Reading Researcher Takes Aim at Fighting Food Poisoning

Sick days caused by dicky tummies could soon be a thing of the past after a University of Reading researcher was awarded £121,000 to study the bacteria that causes food poisoning.

Aidan Taylor, a lecturer in Microbiology, will investigate Campylobacter – which costs the UK economy £500 million every year.

The bacteria has developed resistance to multiple antibiotics meaning new methods are needed to fight it.

Aidan said: “The technology I will be using to fight the bacteria that causes food poisoning works by disrupting its genes.

“Transposons are ‘jumping genes’ that insert themselves into other genes to create a library of mutant bacteria. Antibiotic treatments are then used on this mutant library, and we measure which ones survive and which ones do not, meaning we can see which genes are necessary for survival.

“Developing interventions for Campylobacter will allow us to reduce the number of infections in humans, saving the suffering of many thousands of people, reducing pressure on the NHS and the financial burden on the taxpayer.”

Springboard scheme

Aidan Taylor’s research funding was awarded by the Academy of Medical Sciences as part of the £6.6 million in grant money that it will share with 54 ‘exceptional’ biomedical and health researchers. The Springboard grants will support early career scientists to establish their independent research careers over the next two years. The funding also includes a PhD studentship, which is open for applications.

Along with the funding, Springboard recipients benefit from the Academy’s mentoring opportunities and career development programmes.

The programme assists researchers across the full breadth of biomedical science, from molecular biology through to public health. Projects funded this year will advance understanding across a diverse range of health areas including cancer, antimicrobial resistance, musculoskeletal conditions and mental health.