Undergraduate research project published in international journal

Dissertation Leads to Publication for PhD Student

Stuart Masterson, a PhD student in the School of Biosciences, whose final year undergraduate dissertation has led to the publication of a scientific paper in the internationally recognised journal ‘Frontiers in Immunology’.

When starting his dissertation, Stuart set out to answer the question of whether Ebola virus vaccines would be effective at preventing Ebola virus disease. In collaboration with a team led by Professor Martin Michaelis and Dr Mark Wass, together with researchers from other institutions, the answer to this question is now clear. Mass vaccination programmes are not a realistic option for the prevention of new Ebola virus outbreaks.

The research will help create a better understand of the current routes available to combat Ebola virus outbreaks. As well as highlighting the shortcomings in current treatment options, it suggests that cheaper or more cost-effective methods are needed due to the inability of the affected countries to afford the current ones.

Currently using bioinformatics to investigate viral pathogenicity, Stuart is continuing his research with viruses – the Ebola virus in particular. In the future, he is looking forward to using his initial research as a starting point to go on to look at variation between many other viruses, such as the Zika virus or the West Nile virus. Together with many researchers around the world, he is hoping to eventually elucidate the potential infection mechanism of the Ebola virus. We wish him the best of luck in his career!

Read the paper here: