Nazia Thakur

Nazia Thakur is a PhD Student working in the Viral Glycoproteins research group led by Dr Dalan Bailey. She first joined The Pirbright Institute in 2018, after completing her MSc at the University of Birmingham. She is now on the University of Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP (BBSRC).

Nazia's research interests focus on examining and characterising the cross-neutralising antibody responses raised by henipavirus vaccines in pigs. The henipaviruses are a group of enveloped viruses with a high level of genetic and antigenic similarity. Presently, it is known that Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are able to infect other hosts, both livestock and humans. The main concern is that other henipaviruses, either known or unknown, may also have zoonotic potential, posing a threat to agriculture and endangering human health. Nazia's main research aims are to investigate whether vaccination against henipaviruses in pigs can provide sufficient cross-protective immunity to prevent emergence from taking place. 

Nazia is also interested in developing novel low-containment viral neutralisation assays to screen for these antibodies, which she has already successfully done for NiV, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2. She has also been actively involved in The Pirbright Institute's COVID-19 research efforts. This has largely been focused on assessing the antigenicity and host range of SARS-CoV-2 variants.