Dr Michael Ormsby
- Honorary Research Fellow (School of Infection & Immunity)
email:
Michael.Ormsby@glasgow.ac.uk
Biography
I completed my BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in 2011 before commencing a BBSRC industrial CASE PhD studentship at the University of Glasgow, later that year.
My PhD research was carried out in Dr Robert Davies' laboratory. The primary focus of this research was to use comparative phenotypic, proteomic and genomic approaches to characterise the fish pathogen, Yersinia ruckeri, in support of improved vaccine development. Following this, I moved to the laboratory of Dr Donal Wall, also at the University of Glasgow, where I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. This BBSRC-funded post involved examining the effect of the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) preservative propionic acid, on Adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) - a pathogen associated with Crohn’s disease. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we aimed to uncover any selective advantages that this common food additive may provide AIEC.
In 2020, I began working with Dr. Gill Douce. This Wellcome trust funded collaborative project (in conjunction with Dr. Robert Fagan [University of Sheffield] and Dr. Paula Salgado [Newcastle University]) involves examining the role of the S-layer in Clostridium difficile pathogenesis.
Research interests
My research has always focused on host-pathogen interaction. I am particularly interested in examining population biology and molecular evolution of bacterial pathogens to understand how these pathogens adapt to, and cause disease in, particular host species. Additionally, I am interested in understanding the effect of environmental stressors on the pathogenicity of an organism. Ultimately, I want to learn how microbes interact with the host, with the view being to develop intervention strategies for the treatment or prevention of different diseases.
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- Elucidating the role of bacterial microcompartments in the pathogenesis of Crohns disease associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli
Tenovus Scotland
2018 - 2019