Dr Geraldine Taylor

Geraldine Taylor (BSc, PhD) is an Honorary Fellow at The Pirbright Institute and is a Jenner Investigator. Previously Head of the Vaccinology group, her research interests are the study of mechanisms of immunity and pathogenesis of a number of economically important virus infections of livestock, with the ultimate aim of developing novel vaccines. The main focus of her research is bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), which is an important cause of pneumonia in young calves and which is closely related to human RSV, a major cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children.

These studies have included characterisation of the protective antigens (molecules the immune system can target) of RSV, the role of immune system antibodies and T cells in RSV infection, and the molecular determinants of virulence of BRSV in calves. Current studies exploit the calf model of BRSV infection for the development of an adenovirus-vectored human RSV vaccine, which is being undertaken in collaboration with industry.

Her other research interests include African swine fever virus (ASFV) in collaboration with Linda Dixon’s group, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in collaboration with Michael Baron’s group, and bluetongue virus (BTV). Studies include investigating the interaction of these viruses with components of the innate and adaptive immune response, the role of the immune response in protection and pathogenesis, and identifying viral proteins recognised by T cells in ruminants and pigs.