Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Louise Ford

Louise Ford
Department of Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Filariasis Research Laboratory, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
UK

Biography

Dr. Louise Ford graduated from the University of Leeds in 1995 with a B.Sc. in Applied Biology and the following year graduated from the University of Liverpool with M.Sc. in Applied Parasitology and Medical Entomology. After spending three years working as a research assistant in the Crop Protection Group at the University of Durham she joined the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1999 working on the role of Wolbachia bacteria in the immune response to filariasis and obtained her Ph.D. in 2003. Louise began work as a post-doctoral research fellow at the New York Blood Center in 2003 working with Dr. Sara Lustigman on identifying potential drug and vaccine candidates against filarial parasites. She rejoined the School of Tropical Medicine in February 2007 working with Prof. Mark Taylor in the Filariasis Research Laboratory as a post-doctoral research assistant.

Research Interest

Wolbachia bacteria of filarial nematodes as an anti-filarial drug target, identification of potential anti-filarial drug candidates, optimisation of in vitro culture techniques for filarial nematodes, the role of Wolbachia bacteria in the immune response and pathogenesis of filariasis, characterisation and functional analysis of filarial genes utilising molecular, biochemical and immunological techniques, RNA interference.