Dr Rebecca Daines

Rebecca is currently a post-doctoral researcher within the Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Virus Group supervised by Professor Munir Iqbal. Her research investigates the genetic and antigenic evolution of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) and molecular determinants driving vaccine failure in poultry. She completed her PhD with Professor Iqbal in collaboration with The Royal Veterinary College, utilising unique modelling techniques to identify the determinants of antigenic disparities between the clades of H5Nx AIVs. Additionally, a novel avenue of her research is driving an alternative vaccine candidate which is anticipated to attribute to differentiation of infected to vaccinated animals (DIVA) and pen-side diagnostic applications. She then translated these skills and methodologies into her post-doctorate project, investigating the antigenic profile of circulating H9N2 AIV in Bangladesh, in collaboration with the One Health Poultry Hub. Expanding the capacity of reagents generated in her PhD, Rebecca is also investigating the asymptomatic infection and exposure of humans to AIV in Bangladesh and Vietnam, underpinning the identification and importance of broadly neutralising haemagglutinin stalk-targeting antibodies.