The Tick Cell Biobank - a global collection of tick cell lines
Lead Research Organisation:
THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The Tick Cell Biobank (TCB) is a global repository for tick cell lines (TCL) derived from ixodid and argasid species of veterinary and medical importance available now and in future. As well as supplying tick cell lines on request to the UK and international research community, the TCB trains recipient scientists in cell line establishment and maintenance, characterises the cell lines including screening for endogenous viruses, and continues to derive new TCL. Establishment of TCL takes many years and requires specialised expertise and, importantly, a stable background of laboratory support, which this project provides.
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, social and climate change driving the emergence of new vector-borne diseases, the demand for TCL is likely to continue to increase in the future.
The TCB has already been enormously successful, generating eleven new cell lines and supplying TCL to recipients in, and training young scientists from, 21 countries in five continents. TCL from the TCB have already facilitated a wide range of studies, but much remains to be done. 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 TCB is essential to support this research now and for many years to come. The TCB is part of the Institute's National Capability and as such provides tick cell lines and training to other research groups in the UK and beyond as well as supporting in-house research into arbovirus groups including bunyaviruses, flaviviruses, orbiviruses and African swine fever virus.
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, social and climate change driving the emergence of new vector-borne diseases, the demand for TCL is likely to continue to increase in the future.
The TCB has already been enormously successful, generating eleven new cell lines and supplying TCL to recipients in, and training young scientists from, 21 countries in five continents. TCL from the TCB have already facilitated a wide range of studies, but much remains to be done. 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 TCB is essential to support this research now and for many years to come. The TCB is part of the Institute's National Capability and as such provides tick cell lines and training to other research groups in the UK and beyond as well as supporting in-house research into arbovirus groups including bunyaviruses, flaviviruses, orbiviruses and African swine fever virus.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
- THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE (Lead Research Organisation)
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (Collaboration)
- Government of Sweden (Collaboration)
- Luxembourg Institute of Health (Collaboration)
- Aix-Marseille University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN (Collaboration)
- Friedrich Loeffler Institute (Collaboration)
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) (Collaboration)
- University of Gothenburg (Collaboration)
- Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Collaboration)
- National Veterinary Institute (Collaboration)
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (Collaboration)
- MOREDUN RESEARCH INSTITUTE (Collaboration)
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (Collaboration)
- University of Parma (Collaboration)
- Lancaster University (Collaboration)
- Heidelberg University Hospital (Collaboration)
- University of Malaya (Collaboration)
- Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (Collaboration)
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) (Collaboration)
- University of Helsinki (Collaboration)
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology (Collaboration)
- Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Collaboration)
- KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL (Collaboration)
- Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Lesley Bell-Sakyi (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Alberdi MP
(2012)
Detection and identification of putative bacterial endosymbionts and endogenous viruses in tick cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Alberdi MP
(2012)
Tick cell culture isolation and growth of Rickettsia raoultii from Dutch Dermacentor reticulatus ticks.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Alberdi P
(2015)
Infection of Ixodes spp. tick cells with different Anaplasma phagocytophilum isolates induces the inhibition of apoptotic cell death.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Barry G
(2013)
Gene silencing in tick cell lines using small interfering or long double-stranded RNA.
in Experimental & applied acarology
Bell-Sakyi L
(2015)
Propagation of the Israeli vaccine strain of Anaplasma centrale in tick cell lines.
in Veterinary microbiology
Bell-Sakyi L
(2015)
Isolation and propagation of a Spiroplasma sp. from Slovakian Ixodes ricinus ticks in Ixodes spp. cell lines.
in Ticks and tick-borne diseases
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
Bell-Sakyi L
(2016)
Microscopic Visualisation of Zoonotic Arbovirus Replication in Tick Cell and Organ Cultures Using Semliki Forest Virus Reporter Systems.
