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Bernardo Villarreal-Ramos
I am interested in understanding the basic protective mechanisms of the immune response to infectious agents, in particular the immune response to mycobacteria in cattle. My studies have helped characterise the cell surface phenotype of bovine CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells producing effector molecules, such as IFNγ, perforin and granulysin, induced by vaccination with BCG; current studies are focused on how different cell subpopulations contribute to the control/killing of mycobacteria. I am also interested in establishing biomarkers of protection and have used RNA sequencing, to determine the differences between vaccinated-protected, vaccinated-non-protected and non-vaccinated-non-protected cattle challenged with Mycobacterium bovis, the cause of bovine tuberculosis. Preliminary studies have indicated that this approach may yield useful correlates of protection. I am also interested in testing vaccine candidates that can confer protection against tuberculosis in cattle..