Genomic surveillance

My research goal is to reduce the burden of bacterial diseases and antimicrobial resistance in young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through microbial genomics and laboratory experimentation, with focus on translating the discoveries to devise novel antimicrobial strategies and improve vaccine design.

Currently, I lead the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing (GPS) Project to survey one of the major children killers – pneumococcus. Partnering with more than 100 scientists around the globe, I analyse >26,000 pneumococcal genomes to understand how pneumococci escape the current vaccine. We deciphered the mechanism of vaccine evasion and identified major vaccine-escaping strains. The finding provides evidence basis to inform more effective vaccine design and vaccine policy at national and international level to further reduce child death.

I now line-manage three bioinformaticians and supervise postgraduate students in Bentley group at Sanger. In addition, I transfer my expertise and experience to researchers, especially those from LMICs, by providing bespoke training and mentorship for collaborators in GPS and JUNO projects.