in Veterinary sciences
| Title | Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Identification of a novel ß-adrenergic octopamine receptor-like gene (ßAOR-like) and increased ATP-binding cassette B10 (ABCB10) expression in a Rhipicephalus microplus cell line derived from acaricide-resistant ticks |
| Description | ßAOR gene in earlier passages of Rhipicephalus cell lines BME/CTVM5 and BME/CTVM6. Detection of ßAOR gene in Rhipicephalus microplus cell lines BME/CTVM5 passage 8 (5p8) and BME/CTVM6 passages 32, 221 and 243 (6p32, 6p221 and 6p243, respectively). Amplicons of 183 bp, 220 bp and 245 bp were detected in the gDNA of BME/CTVM5 and amplicon of only 220 bp was detected in BME/CTVM6 passages. M = Marker. (TIF 2846 kb) |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_1_Figure_S1_of_Identification_of... |
| Title | Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Identification of a novel ß-adrenergic octopamine receptor-like gene (ßAOR-like) and increased ATP-binding cassette B10 (ABCB10) expression in a Rhipicephalus microplus cell line derived from acaricide-resistant ticks |
| Description | ßAOR gene in earlier passages of Rhipicephalus cell lines BME/CTVM5 and BME/CTVM6. Detection of ßAOR gene in Rhipicephalus microplus cell lines BME/CTVM5 passage 8 (5p8) and BME/CTVM6 passages 32, 221 and 243 (6p32, 6p221 and 6p243, respectively). Amplicons of 183 bp, 220 bp and 245 bp were detected in the gDNA of BME/CTVM5 and amplicon of only 220 bp was detected in BME/CTVM6 passages. M = Marker. (TIF 2846 kb) |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_1_Figure_S1_of_Identification_of... |
| Title | Additional file 2: Figure S2. of Identification of a novel ß-adrenergic octopamine receptor-like gene (ßAOR-like) and increased ATP-binding cassette B10 (ABCB10) expression in a Rhipicephalus microplus cell line derived from acaricide-resistant ticks |
| Description | ßAOR sequences of the 245 bp amplicon from BME/CTVM5 genomic DNA. There were two regions of heterogeneity from the sequencing traces of the alternative 245 bp amplicon detected in BME/CTVM5, indicating the existence of multiple primer binding sites for the sequencing reactions. (TIF 9962 kb) |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_2_Figure_S2_of_Identification_of... |
| Title | Additional file 2: Figure S2. of Identification of a novel ß-adrenergic octopamine receptor-like gene (ßAOR-like) and increased ATP-binding cassette B10 (ABCB10) expression in a Rhipicephalus microplus cell line derived from acaricide-resistant ticks |
| Description | ßAOR sequences of the 245 bp amplicon from BME/CTVM5 genomic DNA. There were two regions of heterogeneity from the sequencing traces of the alternative 245 bp amplicon detected in BME/CTVM5, indicating the existence of multiple primer binding sites for the sequencing reactions. (TIF 9962 kb) |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_2_Figure_S2_of_Identification_of... |
| Title | Additional file 3: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | TBEV infection levels in mock-infected and TBEV-infected tick cells. Numbers of copies of TBEV NS5 were determined by qRT-PCR using NS5 primers and the linearised plasmid pJET-NS5 to create a standard curve. Copy numbers were normalised to 1 µg of total RNA. The limit of detection was derived from the number of NS5 copies in the highest dilution which was still detectable with a variance less than one Ct and was normalised to 1 µg of total RNA. (A) IDE8 infected and mock-infected (control) at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. (B) IRE/CTVM19 infected and mock-infected (control) at days 2 and 6 p.i.. Error bars are standard deviations. Samples marked with + passed both RNA and protein quality checks and were used in transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_3_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| Title | Additional file 3: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | TBEV infection levels in mock-infected and TBEV-infected tick cells. Numbers of copies of TBEV NS5 were determined by qRT-PCR using NS5 primers and the linearised plasmid pJET-NS5 to create a standard curve. Copy numbers were normalised to 1 µg of total RNA. The limit of detection was derived from the number of NS5 copies in the highest dilution which was still detectable with a variance less than one Ct and was normalised to 1 µg of total RNA. (A) IDE8 infected and mock-infected (control) at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. (B) IRE/CTVM19 infected and mock-infected (control) at days 2 and 6 p.i.. Error bars are standard deviations. Samples marked with + passed both RNA and protein quality checks and were used in transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_3_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| Title | Additional file 4: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Validation by qRT-PCR of RNA-Seq data for TBEV-infected IDE8 and IRE/CTVM19 cells. The fold changes in transcript expression in pooled IDE8 (A) and IRE/CTVM19 (B) samples from RNA-Seq data calculated by DESeq in R at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. were compared to the average fold change obtained by qRT-PCR in 2-3 individual biological replicate samples. The dotted line at fold change 1 represents the cut-off for differential expression. Error bars are standard error of the mean. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_4_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| Title | Additional file 4: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Validation by qRT-PCR of RNA-Seq data for TBEV-infected IDE8 and IRE/CTVM19 cells. The fold changes in transcript expression in pooled IDE8 (A) and IRE/CTVM19 (B) samples from RNA-Seq data calculated by DESeq in R at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. were compared to the average fold change obtained by qRT-PCR in 2-3 individual biological replicate samples. The dotted line at fold change 1 represents the cut-off for differential expression. Error bars are standard error of the mean. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_4_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| Title | Additional file 5: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Differential expression levels of transcripts in LGTV-infected IDE8 and IRE/CTVM19 cells. The fold changes in transcript expression in IDE8 (A) and IRE/CTVM19 (B) samples infected with LGTV at MOI 5 at days 2 and 6 p.i. were determined by qRT-PCR. The mean of three individual biological replicate samples at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. is depicted. The dotted line at fold change 1 represents the cut-off for differential expression. Error bars are standard error of the mean. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_5_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| Title | Additional file 5: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Differential expression levels of transcripts in LGTV-infected IDE8 and IRE/CTVM19 cells. The fold changes in transcript expression in IDE8 (A) and IRE/CTVM19 (B) samples infected with LGTV at MOI 5 at days 2 and 6 p.i. were determined by qRT-PCR. The mean of three individual biological replicate samples at days 2 (2d) and 6 (6d) p.i. is depicted. The dotted line at fold change 1 represents the cut-off for differential expression. Error bars are standard error of the mean. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/figure/Additional_file_5_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ixo... |
