint publication |
| Impact | Joint publication: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gku657 |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Collaboration with Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Russia, on TBEV and generation of tick cell lines |
| Organisation | Russian Academy of Medical Sciences |
| Department | Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides |
| Country | Russian Federation |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance, and set up primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment from two species of Russian ticks. This work started before I joined the Pirbright Institute, but has continued ever since |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners provided me with engorged female Dermacentor reticulatus and D. marginatus ticks from their laboratory colony for cell line establishment. They used the tick cell lines that I provided in experiments that have led to a joint manuscript submitted for publication, poster presentations and a PhD thesis. |
| Impact | Joint manuscript submitted: Belova, O.A., Litov, A.G., Kholodilov, I.S., Kozlovskaya, L.I., Bell-Sakyi, L., Romanova, L.I., Karganova, G.G. (submitted). Properties of tick-borne encephalitis virus populations during persistent infection of ixodid ticks and tick cell lines. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. One putative cell line from Dermacentor reticulatus and two putative cell lines from D. marginatus ticks |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Collaboration with FLI Riems on soft ticks and tick-borne viruses |
| Organisation | Friedrich Loeffler Institute |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of cell lines derived from the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata and training in their maintenance. I am attempting to establish cell lines from the soft ticks Argas reflexus and Ornithodoros erraticus provided by the partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners are carrying out transcriptomic analysis of the O. moubata cell lines and attempting to infect them with African swine fever virus. They provided me with engorged female A. reflexus and O. erraticus ticks for primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment. |
| Impact | Argas reflexus embryo-derived cell line ARE/LULS41 |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with Fiocruz on Tick Cell Biobank |
| Organisation | Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration on establishment of Tick Cell Biobank Outpost at Fiocruz |
| Collaborator Contribution | Agreement to house an Outpost of the Tick Cell Biobank and willingness to integrate the Biobank Outpost into the Fiocruz Collections, which will secure its future after the end of BBSRC funding. |
| Impact | The Brazilian Tick Cell Biobank Outpost is currently in the process of establishment. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with ILRI Tick Unit |
| Organisation | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The ILRI Tick Unit is a partner in the project "GCRF-BBR: The Tick Cell Biobank: outposts in Asia, Africa and South America, and will host the African Outpost. We will provide training in managing the Outpost and maintaining and generating tick cell lines, and stock the Outpost with a panel of the most popular and regionally relevant tick cell lines for local and regional distribution and use. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The ILRI Tick Unit will house and manage the African Outpost of the Tick Cell Biobank. In addition they will provide us with, as and when available, samples of local tick species for novel cell line establishment and genetic analysis. |
| Impact | No outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with ILRI Tick Unit |
| Organisation | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have submitted several successful grant proposals together - a BBSRC Other Countries Partnering Award (2015-2017), the BBSRC-GCRF-BBR project "The Tick Cell Biobank: outposts in Asia, Africa and South America" (2017-2020) and the BBSRC-funded Newton-Utafiti research project "The role of heartwater (Ehrlichia ruminantium infection) and other tick-borne pathogens in Acute Camel Death Syndrome in Kenya" (2019-2020, ACDS). We have trained two ILRI staff members and one ILRI-based MSc student in tick cell culture techniques. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The ILRI Tick Unit is hosting one of the three Tick Cell Biobank Outposts, including running a training workshop for young African scientists in January 2020, and providing lab facilities and support for part of the lab work being carried out under the ACDS project. They are also hosting the University of Liverpool PDRA employed on the ACDS project for 4 months (Jan-April 2020). |
| Impact | Successful funding proposals as outlined above. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with IREC (Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos), Spain |
| Organisation | Institute for Game and Wildlife Research |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided my collaborators (Prof. Jose de la Fuente and members of his research group) with a panel of tick cell lines from the Tick Cell Biobank over several years (commencing when the Tick Cell Biobank was located at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh prior to its move to The Pirbright Institute), training in their maintenance and ongoing advice and support. I helped to write manuscripts describing the results of their research with the tick cell lines, which have been published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My collaborators carried out research into a variety of topics relating to ticks and tick-borne pathogens using the tick cell lines that I provided, and published the results in a series of co-authored manuscripts, conference posters and PhD theses. |
| Impact | 7 papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals since the start of the present project: DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-42 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137237 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1210-x http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133038 DOI 10.1074/mcp. M115.051938 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.07.001 Mansfield, K.L., Cook C., Ellis, R., Bell-Sakyi, L., Johnson, N., Alberdi, P., de la Fuente, J., Fooks, A.R. (in press). Tick-borne pathogens induce differential expression of genes promoting cell survival and host resistance in Ixodes ricinus cells. Parasites & Vectors |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| Organisation | Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| Department | Institute of Parasitology |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided my collaborators (Prof. Libor Grubhoffer and members of his research group) with a panel of tick cell lines from the Tick Cell Biobank over several years (commencing when the Tick Cell Biobank was located at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh prior to its move to The Pirbright Institute), training in their maintenance and ongoing advice and support. I helped to write manuscripts describing the results of their research with the tick cell lines, which have been published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My collaborators carried out research into a variety of topics relating to ticks and tick-borne pathogens using the tick cell lines that I provided, and published the results in a series of co-authored manuscripts and PhD theses. |
| Impact | Nine papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, of which seven were published since the start of the present project: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137237 http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/554 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-015-1273-y DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1210-x http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carres.2014.02.017 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-014-0554-y https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gku657 |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with Karolinska, SVA and Swedish Public Health Agency on CCHFV |
| Organisation | Government of Sweden |
| Department | Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I provided the collaborators with tick cell lines for propagation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and ongoing technical advice on their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaborators used the tick cell lines to propagate CCHFV under BSL4 conditions, and a non-pathogenic relative Hazara virus under BSL2 conditions. |
| Impact | A jointly co-authored poster "Nairoviruses chronically infected Hyalomma-derived cell lines" (Salato, C., Karlberg, H., Bell-Sakyi, L., Palu, G., Mirazimi, A.) was presented at the 5th European Virology Congress in Lyon in 2013. A joint funding proposal was submitted to the third ANIHWA call; this was awarded and started in 2016. The project is coordinated by Prof Ali Mirazimi, Karolinska Institute, and Dr Lesley Bell-Sakyi is the Pirbright PI. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration with Karolinska, SVA and Swedish Public Health Agency on CCHFV |
| Organisation | Karolinska Institute |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the collaborators with tick cell lines for propagation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and ongoing technical advice on their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaborators used the tick cell lines to propagate CCHFV under BSL4 conditions, and a non-pathogenic relative Hazara virus under BSL2 conditions. |
| Impact | A jointly co-authored poster "Nairoviruses chronically infected Hyalomma-derived cell lines" (Salato, C., Karlberg, H., Bell-Sakyi, L., Palu, G., Mirazimi, A.) was presented at the 5th European Virology Congress in Lyon in 2013. A joint funding proposal was submitted to the third ANIHWA call; this was awarded and started in 2016. The project is coordinated by Prof Ali Mirazimi, Karolinska Institute, and Dr Lesley Bell-Sakyi is the Pirbright PI. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration with Karolinska, SVA and Swedish Public Health Agency on CCHFV |
| Organisation | National Veterinary Institute |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I provided the collaborators with tick cell lines for propagation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and ongoing technical advice on their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaborators used the tick cell lines to propagate CCHFV under BSL4 conditions, and a non-pathogenic relative Hazara virus under BSL2 conditions. |
| Impact | A jointly co-authored poster "Nairoviruses chronically infected Hyalomma-derived cell lines" (Salato, C., Karlberg, H., Bell-Sakyi, L., Palu, G., Mirazimi, A.) was presented at the 5th European Virology Congress in Lyon in 2013. A joint funding proposal was submitted to the third ANIHWA call; this was awarded and started in 2016. The project is coordinated by Prof Ali Mirazimi, Karolinska Institute, and Dr Lesley Bell-Sakyi is the Pirbright PI. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine on insect cell line establishment |
| Organisation | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am generating cell lines from insect (tsetse fly and sand fly) material provided by colleagues at LSTM |
| Collaborator Contribution | My colleagues at LSTM provided me with insect eggs (sand fly) and larvae (tsetse fly) with which to generate primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment |
| Impact | No outputs yet apart from primary cell cultures that may or may not develop into cell lines |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on insect cell line establishment |
| Organisation | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am attempting to generate insect (triatomid bug) cell lines from starting material provided by my colleagues at LSHTM |
| Collaborator Contribution | Colleagues at LSHTM are providing eggs of Triatoma infestans for generation of primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment |
| Impact | no outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration with Newcastle University on bee cell lines |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This partnership forms part of a Defra-funded research project on bee health - "Bees" - led by University of Aberdeen. My role is to generate honey bee (Apis mellifera) cell lines using starting material provided by Newcastle University. I am developing protocols for this and have so far generated two successful primary cell cultures. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My colleague at Newcastle University has provided me with background information to understand the honey bee life cycle and provided starting material for primary cell culture initiation. |
| Impact | No outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration with SAS Institute of Zoology and University of Salford on tick-borne microorganisms |
| Organisation | Slovak Academy of Sciences |
| Department | Institute of Zoology |
| Country | Slovakia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I isolated tick-borne microorganisms from Slovakian ticks provided by SAS and propagated them in tick cell lines, leading to a joint publication |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAS provided ticks from which microorganisms were isolated, leading to a joint publication. University of Salford characterized a trypanosome isolated from a Slovakian tick, leading to a joint manuscript in preparation. |
| Impact | Joint publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.05.002 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with SAS Institute of Zoology and University of Salford on tick-borne microorganisms |
| Organisation | University of Salford |
| Department | Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I isolated tick-borne microorganisms from Slovakian ticks provided by SAS and propagated them in tick cell lines, leading to a joint publication |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAS provided ticks from which microorganisms were isolated, leading to a joint publication. University of Salford characterized a trypanosome isolated from a Slovakian tick, leading to a joint manuscript in preparation. |
| Impact | Joint publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.05.002 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with TIDREC, University of Malaya |
| Organisation | University of Malaya |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided TIDREC with a panel of tick cell lines for use in isolation and cultivation of viruses and training in both maintenance of tick cell lines and establishment of primary tick cell cultures with a view to establishment of cell lines from Malaysian ticks. |
| Collaborator Contribution | TIDREC paid for me to visit their laboratories in August 2014 to participate in a tick workshop, deliver on-site training in tick cell line maintenance and primary cell culture establishment, and to discuss and plan future collaborative projects. |
| Impact | Two joint publications: http://doi.org/10.11158/saa.22.3.1 and doi:10.1038/srep14007 Three joint grant proposals: Two proposals to EU H2020 MSCA ITN in 2015 and 2016 (Coordinator Lesley Bell-Sakyi, TIDREC was one of 9 partners), both unsuccessful though second proposal was highly rated; one BBSRC BBRF-GCRF proposal under consideration (PI Ben Makepeace, University of Liverpool, TIDREC is one of 3 LMIC partners). |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Collaboration with The Pirbright Institute |
| Organisation | The Pirbright Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are infecting the honeybee cell line AME-711 with a panel of Wolbachia strains with the aim of identifying a strain that results in a non-lethal, preferably persistent infection and could influence the bee cell response to virus infection. We are also collecting supernate from AME-711 cultures to provide Pirbright with a source of deformed wing virus. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Pirbright have provided some necessary research consumables and (with University of York) are negotiating provision of additional Wolbachia strains not held at Liverpool. |
| Impact | No outcomes yet |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with The Pirbright Institute |
| Organisation | The Pirbright Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are providing RNA etxracted from arbovirus-infected tick cell lines for transcriptomic analysis as part of the ARBONET project I am generating a novel cell line from the UK midge Culicoides nubeculosus which will be shared with Pirbright as part of the EU-funded PALE-Blu project |
