Alex Remmington

Alex Remmington

Email: ARemmington1@sheffield.ac.uk
PhD: 2016-2020
Department: Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Supervisor(s): Dr Claire Turner (MBB)

Project: Streptococcus pyogenes: Investigating unusual phenotypes

Research Interests

Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is capable of causing a seemingly boundless diversity of infections, ranging from the relatively self-limiting; impetigo, scarlet fever and pharyngitis, to the more severe and potentially lethal necrotising fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome. GAS is also responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality due to post-infectious immunological sequelae, predominantly rheumatic heart disease and glomerulonephritis.

The key to this organism's irrefutable success lies within its genome, which includes a staggering armament of virulence factors that exhibit remarkable plasticity. Despite extensive and longstanding scientific interrogation, there is still much to learn, with unexplained epidemic upsurges in GAS disease observed in the United Kingdom in recent years. It has been shown that these upsurges are attributable to new and unusual variants of Streptococcus pyogenes, and it is the aim of my research to identify the genomic determinates of these events.

It is hoped that elucidating the molecular mechanisms underpinning the success of these unusual phenotypes will better enable clinicians and health officials to predict, prevent and respond to upsurges, thereby providing a greater degree of protection and care to the public.

Outreach and Teaching

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them: Bacteriology, Virology, Parasitology and
Mycology in the Diagnostic Laboratory (Science Brainwaves), 2018

From Bodies, Blood and Bones to Poisonings, Plants and PCR: Applying the
Biological Sciences to Criminal Investigation (Science Brainwaves) 2017

Microbe Safari: Florey Institute launch weekend at Sheffield Winter Gardens (2017)

Publications, Posters and Presentations

Publications

Remmington, A., & Turner, C. E. (2018). The DNases of Pathogenic Lancefield Streptococci. Microbiology, 164 (3), 242-250.

Posters and Presentations

Remmington, A., Turner, C. E. "Identification of a lineage within the global population of Streptococcus pyogenes genotype emm4 characterized by prophage degradation", in Streptococcal Biology: Molecular Mechanisms at the Streptococcal-Host Interface, Gordon Research Conference (2018) Newry, ME, USA. (Poster)

Remmington, A., Turner, C. E. "Streptococcus pyogenes: Investigating Unusual Phenotypes", in The Drugs Don’t Work Symposium (2017) Sheffield, UK. (Poster)

Additional Activities and Achievements

Head of the Florey Institute Student Committee (2017 – 2018)
Lead student organiser of the Annual Florey Institute Postgraduate Symposium (2018)
Representative for the Microbiology Society at Parliamentary Links Day (2018)

The Team

Former Members
and Alumni