A WORLD-LEADING scientist based at a Scottish university has been granted £1.5 million from the European Research Council [ERC] to study how the bacterial immune system responds to viruses.
Professor Malcolm White, from the University of St Andrews’ School of Biology, will work with his team to research how bacteria protect themselves against viral attack, which could play a key role in the battle against drug-resistant bacteria.
The professor said: “This work will provide a deep understanding of the cyclic-nucleotide-based antivirus signalling system and open up new research areas including the fascinating evolutionary links between bacterial and human immune systems and the possibility of weaponising viruses to kill drug resistant bacterial pathogens.”
White’s grant is part of €507m the prestigious ERC has awarded to 209 leading scientists to boost key research.
There were 2678 research proposals submitted overall, with just 8% being selected for funding.
ERC president Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon commented: “We look forward to seeing what major insights and breakthroughs will spring from this investment and trust.”
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