| Collaborator Contribution | Pirbright are carrying out collaborative RNA sequencing and transcriptomic analysis of arbovirus-infected tick and mosquito cells as part of the ARBONET project. The Pirbright Insectary provided the Tick Cell Biobank with eggs from C. nubeculosus midges for cell line establishment. |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with UFRRJ |
| Organisation | Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Tick Cell Biobank has had an ongoing collaboration with UFRRJ since 2009, when a senior UFRRJ staff member spent a four-month training sabbatical in the Tick Cell Biobank (then at the University of Edinburgh). We then provided them with a panel of tick cell lines that they have used in collaborative research. They will provide expertise and some tick cell lines to the South American Outpost of the Tick Cell Biobank that will be established at a neighbouring institute (Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro) with which we have a three-way collaboration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UFRRJ deposited in the Tick Cell Biobank a primary tick cell culture that they set up from locally-sourced Rhipicephalus microplus ticks; this culture subsequently developed into the cell line BME/PIBB36, which will be the first tick cell line of Brazilian origin to be available for international distribution. |
| Impact | Tick cell line BME/PIBB36, derived from embryonic Rhipicephalus microplus ticks from Seropedica, Brazil. Four collaborative research papers: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1414-431X20165211; https://doi.org/10.1017/pao.2017.17; https://doi.org/10.1017/pao.2018.6; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007001 |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with UFRRJ and Fiocruz on tick-borne bacteria and generation of cell lines from Brazilian ticks |
| Organisation | Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance, and training in establishment of embryo-derived tick cell lines |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have used the tick cell lines in experiments leading to a joint publication on Borrelia burgdorferi in tick cells and a manuscript in preparation on growth of Mycobacterium leprae in tick cell lines. UFRRJ deposited a primary cell culture derived from Brazilian Rhipicephalus microplus in the Tick Cell Biobank which has now yielded a continuous cell line. |
| Impact | Joint publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1414-431X20165211 New tick cell line BME/PIBB36 Joint funding applications - Newton Fund, MRC, Newton Advanced Fellowship (all unsuccessful); BBSRC BBRF-GCRF (under consideration) |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with UFRRJ and Fiocruz on tick-borne bacteria and generation of cell lines from Brazilian ticks |
| Organisation | Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance, and training in establishment of embryo-derived tick cell lines |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have used the tick cell lines in experiments leading to a joint publication on Borrelia burgdorferi in tick cells and a manuscript in preparation on growth of Mycobacterium leprae in tick cell lines. UFRRJ deposited a primary cell culture derived from Brazilian Rhipicephalus microplus in the Tick Cell Biobank which has now yielded a continuous cell line. |
| Impact | Joint publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1414-431X20165211 New tick cell line BME/PIBB36 Joint funding applications - Newton Fund, MRC, Newton Advanced Fellowship (all unsuccessful); BBSRC BBRF-GCRF (under consideration) |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with URMITE on tick-borne bacteria and establishment of cell lines from French ticks |
| Organisation | Aix-Marseille University |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partners with a panel of tick cell lines and training in their maintenance. I have established a cell line from embryonic Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks provided by the partners. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have used the tick cell lines for a variety of studies on tick-borne bacteria, leading to two joint publications. |
| Impact | Joint publications: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.10.016 DOI: 10.1186/1944-3277-9-9 Tick cell line RSE/PILS35 |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Collaboration with University Hospital Heidelberg on tick-borne phleboviruses |
| Organisation | Heidelberg University Hospital |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | I provided tick cell lines and training in their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners carried out experiments using the tick cell lines that I provided and generated data for a collaborative paper |
| Impact | Joint publication: doi:10.1128/JVI.00095-16 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Glasgow Vet School on acaricide resistance |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Department | School of Veterinary Medicine Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided the partner with a panel of tick cell lines |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partner and his team used nucleic acids extracted from the tick cell lines in experiments which led to a joint publication |
| Impact | Joint publication: DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1708-x |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Gothenburg |
