Noor Allehyani

Background

I obtained my BSc Honours degree in Laboratory Medicine at the Umm Al Qura University, Saudi Arabia. Then I completed an Msc degree in Medical Virology at the University of Manchester in 2015. Recently I have joined the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunity group at the University of Liverpool to pursue my PhD degree in the area of bacterial-viral coinfection.

Research project

My project broadly focuses on the interaction of two important respiratory pathogens, namely Streptococcus pneumoniae and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). S. pneumoniae is a major coloniser of the upper respiratory tract that causes invasive diseases when the host immunity is weakened. Current literature suggests that co-infection with RSV worsens disease symptoms and outcome for the patient, especially children. The immunological basis of this synergy remains unclear. My aim is to reveal the molecular and immunological mechanisms of S. pneumoniae and RSV co-infection using both in vitro and in vivo disease models.