Patrick Lennard (MSc, BBiotechMedRes (Hons))

Thesis title: Empowering antibiotics using host defense peptides to fight antimicrobial resistance in skin and respiratory infections

PhD - Integrated One Health Solutions

Year of study: 4

  • Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair
  • 4-5 Little France Drive
  • Edinburgh EH16 4UU

Contact details

PhD supervisors:

Address

Street

Centre for Inflammation
Institute for Regeneration and Repair
4-5 Little France Drive

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4UU

Biography

Background

  • Born and educated in Hobart, Tasmania.
  • Moved to Europe in 2018 for an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree in Infectious Diseases and One Health, relocating between Tours (France), Barcelona (Spain) and Edinburgh (Scotland).
  • Returned to Tasmania amid 2020 coronavirus lockdown and secured Joint PhD scholarship between Edinburgh and Leiden (Netherlands).
  • Can be found climbing mountains, petting dogs, and attempting to learn any musical instrument outside of lab hours.

CV

PDF icon 108307.pdf

Qualifications

  • BBiotechMedRes (Hons) - University of Tasmania, 2017
  • MSc (Infectious Diseases and One Health) - Université de Tours, 2020
  • PhD, Integrated One Health Solutions - University of Edinburgh and Leiden University, expected 2024.

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Postgraduate Representative - Researcher Experience Committee, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (2022-present)
  • Elected Postgraduate Representative - Academic Senate (2022-present)
  • President - Little France Postgraduate Society (2022-present)

Undergraduate teaching

Laboratory Demonstrator and Marker:

- Biotechnology 3 (BILG09014) - Molecular Genetics 3 (BILG09002) - Molecular Microbiology 3 (BILG09013) - Structure and Functions of Proteins 3 (BILG09015) - Population and Community Ecology 3 (BILG09009) - Biology 2B: Genetics & Evolution (BILG08025) - The Dynamic Cell 2 (BILG08009) - Evolution in Action 2 (BILG08005) - Molecules, Genes & Cells 1 (BILG08015) - Biology 1A: Variation (BILG08020) - Biology 1D: Environment (BILG08023)

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

No

Current research interests

Augmenting host defence peptides to combat antimicrobial resistance in skin and respiratory infections. Passionate about antimicrobial resistance, comparative immunology and wildlife health.

Past research interests

Previous research experience working on transmissible cancer, immunotherapy, mesenchymal stem cells, and 3D tissue modelling.

Knowledge exchange

  • Lennard, P.R.; Hiemstra, P.S.; Nibbering, P.H. Complementary Activities of Host Defence Peptides and Antibiotics in Combating Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria. Antibiotics 2023, 12, 1518. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12101518
  • Thomson, DJ.; Ma D.; Lennard PR.; Ferri M. Evaluation of a global training program in One Health communication. One. Health Implement. Res. 2023, 3, 55-68. DOI: 10.20517/ohir.2023.12
  • van Gent, M.E.; van der Reijden, T.J.K.; Lennard, P.R.; de Visser, A.W.; Schonkeren-Ravensbergen, B.; Dolezal, N.; Cordfunke, R.A.; Drijfhout, J.W.; Nibbering, P.H. Synergism between the Synthetic Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Peptide (SAAP)-148 and Halicin. Antibiotics 2022, 11, 673. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11050673

  • Wong, C., Darby, J. M., Murphy, P. R., Pinfold, T. L., Lennard, P. R., Woods, G. M., Lyons, A. B., Flies, A. S. Tasmanian devil CD28 and CTLA4 capture CD80 and CD86 from adjacent cells. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 2021, 115, 103882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2020.103882

  • Flies, A. S., Darby, J. M., Murphy, P. R., Pinfold, T. L., Patchett, A. L. and Lennard, P. R. Generation and Testing of Fluorescent Adaptable Simple Theranostic (FAST) Proteins. Bio-protocol 2020, 10(13): e3696. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3696.

  • Flies, A. S., Darby, J. M., Lennard, P. R., Murphy, P. R., Ong, C. E., Pinfold, T. L., De Luca, A., Lyons, A. B., Woods, G. M., & Patchett, A. L. (2020). A novel system to map protein interactions reveals evolutionarily conserved immune evasion pathways on transmissible cancers. Science Advances, 6(27). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba503

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Antimicrobial Host Defence Peptides (HDPs) show great promise in combating antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. During Patrick’s tenure in Leiden, novel synthetic antibacterial and anti-biofilm peptides (SAAPs) with enhanced activity against AMR pathogens (including those within biofilms) that complement (i) host defences, and (ii) the efficacy of conventional antibiotics, were assessed against AMR bacteria in parallel models of skin and respiratory epithelium. While activity against AMR bacteria is enhanced and prophylactic in skin infection models, this activity is limited in respiratory tissue.

Using a complementary in vivo modelling strategy, Patrick is now developing Drosophila melanogaster as a model of both infection and treatment with SAAPs alone and in synergy with antibiotics, based at the King’s Buildings campus. Crispr/Cas9 generated, HDP-depleted Drosophila will also be employed to delineate potential synergies between native HDPs and antibiotics against AMR bacteria.

Conference details

  • British Society for Immunology Congress 2023, Belfast (poster)
  • British Society for Immunology Congress 2022, Liverpool (poster)
  • young European Federation for Immunological Societies Symposium 2022, Berlin (poster)

Organiser

 

This article was published on