| Organisation | University of Gothenburg |
| Department | Institute of Biomedicine |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Tick Cell Biobank provided two tick cell lines and trained a laboratory technician in tick cell line maintenance. We provided follow-up support to assist the Swedish team in establishing tick cells in their laboratory, and subsequently isolating for the first time the emerging human pathogen Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis in the tick cells. Lesley Bell-Sakyi helped to draft and revise a manuscript reporting the results. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners wrote a paper, upon which Lesley Bell-Sakyi is a co-author, reporting the first successful isolation and propagation of Neoehrlichia mikurensis in tick, and subsequently human, cells. This paper was accepted by Emerging Microbes and Infection and is "in press". The N. mikurensis isolates will be deposited in the Tick Cell Biobank for in-house use and onward distribution to the scientific community. |
| Impact | First successful isolation and cultivation of multiple isolates of the emerging human tick-borne bacterial pathogen Neoehrlichia mikurensis Paper in press: Wass, L., Grankvist, A., Bell-Sakyi, L., Bergström, M., Ulfhammer, E., Lingblom, C., Wennerås, C. (2019). Cultivation of the causative agent of human neoehrlichiosis from clinical isolates identifies vascular endothelium as a target of infection. Emerging Microbes and Infections. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Lancaster on sand fly cell lines |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am generating cell lines from multiple strains of the Brazilian sand fly species Lutzomyia longipalpis that express different pheromone types. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My colleague at University of Lancaster is providing the starting material (sand fly eggs) for generation of primary cell cultures and subsequently cell line(s) |
| Impact | Sand fly cell line LLE/LULS40 |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Nottingham |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Department | School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am generating novel cell lines from UK, European, African and Middle Eastern midge species as part of the EU-funded PALE-Blu consortium. This work is done under sub-contract to University of Nottingham. |
| Collaborator Contribution | As part of the ARBONET project, a University of Nottingham staff member has provided training to my team in virus culture and monitoring, and is involved in transcriptomic analysis of arbovirus-mosquito interactions. |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Parma and SVA on acaricide resistance |
| Organisation | National Veterinary Institute |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I provided tick cell lines and training in their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners used the tick cell lines in experiments which resulted in a joint publication and a second manuscript in preparation |
| Impact | Joint publication: DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1497-2 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Parma and SVA on acaricide resistance |
| Organisation | University of Parma |
| Department | Department of Veterinary Science |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided tick cell lines and training in their maintenance |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners used the tick cell lines in experiments which resulted in a joint publication and a second manuscript in preparation |
| Impact | Joint publication: DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1497-2 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Poitiers |
| Organisation | University of Poitiers |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have provided tick cell lines and trained a post-doctoral researcher from Poitiers in their maintenance, with a view to isolation, cultivation and study of Coxiella-like endosymbionts of ticks. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators at Poitiers applied for funding to hold a networking meeting to develop the collaboration; this application was unfortunately not successful. |
| Impact | No outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Swansea |
| Organisation | Swansea University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am attempting to generate cell lines from the triatomid bug Rhodnius prolixus, vector of Chagas Disease, using material provided by a colleague at Swansea University |
| Collaborator Contribution | My colleague at Swansea University has provided Rhodnius prolixus eggs for generation of primary cell cultures with a view to cell line establishment |
| Impact | No outputs yet apart from primary R. prolixus cell cultures |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration with icipe |
| Organisation | International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We provided training in tick cell culture to icipe staff during a workshop in Kenya in January 2020, and will supply icipe with tick cell lines for isolation of pathogens from camels, other livestock and ticks. We are also partners in the Newton-Utafiti project "The role of heartwater (Ehrlichia ruminantium infection) and other tick-borne pathogens in Acute Camel Death Syndrome in Kenya" |
| Collaborator Contribution | icipe's studies on isolation of pathogens in tick cell lines will lead to joint publications. A joint publication is in preparation reporting results from the Newton-Utafiti project mentioned above, |
