Simon Graham

I am a veterinary immunologist with an interest in understanding mechanisms of protective immunity and its application to vaccine development. My early career focussed on parasitic diseases, I developed a natural cattle model for testing vaccines against onchocerciasis, which provided the first proof-of-principle for vaccine-induced protection. I also identified and evaluated vaccine candidate antigens from the parasite Theileria parva, which were designed to induce protective bovine CD8 T cell responses. My research then focussed on porcine viruses, such as classical swine fever (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRSV) viruses. I informed discussions on the use of emergency vaccination to control CSF outbreaks by demonstrating that live attenuated vaccines prevented transmission of divergent CSFV strains after only three days. My current research is largely focussed on PRRSV, and I am pursuing complimentary approaches to improved vaccine development. I am also working to develop a Nipah virus vaccine for pigs to reduce the risk this virus poses to public health, as well as the pig industries and livestock keepers, in South and Southeast Asia.