معرفی
Dr. Elmarie Myburgh serves as a Lecturer in Immunology and Infection at the University of York, based within the Hull York Medical School (HYMS). She is an active member of both the York Biomedical Research Institute (YBRI) and HYMS's Experimental Medicine and Biomedicine (EMB) research group, where she also holds the position of Associate Head. Her academic career spans institutions across South Africa, Scotland, and England, with current responsibilities encompassing teaching, research supervision, and curriculum development.
Her educational background includes a BSc and HonsBSc in Biological Sciences/Biochemistry from the University of Stellenbosch, followed by a PhD in Infection Immunology under Prof. Frank Brombacher at the University of Cape Town. Postdoctoral training in host-pathogen interactions was completed at the University of Glasgow's Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology with Jeremy Mottram.
Dr. Myburgh's research centers on kinetoplastid pathogens (particularly Leishmania and African trypanosomes), investigating host-pathogen dynamics through in vivo imaging and genetic manipulation techniques. Her work bridges fundamental mechanisms of infection persistence with translational applications in drug discovery and immunotherapy target identification. Current methodologies focus on macrophage-pathogen interactions and virulence factor characterization.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on parasite biology and therapeutic development, with increasing emphasis on advanced imaging technologies and host immune responses. The 2024 EMBO Reports paper establishes TORC1 as critical in Leishmania proliferation, while 2023 publications in Science and bioRxiv demonstrate successful drug development and novel insights into skin immunity during infection.
- Wellcome Trust Resource grant (2014-2017) as co-PI for In vivo screening resource to support drug development in parasitic disease
- SULSA Leaders Award (2015-2016) for Imaging host-parasite interaction to accelerate drug development
- Wellcome Trust/ISSF Catalyst grant (2015-2017) on Comparative transcriptomic analysis of trypanosomes
- Gates Grand Challenges Award (2013-2015) for Illuminating the darkness: exploiting IVIS imaging technology
Dr. Myburgh actively supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research projects within HYMS and the Department of Biology, focusing on lab-based investigations of parasitic diseases. Her teaching portfolio includes Stage 2 Pharmacology, Stage 2 Immunology and Infection, and Stage 3 Mechanisms to Therapies courses, alongside specialized SSIP tutorials on host-pathogen targeting. She co-leads the University of York Biomedical Sciences programme and contributes to the Skin Research Centre's training initiatives.