| 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 characterise the existing cell lines and to generate new cell lines from tick species and strains not already represented in the collection. Since the start of this grant, several new tick cell lines have been developed and others are under development (a process which takes between 1 and 7 years), including from three European tick species from which no cell lines currently exist. 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, Rickettsia raoultii, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Mycobacterium leprae in tick cells, and the role of tick innate immunity in transmission of pathogens such as tick-borne encephalitis virus is now being determined. |
| 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 >40 first-, senior- or co-authored papers listed in the Common Outcomes. Once cell lines have been established from additional European tick species, these will be added to the collection and made available as research tools for UK and European scientists working on pathogens transmitted by these tick species. 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; this research is ongoing as a collaboration between the Tick Cell Biobank and the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Brazil. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Education Environment Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Other |
| Description | The Tick Cell Biobank, successfully transferred to The Pirbright Institute from The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, in September 2012, has continued since then to supply tick cell lines and training in their maintenance to tick and tick-borne disease researchers in the UK and worldwide, thereby underpinning research at over 50 institutes in a wide range of subject areas (scientific, medical, veterinary and agricultural). Since 2012, tick cell lines have been transferred to 52 recipients and 39 scientists have been trained in tick cell culture. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | ANIHWA 3rd Call (NB total award to consortium below is given in euros ) |
| Amount | £1,797,035 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/N023889/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2016 |
| End | 06/2019 |
| Description | BBSRC Other Countries Partnerships |
| Amount | £30,365 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/M027538/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2015 |
| End | 04/2017 |
| 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 | Belgium |
| Start | 08/2017 |
| End | 11/2020 |
| 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 | 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 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/PILS37 |
| Description | Cell line derived from embryonic Hyalomma dromedarii ticks, currently at passage nine after seven years in vitro. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None so far |
| 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 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/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/CTVM32 |
| Description | Cell line derived from developing adult (moulting nymphal) Rhipicephalus evertsi ticks, currently at passage 25 after 7 years in vitro. |
| Type Of Material | Cell line |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This cell line is the first to be derived from moulting nymphal R. evertsi ticks, and is only the fourth nymph-derived cell line currently available (most tick cell lines are embryo-derived). It supports growth of the canine bacterial pathogen Ehrlichia canis, increasing the range of tick species whose cells support E. canis growth in vitro and suggesting a possible role for this tick species in transmission in vivo. The REN/CTVM32 cell line was distributed to colleagues at University of Glasgow Veterinary School for a study on mechanisms of acaricide resistance. This work has been published (Koh-Tan et al 2016; DOI 10.1186/s13071-016-1708-x) |
| 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 | Additional file 2: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Protein identification after proteomics analysis. (XLS 461 kb) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Additional_file_2_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ix... |
| Title | Additional file 2: of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus tick cell lines respond to infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus: transcriptomic and proteomic analysis |
| Description | Protein identification after proteomics analysis. (XLS 461 kb) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Additional_file_2_of___Ixodes_scapularis_and_Ix... |
| 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. |
| 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 APHA (AHVLA) on virus propagation |
| Organisation | Animal and Plant Health Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I have provided APHA (previously AHVLA) with tick cell lines and training in their maintenance on several occasions since 2006 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators at AHPA used the tick cell lines for attempted propagation of bat lyssaviruses and successful propagation of louping ill virus |
| Impact | Joint research publication Mansfield et al 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2011-1 A joint funding proposal was submitted to the third ANIHWA call; this was awarded and started in 2016. The project, coordinated by Prof Ali Mirazimi, Karolinska Institute, includes AHPA and Pirbright; Dr Lesley Bell-Sakyi is the Pirbright PI. |
| Start Year | 2006 |
| 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 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 Luxembourg Institute of Health on Ixodes ricinus genome |
| Organisation | Luxembourg Institute of Health |
| Country | Luxembourg |
| 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 led to a joint publication |
| Impact | Joint publication: Cramaro, W.J., Hunewald, O.E., Bell-Sakyi, L., Muller, C.P. (2017). Genome scaffolding and annotation for the pathogen vector Ixodes ricinus by ultra-long single molecule sequencing. Parasites & Vectors 10, 71. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| 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 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 Helsinki on tick-borne viruses |
| Organisation | University of Helsinki |
| Department | Neuroscience Center |
| Country | Finland |
| 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 which led to a joint publication |
| Impact | Joint publication: doi: 10.1128/JVI.03119-14 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| 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 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 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 |
| Department | School of Biological Sciences 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 | Talk to military environmental health personnel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Health professionals |
| Results and Impact | Eight staff and seven students from Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Defence School of Healthcare Education, Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Hampshire attended a day of talks on vector-borne diseases presented by staff of the Pirbright Institute. I talked about "Ticks and the diseases they transmit", with a focus on zoonotic pathogens. N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |