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Department of Zoology

 

Research

We use antigenic cartography, along with genetic and population biology techniques, to study basic questions in pathogen evolution, and coevolution with the acquired immunity in host populations.

Antigenic cartography is a new mathematical and computational method which for the first time allows one to quantify and visualize fine-grain phenotypic differences among strains of viruses or bacteria (Smith et al., Science 305, 371-376, 2004).

Antigenic cartography has been developed using data on human influenza virus subtype A(H3N2), and is routinely used to analyze the global data from the World Health Organization influenza surveillance network as part of the influenza vaccine strain selection process.

Publications

Key publications: 
  • Barbara Mühlemann, Terry C. Jones, Peter de Barros Damgaard, Morten E. Allentoft, Irina Shevnina, Andrey Logvin, Emma Usmanova, Irina P.Panyushkina, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Tsevel Bazartseren, Kadicha Tashbaeva, Victor Merz, Nina Lau, Václav Smrčka, Dmitry Voyakin, Egor Kitov, Andrey Epimakhov, Dalia Pokutta, Magdolna Vicze, Douglas T. Price, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Anders J. Hansen, Ludovic Orlando, Simon Rasmussen, Martin Sikora, Lasse Vinner, Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus, Derek J. Smith, Dieter Glebe, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Christian Drosten, Karl-Göran Sjögren, Kristian Kristiansen, Eske Willerslev (2018). Ancient hepatitis B viruses from the Bronze Age to the Medieval period. Nature. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0097-z

  • Chengjun Li, Masato Hatta, David F. Burke, Jihui Ping, Ying Zhang, Makoto Ozawa, Andrew S. Taft, Subash C. Das, Anthony P. Hanson, Jiasheng Song, Masaki Imai, Peter R. Wilker, Tokiko Watanabe, Shinji Watanabe, Mutsumi Ito, Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Colin A. Russell, Sarah L. James, Eugene Skepner, Eileen A. Maher, Gabriele Neumann, Alexander I. Klimov, Anne Kelso, John McCauley, Dayan Wang, Yuelong Shu, Takato Odagiri, Masato Tashiro, Xiyan Xu, David E. Wentworth, Jacqueline M. Katz, Nancy J. Cox, Derek J. Smith & Yoshihiro Kawaoka (2016). Selection of antigenically advanced variants of seasonal influenza viruses. Nature Microbiology, 1(6):16058. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.58

  • Katzelnick LC, Fonville JM, Gromowski GD, Arriaga JB, Green A, James SL, Lau L, Montoya M, Wang C, VanBlargan LA, Russell CA, Thu HM, Pierson TC, Buchy P, Aaskov JG, Muñoz-Jordán JL, Vasilakis N, Gibbons RV, Tesh RB, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA, Durbin A, Simmons CP, Holmes EC, Harris E, Whitehead SS, Smith DJ. Dengue viruses cluster antigenically but not as discrete serotypes. Science, 2015 Sep 18;349(6254):1338-43. doi: 10.1126/science.aac5017.
     
  • Bedford T, Riley S, Barr IG, Broor S, Chadha M, Cox NJ, Daniels RS, Gunasekaran C, Hurt AC, Kelso A, Klimov A, Lewis NS, Li X, McCauley JW, Odagiri T, Potdar V, Rambaut A, Shu Y, Skepner E, Smith DJ, Suchard MA, Tashiro M, Wang D, Xu X, Lemey P, Russell CA. Global circulation patterns of seasonal influenza viruses vary with antigenic drift. Nature. 2015 Jul 9; 523(7559):217-20. doi: 10.1038/ nature14460. Epub 2015 Jun 8.
     
  • Fonville, JM; Wilks, SH; James, SL; Fox, A; Ventresca, M; Aban, M; Xue, L; Jones, TC; Le, NMH; Pham, QT; Tran ND; Wong, Y; Mosterin, A; Katzelnick, LC; Labonte, D; Le, TT; van der Net, G; Skepner, E; Russell, CA; Kaplan, TD; Rimmelzwaan, GF; Masurel, N; de Jong, JC; Palache, A; Beyer, WEP; Le, QM; Nguyen, TH;  Wertheim, HFL; Hurt, AC; Osterhaus, ADME; Barr, IG; Fouchier, RAM; Horby, PW; Smith, DJ. Antibody landscapes after influenza virus infection or vaccination. Science 21 November 2014: 346 (6212): 996-1000; DOI: 10.1126/science.1256427.
     
  • Koel, BF; Burke, DF; Bestebroer, TM; van der Vliet, S; Zondag, GCM; Vervaet, G; Skepner, E;  Lewis, NS; Spronken, MIJ; Russell, CA; Eropkin, MY; Hurt, AC; Barr, IG; de Jong, JC; Rimmelzwaan, GF; Osterhaus, ADME; Fouchier, RAM; Smith, DJ. Substitutions near the receptor binding site determine major antigenic change during influenza virus evolution. Science. 2013 Nov 22;342(6161):976-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1244730.
  • Richard M, Schrauwen EJ, de Graaf M, Bestebroer TM, Spronken MI, van Boheemen S, de Meulder D, Lexmond P, Linster M, Herfst S, Smith DJ, van den Brand JM, Burke DF, Kuiken T, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. Limited airborne transmission of H7N9 influenza A virus between ferrets. Nature. 2013 Sep 26; 501(7468):560- 3. doi: 10.1038/nature12476. Epub 2013 Aug 7.

  • Fouchier, RAM; Kawaoka, Y; Cardona C; Compans, RW; García-Sastre, A; Govorkova, EA; Y Guan; Herfst, S; Orenstein, WA; Peiris, MJS; Perez, DR; Richt, JA; Russell, C; Schultz-Cherry, SL; Smith, DJ; Steel, J; Tompkins, SM; Topham, DJ; Treanor, JJ; Tripp, RA; Webby, RJ; Webster, RG. Gain-of-Function Experiments on H7N9. Science. 2013 August 9; Vol 341: 612-3.

  • Fouchier, RAM; Kawaoka, Y; Cardona C; Compans, RW; García-Sastre, A; Govorkova, EA; Y Guan; Herfst, S; Orenstein, WA; Peiris, MJS; Perez, DR; Richt, JA; Russell, C; Schultz-Cherry, SL; Smith, DJ; Steel, J; Tompkins, SM; Topham, DJ; Treanor, JJ; Tripp, RA; Webby, RJ; Webster, RG. Avian Flu: Gain-of-function experiments on H7N9 Nature 2013 August 8; Vol 500: 150-1.
     
  • Colin A. Russell, Judith M. Fonville, André E. X. Brown, David F. Burke, David L. Smith, Sarah L. James, Sander Herfst, Sander van Boheemen, Martin Linster, Eefje J. Schrauwen, Leah Katzelnick, Ana Mosterín, Thijs Kuiken, Eileen Maher, Gabriele Neumann, Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Ron A. M. Fouchier, and Derek J. Smith. 2012. The Potential for Respiratory Droplet-Transmissible A/H5N1 Influenza Virus to Evolve in a Mammalian Host. Science 336 (6088):1541-1547.
     
  • Airborne transmission of influenza A/H5N1 virus between ferrets. Herfst S, Schrauwen EJ, Linster M, Chutinimitkul S, de Wit E, Munster VJ, Sorrell EM, Bestebroer TM, Burke DF, Smith DJ, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. Science. 22;336(6088):1534-41.
  • Garten RJ, Davis CT, Russell CA, Shu B, Lindstrom S, Balish A, Sessions WM, Xu X, Skepner E, Deyde V, Okomo-Adhiambo M, Gubareva L, Barnes J, Smith CB, Emery SL, Hillman MJ, Rivailler P, Smagala J, de Graaf M, Burke DF, Fouchier RA, Pappas C, Alpuche-Aranda CM, López-Gatell H, Olivera H, López I, Myers CA, Faix D, Blair PJ, Yu C, Keene KM, Dotson PD Jr, Boxrud D, Sambol AR, Abid SH, St George K, Bannerman T, Moore AL, Stringer DJ, Blevins P, Demmler-Harrison GJ, Ginsberg M, Kriner P, Waterman S, Smole S, Guevara HF, Belongia EA, Clark PA, Beatrice ST, Donis R, Katz J, Finelli L, Bridges CB, Shaw M, Jernigan DB, Uyeki TM, Smith DJ, Klimov AI, Cox NJ. 2009. Antigenic and Genetic Characteristics of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Viruses Circulating in Humans. Science 325 (5937):197-201.
     
  • Park AW, Daly JM, Lewis NS, Smith, DJ, Wood JLN, Grenfell BT. 2009. Quantifying the impact of immune escape on transmission dynamics of influenza. Science 326: 726-728.
     
  • Russell CA, TC Jones, IG Barr, NJ Cox, R Garten, V Gregory, I Gust, AW Hampson, AJ Hay, AC Hurt, JC de Jong, AI Klimov, T Kageyama, N Komadina, AS Lapedes, YP Lin, A Mosterin, M Obuchi, T Odagiri, ADME Osterhaus, GF Rimmelzwaan, MW Shaw, E Skepner, K Stohr, M Tashiro, RAM Fouchier, DJ Smith. 2008. The global circulation of seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses. Science 32: 340-346.
     
  • D. J. Smith. 2006. Predictability and preparedness in influenza control. Science, 312: 392-394.
     
  • D. J. Smith, A. S. Lapedes, J. C. de Jong, T. M. Bestebroer, G. F. Rimmelzwaan, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, and R. A. M. Fouchier. 2004. Mapping the Antigenic and Genetic Evolution of Influenza Virus. Science 305: 371-376.
Professor of Infectious Disease Informatics
Director of Centre for Pathogen Evolution

Contact Details

Second Floor, Austin Building
01223 (3)34872 or (3)30933
Accepting applications for PhD students.