Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Statement
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants worldwide and also causes considerable morbidity and mortality in the elderly and immunecompromised individuals. Re-infections are common throughout life. Despite more than 50 years of research there are no vaccines or specific therapeutics against RSV. Importantly, the mechanisms by which RSV causes disease in humans remain poorly understood.
The Power group has developed models of RSV infection based on well-differentiated primary paediatric airway epithelial cell cultures (WD-PAEC), the primary targets of RSV infection in vivo. These cultures are derived from both bronchial and nasal brushes of airway epithelium in ethically approved protocols. Our RSV/WD-PAEC model derived from bronchial epithelium demonstrated remarkable similarities to hallmarks of RSV infection in infant lungs, both at the cellular and molecular levels. This research indicated that our model provides an authentic surrogate for RSV infection of lower airway epithelium in vivo. Similarly, our RSV/WD-PAEC model derived from nasal epithelium provided the means to comprehensively study RSV infection in authentic paediatric upper respiratory tract epithelium tissue. Our exploitation of these models has provided several novel insights into the consequences of RSV infection of paediatric airway epithelial cells that are the basis of ongoing research. In particular, using nasal-derived WD-PAECs from cohorts of infants with defined histories of severe and mild RSV disease, respectively, we have generated data identifying potential gene biomarkers of severe RSV disease in infants and are currently validating them.
We are confident that these models will provide insights into RSV pathogenesis in humans that ultimately lead to successful RSV vaccines and/or therapeutics. Be extension, we expect that they will also provide the basis for authentic pre-clinical models to test novel anti-RSV therapeutics.
Although our models are based on RSV infections, these cultures will be undoubtedly adaptable to studying the molecular pathogenesis of other important respiratory viruses, such as influenza virus and human parainfluenza viruses. Indeed, by way of comparison with RSV, we have extensively characterised the consequences of WD-PAEC infection with Sendai virus, a murine parainfluenza virus type 1 (mPIV1) that is considered non-pathogenic in humans. Sendai virus is of interest to us and others as a live attenuated viral vaccine vector for RSV antigens. As such, studying its interaction with WD-PAECs provided novel insights into the cytopathogenesis of Sendai virus in paediatric airway epithelial cells.
This research programme is the result of highly productive collaboration with Prof. Mike Shields and members of the Respiratory Research Cluster at QUB. It has attracted substantial peer-reviewed research funding from local and national funding agencies, as well as substantial research investment from international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
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Projects
R1668CEM: Development of Novel RSV Pre-Fusion Protein Recombinant Bovine Vaccine
09/09/2016 → …
Project: Research
R7818CII: Prophylactic and therapeutic potential of anti-RSV nanobodies
Power, U. & Shields, M.
01/08/2012 → 31/07/2016
Project: Research
Research Output
Comparative primary paediatric nasal epithelial cell culture differentiation and RSV-induced cytopathogenesis following culture in two commercial media.
Broadbent, L., Manzoor, S., Zarcone, M. C., Barabas, J., Shields, M., Saglani, S., Lloyde, C. M., Bush, A., Custovic, A., Ghazal, P., Gore, M., Marsland, B., Roberts, G., Schwarze, J., Turner, S. & Power, U., 26 Mar 2020, In : PLoS One.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
1
Citation
(Scopus)
14
Downloads
(Pure)
Comparative therapeutic potential of ALX-0171 and palivizumab against RSV clinical isolate 1 infection of well-differentiated primary pediatric bronchial epithelial cell cultures
Broadbent, L., Guo Parke, H., Ferguson, L., Millar, A., Shields, M., Detalle, L. & Power, U., 27 Jan 2020, In : Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 64, 2, 10 p., e02034-19.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
1
Citation
(Scopus)
13
Downloads
(Pure)
Airway Epithelial Derived Cytokines and Chemokines and Their Role in the Pathogenesis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.
Glaser, L., Coulter, P., Shields, M., Touzelet, O., Power, U. & Broadbent, L., 17 Jul 2019, (Accepted) In : Pathogens.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
Airway surface liquid has innate antiviral activity that is reduced in cystic fibrosis
Berkebile, A. R., Bartlett, J. A., Alaiwa, M. A., Varga, S. M., Power, U. & McCray, P. B., 26 Jun 2019, In : American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
2
Citations
(Scopus)
193
Downloads
(Pure)
Original Antigenic Sin and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines
Tripp, R. & Power, U., 06 Sep 2019, In : Vaccines. 7, 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
Datasets
Characterisation of morphological differences in well-differentiated nasal epithelial cell cultures
Groves, H. (Creator), Guo Parke, H. (Creator), Broadbent, L. (Creator), Shields, M. (Creator) & Power, U. (Creator), Queen's University Belfast, 25 Oct 2018
DOI: 10.17034/d34301e3-20ae-4d26-a7d0-a2a5bf0b5371
Dataset
File
Dataset for: Comparative primary paediatric nasal epithelial cell culture differentiation and RSV-induced cytopathogenesis following culture in two commercial media
Broadbent, L. (Creator), Manzoor, S. (Data Collector), Zarcone, M. (Data Collector), Barabas, J. (Data Collector), Shields, M. (Supervisor), Saglani, S. (Supervisor), Lloyd, C. (Supervisor), Bush, A. (Supervisor), Custovic, A. (Supervisor), Ghazal, P. (Supervisor), Gore, M. (Data Manager), Marsland, B. (Supervisor), Roberts, G. (Supervisor), Schwarze, J. (Supervisor), Turner, S. (Supervisor) & Power, U. (Supervisor), Queen's University Belfast, 31 Jan 2019
DOI: 10.17034/7c15ce87-a011-47e7-ba55-50e0ccb550a9, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/800326v1
Dataset
File
Prizes
Athena SWAN Silver Award renewal to the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences 2016.
Power, Ultan (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Athena SWAN Silver Award to the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences 2013.
Power, Ultan (Recipient), 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Best oral research presentation at the Society for General Microbiology, Irish Branch Meeting, University College, Galway, Ireland
Power, Ultan (Recipient), 1986
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Postgraduate Supervisory Excellence Award 2016
Power, Ultan (Recipient), 24 May 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
11th International Respiratory Syncytial Virus Symposium.
Ultan Power (Presenter)
31 Oct 2018 → 04 Nov 2018
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
RSV and airway epithelium - identification of molecular factors potentially implicated in severe disease.
Ultan Power (Invited speaker)
14 Nov 2018
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
International Respiratory Syncytial Virus Society (IRSVS) (External organisation)
Ultan Power (Chair)
2018 → 2020
Activity: Membership types › Membership of national or international committees and working groups
PLoS ONE (Journal)
Helen Groves (Peer reviewer), , Hong Guo Parke (Peer reviewer), , Lindsay Broadbent (Peer reviewer), , Michael Shields (Peer reviewer), & Ultan Power (Peer reviewer)
01 Dec 2018
Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review
RSV and airway epithelium - identification of molecular factors potentially implicated in severe disease.
Ultan Power (Invited speaker)
11 Nov 2018 → 14 Nov 2018
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Press / Media
Polio survivor group talks of legacy and a new battle.
13/04/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
Thesis
Elucidation of the roles of PTN and ISG15 in RSV cytopathogenesis: possible biomarkers of severe disease?
Author: Groves, H., Jun 2018Supervisor: Power, U. (Supervisor) & Shields, M. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy
File