NIBSC - Dr Neil Almond

Neil Almond

Neil Almond’s scientific interest lies in understanding the interplay between host and pathogen and how vaccination may alter the balance in favour of the host. Neil undertook his PhD studies at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, studying parasite immunology. After post-doctoral research at New York University Medical School and Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), London, Neil joined NIBSC in 1988 in the AIDS Collaborating Centre. This group was renamed the Division of Retrovirology and Neil became head of this division in 1998 till it was merged with Virology in 2012.

Neil is currently head of the Blood and Tissue Pathogens, Adventitious Agents and Diagnostics group. His responsibilities include the CJD Research and Resource Centre, plasma pool testing for viral contamination, the production of primary and secondary reference materials for serological and molecular viral diagnostic assays and the Centre for AIDS reagents (CFAR).

Neil’s research interest lies in using model systems to dissect the interaction between chronic infectious diseases of major global health significance (HIV and HCV) and defining vaccine responses capable of preventing infection. Working with colleagues at NIBSC (Neil Berry, Debbie Ferguson, Mark Page, Nicola Rose and Richard Stebbings) the team has collaborated with a number of external scientists to secure significant external grant funding for this work. Neil has authored or been co-authored in almost 100 scientific publications.

Neil is currently chair of the Institute’s Research Programme Board that encourages and monitors external funded research activities across NIBSC on behalf of the senior management team.

Current position

Head of the Blood and Tissue Pathogens, Adventitious Agents and Diagnostics group, Division of Virology

Areas of interest

Pathogenesis and Immunity in Chronic Viral Disease
Primate RNA Viruses
Viral and TSE Diagnostic Assays

Qualifications

1985: PhD in humoral responses to parasitic nematodes (CNAA) NIMR, Mill Hill, London
1982: BSc (Hons) in cellular pathology, University of Bristol

Recent publications (PDF, 295KB)

Representation on external committees

SoGAT Organising Committee
JCTLM Working Group review team on Nucleic Acid assays
Department of Health CJD Resource Oversight Committee
Member of National Blood Service Prion Working Group
National Blood Service Prion Working Group

Grants secured over the past 10 years
Sept 2005-Dec 2012 Novel antigen design and delivery for sustained mucosal protection against HIV-1 infection (Co-applicant; lead applicant Prof R Shattock, Imperial College London) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

April 2006-Sept 2011 RMV-HIV Recombinant Measles Virus as a vector for HIV vaccines (Co-applicant; lead applicant Gerhard Voss, GSK, Belgium) European Union

June 2006-Aug2009 The role of non-immune vaccine responses conferred by live attenuated SIV (Co-applicant; lead applicant Neil Berry, NIBSC) Medical Research Council

Jul 2006-Jan 2013 Optimisation and efficacy of transcutaneous stealth adenovirus vector vaccine for mucosal protection against HIV (Co-applicant; lead applicant Dr Steve Patterson, Imperial College London) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Oct 2006-Mar2009 The application of doxycycline dependent SIV to establish the role of virus persistence and protein expression in protection conferred with live attenuated SIV (Co-applicant; lead applicant Prof Ben Berkhout, AMC, Amsterdam) International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

May 2007- Sept 2010 The role of persistence in protection conferred by live attenuated SIV (lead applicant) Medical Research Council.

Total value of grants secured for NIBSC approximately £ 5 million.