Dr Bethany McCann

About me:

I joined Professor Elaine Bignell’s research group on an undergraduate summer studentship in 2014, before undertaking my PhD titled ‘From Bug to Drug: Identification of novel inhibitors of pH signalling in the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus’ which was completed in 2019 under her supervision. My PhD research was focused on identifying innovative methods required to find novel inhibitors of the pathogenically important pH signalling pathway of A. fumigatus. During my PhD I undertook an industrial placement with a small drug discovery company, Blueberry Therapeutics.

My research interests lie in understanding the virulence mechanisms that drive fungal pathogenicity including how fungi adapt, interact with and damage host environments upon infection and how these mechanisms can be exploited for the identification of novel antifungals,

My research interests lie in understanding the virulence mechanisms that drive fungal pathogenicity including how fungi adapt, interact with and damage host environments upon infection, particularly in the major mould pathogen of humans Aspergillus fumigatus. I have developed a keen interest in how fungi mediate infection and invasion of host tissues to promote fungal survival and proliferation through adaptation and host-pathogen interactions. I am also interested in how these virulence mechanisms can be exploited for the identification of novel antifungals, with novel targets, that are urgently required both clinically and agriculturally.

My current research project involves the application of genetic tools and approaches, including CRISPR/Cas9, and how they can be exploited to not only identify and define virulence mechanisms, and host-pathogen interactions but also to utilise them as novel therapeutic targets.

2015: BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, University of Manchester

2019: PhD – Medicine (Inflammation and Repair) University of Manchester

2019-2020: University of Manchester Research Infrastructure Network Coordinator/ Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Manchester

2020: Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Manchester

2020: Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Exeter