Sally Cutler

Professor Sally Cutler

Professor

Medical Microbiology, bacterial zoonoses

Department of Bioscience , School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience

Sally Cutler is professor in medical microbiology at the School of Health, Sport and Bioscience.

Research expertise has evolved from arthropod-borne borrelial infections to encompass a wide array of bacterial zoonoses including Rickettsia, Coxiella, Leptospira and Bartonella. This work has gone from field-based studies through to molecular profiling and from developing countries to those in more affluent nations. This has helped to develop Professor Cutler's international reputation in the field.

She is extensively involved with dissemination of research and serves in several editorial and advisory roles. This wealth of experience is further disseminated to students through teaching activities.

Qualifications

  • BSc, MSc, PhD

Areas Of Interest

  • Progressing scientific knowledge
  • Capacity building and improving diagnostics in developing countries
  • Vector-borne infection
  • Zoonoses
  • Medical microbiology
Sally Cutler

OVERVIEW

Extensive background in tick-borne disease diagnosis and research spanning over 30 years. This was initially on Lyme borreliosis and its epidemiology in the UK. Additionally I was in technical charge of the UK reference unit for several years whereby I developed new diagnostic tests and validated their diagnostic potential. I successfully cultivated the first Borrelia burgdoreri sensu lato from the UK (B. valaisiana strain UK) and undertook epidemiological analysis of the clinical cases of Lyme disease in the UK during the 1990s, with this work forming my PhD thesis.

Additionally, I looked at veterinary cases of Lyme borreliosis and followed seroconversion in cattle following tick exposure. From this background, I extended my work to the relapsing fever Borrelia and was able to successfully cultivate two of the previously non-cultivable species (one tick-borne and the other louse-borne). This had significant impact opening subsequent research opportunities.

Furthermore, my expertise has extended to include other tick-borne/arthropod-borne pathogens including Rickettsia, Bartonella and Coxiella. My repertoire of zoonotic interests further expanded through heading a research team on Brucellosis at was then known as the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in the UK.

I have previously participated in an ECDC tender on "Guidance, data collection and scientific advice on tick-borne diseases" and on a subsequent one on Lyme neuroborreliosis, I have worked within several European COST Actions and the European FP6 project MedVetNet.

I have more than 120 publications and regularly contribute to refereeing of funding applications and submitted publications by others. I additionally serve as an associate editor for Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 

External roles

  • External examiner
  • Associate editor for Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
  • Serve on several grant review panels
  • Specialist advisory for the Institute for Biomedical Sciences (deputy chair, virology panel)

CURRENT RESEARCH

Included in the last three RAE or REF assessments of UEL.

Research embedded through collaborative multi-national projects focused upon one health reduction of infectious diseases is particularly impactful. Training and sustainability within these settings is a research priority.

Recently funded research has included two ECDC-funded projects providing guidance and support for tick-borne infections in Europe and evaluation of their surveillance and diagnostics.

Projects have also worked towards building knowledge, diagnostics and capacity in developing nations, particularly various African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania.

Given the focus upon zoonoses, Prof. Cutler has been considerably involved with many collaborative One Health projects such as MedVetNet and various COST Actions (ticks and tick-borne diseases; brucellosis in man and animals; microarrays for containment level 3 & 4 pathogens).

FUNDING

Recent funding included:

  • ECDC Tender partner "Guidance, data collection and scientific advice on tick-borne diseases" £25,420 UEL component; full grant £141,497 Jan 2015 3 years
  • AREF Research Development funding with Nusirat Elelu "Establishing presence of Ornithodoros ticks in Nigeria & assessment of their potential as vectors of clinical importance" £37,333 Jan 2018 15 months
  • GCRF Funding "Integrated Participatory One Health Approach to Tick-Borne Diseases in Nigeria" £25,000 Jan 2020-June 2020.
  • ECDC Tender partner "Support to ECDC and EU Member States on Lyme neuroborreliosis surveillance and expert advice on tick borne diseases", Ref.: NP/2019/OCS/960 2019
  • Seedcorn: Q fever - a forgotten pathogen in our midst? (2006 £24,888 over 3 years)
  • MedVetNet (EU FP6 NoE: New, emerging & neglected zoonoses (2006 14,000 euros 1 year)
  • CBRN S&T: Animal reservoirs of zoonotic disease (2006 with Prof Taylor over 2 years)
  • CBRN S&T: Real-time PCR diagnostic tests for selected agents (2006 for 3 years)
  • Wellcome Trust: Relationships between human & animal health in Kenya (with Dr Cleaveland - collaborative role)
  • ISTC: Monitoring of human & animal brucellosis in Kazakhstan (2006 collaborative role)
  • Government funding Portugal: tick-borne diseases in Portugal (2006 collaborative role as project consultant)
  • UEL Promising Researcher: Multiplex detection of bacterial zoonoses (2007 £50,000 over 10 months)
  • Nuffield vacation studentship: Characterising a Rickettsial species found in the African soft tick Ornithodoros moubata (2009 £1500 8 weeks)
  • SGM: Summer vacation studentship: Simplification of rickettsial diagnostics (2010 £1880 8 weeks)
  • SGM Presidents Fund Ticks & lice in Ethiopia (2010 £2945 4 weeks)
  • UEL Research Development Funding Characterisation of Rickettsia in soft ticks (2011 £5000)
  • Nuffield Vacation Studentship on in situ typing of Leptospirosis among UK wildlife. (2011 £1588 8 weeks)
  • Astellas: evaluation of antifungal agents & fungal biofilms (with Imperial College 2011 £6000).
  • UEL summer internship - Bartonella in head lice (2012 £2000)
  • UEL summer internship - Do Leptospira in environmental & wildlife pose a risk to human/veterinary health? (2011 £2000)
  • UEL School-funded PhD studentship; 3 years. Funded £18250 2013
  • Comparative virulence of Campylobacter concisus and Campylobacter jejuni using a novel in vitro model.
  • SfAM Students into work (2013 £2500) Bartonella in lice and ticks.
  • UEL summer student intern "Presence of non-thermophilic Campylobacter in UK diarrhoeal stools" £2000 Jan 2014
  • SfAM Students into work grant "Louse phylogeny and infection" £2500 March 2014.
  • UEL mid-career research funding call 2014 £3000 over 1 year. Molecular characterisation of lice.
  • UEL School of Health, Sport & Bioscience research funding to undertake multipathogen array screening of human lice £7000 December 2014.
  • Probiotics and their ability to interfere with tissue invasion by Campylobacter concisus. 2015 £6100 over 1 year. Probiotics International Ltd (Protexin).
  • ECDC Tender partner "Guidance, data collection and scientific advice on tick-borne diseases" £25,420 UEL component; full grant £141,497 Jan 2015
  • Civic Engagement Funding UEL "Impact of Head Louse Infestations in London" £4450 Nov 2015 over 1 year.
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TEACHING

Teaching experience from undergraduate through to postgraduate. Several PhD and MRes completions. Research degree examination experience.

Publications

The last four years of publications can be viewed below. 

Full publications list

Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications

Research repository