| Impact | No outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute |
| Organisation | Moredun Research Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I provided colleagues at Moredun with a panel of tick cell lines and on-site training in their maintenance. I then provided them with tick cell cultures infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, obtained from University of Liverpool. |
| Collaborator Contribution | University of Liverpool provided me with UK strains of A. phagocytophilum for use at both Moredun and Pirbright. Moredun paid for me to visit Liverpool to collect the A. phagocytophilum strains, and to visit Moredun to provide training and then to deliver the A. phagocytophilum cultures. |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I provided colleagues at Moredun with a panel of tick cell lines and on-site training in their maintenance. I then provided them with tick cell cultures infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, obtained from University of Liverpool. |
| Collaborator Contribution | University of Liverpool provided me with UK strains of A. phagocytophilum for use at both Moredun and Pirbright. Moredun paid for me to visit Liverpool to collect the A. phagocytophilum strains, and to visit Moredun to provide training and then to deliver the A. phagocytophilum cultures. |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute (Mite cell lines) |
| Organisation | Moredun Research Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I provide training to a member of MRI staff in arthropod cell culture generation, generate primary cell cultures and maintain them at Pirbright with a view to cell line establishment. |
| Collaborator Contribution | MRI provide the poultry mites that are starting material for the generation of primary cell cultures and work with me to establish protocols for surface-sterilization and initial cell culture generation. |
| Impact | So far we have established a protocol for successful harvesting and surface-sterilisation of poultry mite eggs, which is an essential first step to obtaining primary cell cultures. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Collaborations with University of Aberdeen - SMARTBEES (2015-2017) and BEES (2019-2023) |
| Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | In the first collaboration (2015-2017) I was sub-contracted by University of Aberdeen as part of the EU consortium "SMARTBEES" to test tick cell lines for ability to support replication of deformed with virus (DWV) of honeybees. We trained a PhD student from University of Aberdeen in tick cell culture and basic virology techniques at Pirbright. Together we infected a panel of tick cell lines with DWV and assessed them for ability to support virus replication. I also visited another partner in the EU consortium to provide training in arthropod cell culture. In the second collaboration (2019-2023) I have been developing protocols for generation of primary cell cultures from UK honeybee eggs, larvae and pupae with a view to cell line generation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SMARTBEES: University of Aberdeen arranged for another partner in the consortium to provide the DWV reparation for infecting tick cell lines, and seconded their PhD student to Pirbright for 9 weeks to be trained and help to carry out the infection trials. During this visit, the student contributed to a research publication (see outputs) BEES: Collaborators at University of Aberdeen provided freshly-harvested bee eggs, larvae and pupae and optimised collection of these stages from frames. |
| Impact | SMARTBEES: A poster reporting the results of the screening of tick cell lines for ability to support DWV replication was presented at the SGM Focused meeting on arbovirology at University of Glasgow in September 2015. One joint publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.008 BEES: Protocols developed for successful generation of primary cell cultures from honeybee eggs. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | UK Environment Agency |
| Organisation | Environment Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We are attempting to establish a cell line from freshwater fish lice (Argulus spp.) and have sequenced the genome of A. japonicus, which may lead to the development of novel control options. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Environment Agency has supplied viable and fixed Argulus specimens for cell line development and genome sequencing. |
| Impact | No outputs to date. Not multidisciplinary. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Meet the Scientists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Organised by the University of Liverpool's Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and supported by the Wellcome Trust, the programme aims to share the global impact of Liverpool research through fun and engaging activities and demonstrations. Staff and students from the Institute of Infection and Global Health hosted the first event on 24th November 2018 at Liverpool's World Museum. The theme was "Bacteria. Viruses. Parasites. They're everywhere. Come along and learn about all things infectious, how these organisms spread, and how we can prevent them spreading". Project staff manned stalls on parasites (including ticks) and biomarkers of infection, and interacted with members of the public of all ages from toddlers to grandparents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2018/11/23/new-series-of-meet-the-scientists-begins-this-weekend/ |