Scientist

Dr Sarah Keep

Group

Coronaviruses

Expertise

Molecular Biology, Molecular Virology, Virology

Dr Sarah Keep

Group

Coronaviruses

Sarah is a senior molecular virologist in the Coronaviruses group.

Projects

Pathogenesis, immunity, and control of coronaviruses in a large natural host animal, the pig

Understanding porcine coronaviruses to safeguard human and livestock health.

Publications

Sedaghat-Rostami E, Carr BV, Yang L, Keep S, Lean FZX, Atkinson I, Fones A, Paudyal B, Kirk J, Vatzia E, Gubbins S, Bickerton E, Briggs E, Núñez A, McNee A, Moffat K, Freimanis G, Rollier C, Muir A, Richard AC, Angelopoulos N, Gerner W, Tchilian E. (2025)

Porcine respiratory coronavirus as a model for acute respiratory disease: mechanisms of different infection outcomes

Journal Journal of Immunology

Read abstract

Lean FZX, Gallo G, Newman J, Ackroyd S, Spiro S, Cox R, Nymo IH, Bröjer C, Neimanis A, Suárez-Bonnet A, Priestnall SL, Everest H, Keep S, Bailey D, Delahay RJ, Seekings AH, McElhinney LM, Brookes SM, Núñez A.

Distribution of aminopeptidase N coronavirus receptors in the respiratory and digestive tracts of domestic and wild artiodactyls and carnivores

Journal Journal of General Virology

Read abstract

Keep S, Foldes K, Dowgier G, Freimanis G, Tennakoon C, Chowdhury S, Rayment A, Kirk J, Bakshi T, Stevenson-Leggett P, Chen Y, Britton P, Bickerton E. (2025)

Recombinant infectious bronchitis virus containing mutations in non-structural proteins 10, 14, 15, and 16 and within the macrodomain provides complete protection against homologous challenge

Journal Journal of Virology

Read abstract

Bilotti K, Keep S, Sikkema AP, Pryor JM, Kirk J, Foldes K, Doyle N, Wu G, Freimanis G, Dowgier G, Adeyemi O, Tabatabaei SK, Lohman GJS, Bickerton E (2024)

One-pot Golden Gate Assembly of an avian infectious bronchitis virus reverse genetics system

Journal PLOS One

Read abstract

Keep S, Stevenson-Leggett P, Webb I, Fones A, Kirk J, Britton P, Bickerton E (2024)

The spike protein of the apathogenic Beaudette strain of avian coronavirus can elicit a protective immune response against a virulent M41 challenge

Journal PLOS ONE

Read abstract

Pagination

Previous page
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Next page

Articles

Close up of two pink pigs lying on straw

08 May 2025

A novel way to create vaccines against infectious bronchitis virus explored by Pirbright scientists

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have developed a potential vaccine for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) that could protect chickens from severe disease with just one dose. IBV is a coronavirus that causes a highly contagious disease in poultry, it results in respiratory symptoms and affects…

11 April 2022

Pirbright scientists investigate pig coronavirus infection to understand COVID-19 in humans

Researchers at Pirbright have developed a pig respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) model which will help to understand how coronaviruses cause disease and how the immune system responds to them. Human coronaviruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS…

Flock of brown and white chickens following a person in boots

10 March 2022

Pirbright develops new ways to create safe vaccines to protect poultry from infectious bronchitis virus

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute working to improve vaccines for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) have identified targets in the virus’s genetic code that could make vaccines safer. Better vaccines would have a huge impact on improving health and welfare of poultry and protect food security…

IBV strain M41-CK (red) growing in Vero cells (green with blue nuclei) in the presence of trypsin

13 November 2020

Pirbright reveals new method to study poultry virus (IBV) which could reduce the need to use birds in research

An enzyme called trypsin boosts the growth of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains in lab cell cultures, scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown. This finding could enable researchers to study strains of the poultry virus that were previously inaccessible and potentially provide…

Beaudette infection in primary chicken kidney cell cultures. They have been labelled anti-E (red) and anti-IBV (green) and the nuclei are labelled blue with DAPI.

01 September 2020

Increasing infectious bronchitis virus vaccine heat resilience could improve performance, Pirbright scientists reveal

Two recent studies from The Pirbright Institute and the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute show that two vaccines against specific strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) do not offer complete protection against a third strain, and that this may be partly down to the temperature range…

cells infected with infectious bronchitis (blue nucleus, red virus)

24 August 2020

Pirbright scientists contribute to new coronavirus book

Pirbright scientists have edited and authored chapters in a new book titled ‘Coronaviruses’ which provides detailed information about the Coronaviridae family as well as laboratory techniques currently used in the field to study them. Whilst coronaviruses have long been known to cause devasting…

M41 infection in primary chicken kidney cell cultures. They have been labelled anti-E (red) and anti-IBV (green) and the nuclei are labelled blue with DAPI.

04 August 2020

Pirbright scientists identify new genes in infectious bronchitis virus

Two new genes have been identified in infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a coronavirus that causes an acute, highly contagious and economically important respiratory disease of poultry. The research, carried out by scientists at The Pirbright Institute, raises the prospect that coronavirus genomes…

15 May 2019

Pirbright scientists identify mutation hotspots that may inform infectious bronchitis vaccine development

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations which may be prone to reversion in the field. IBV causes a poultry disease which results in large economic losses across the globe. Live attenuated vaccines…

31 August 2018

Meetings on avian viruses and immunology

Next week two consecutive meetings will focus on research into avian diseases that affect both food security and human health. The Focused Meeting on Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of Avian Viruses and XV Avian Immunology Research Group (AIRG) meeting will take place on the 3-4 and 5-7 September…

Contact

Title

Message

Dr Sarah Keep

Projects

Pathogenesis, immunity, and control of coronaviruses in a large natural host animal, the pig

Publications

Porcine respiratory coronavirus as a model for acute respiratory disease: mechanisms of different infection outcomes

Distribution of aminopeptidase N coronavirus receptors in the respiratory and digestive tracts of domestic and wild artiodactyls and carnivores

Recombinant infectious bronchitis virus containing mutations in non-structural proteins 10, 14, 15, and 16 and within the macrodomain provides complete protection against homologous challenge

One-pot Golden Gate Assembly of an avian infectious bronchitis virus reverse genetics system

The spike protein of the apathogenic Beaudette strain of avian coronavirus can elicit a protective immune response against a virulent M41 challenge

Articles

Pigs provide insights into coronavirus-induced lung damage

New strategies for infectious bronchitis virus vaccine development

New efficient method developed to tackle avian infectious bronchitis virus

Avian bronchitis vaccine replicates in cell culture

A novel way to create vaccines against infectious bronchitis virus explored by Pirbright scientists

Pirbright scientists investigate pig coronavirus infection to understand COVID-19 in humans

Pirbright develops new ways to create safe vaccines to protect poultry from infectious bronchitis virus

Pirbright reveals new method to study poultry virus (IBV) which could reduce the need to use birds in research

Increasing infectious bronchitis virus vaccine heat resilience could improve performance, Pirbright scientists reveal

Pirbright scientists contribute to new coronavirus book

Pirbright scientists identify new genes in infectious bronchitis virus

Pirbright scientists identify mutation hotspots that may inform infectious bronchitis vaccine development

Meetings on avian viruses and immunology

Contact