Dr Neil Ferguson PhD
Dr Ferguson’s research uses a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating molecular biology, protein engineering, structural biology and state-of-the-art biophysical methodologies, to understand the rules by which biological molecules self-assemble into unique 3D structures that either mediate biological function or cause disease.
He has recently extended this approach into dissecting the molecular mechanisms of human hepatitis B virus replication and assembly, which should contribute to developing a better understanding of the structural biology of viral infections. Dr Ferguson hopes to use new insights into these processes to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention and also guide the design of novel antivirals.
The scale of Dr Ferguson’s work is vast and involves purifying and characterising hundreds of proteins. For this reason, a central theme of his research efforts in UCD is to use automated or robotic-driven biophysical instrumentation. This significantly reduces the time required to make extensive cross-disciplinary measurements, thus freeing up more time for the analysis and interpretation of interesting data.
Dr Ferguson and his collaborators recently made advances into the structure and interactions of a key molecule important for replication of the human hepatitis B virus. This work was a key stepping stone in helping to identify new therapeutic targets which, in the longer term, should assist the design of more effective antiviral drugs for chronic hepatitis B infections, which currently cause around 1 million deaths worldwide each year.
