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Contact Brendan |
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Dr Brendan Gilmore
Brendan graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacy (1999) from Queen’s University Belfast. After completion his pre-registration in community pharmacy, he returned to Queen’s to undertake a PhD in Biomedicinal Chemistry (2004), specifically in the synthesis and evaluation of protease inhibitors (and pro-drugs) targeted towards the tumour specific post-proline cleaving enzyme seprase (or fibroblast activation protein alpha). After a brief period of postdoctoral research, concentrating on the synthesis of affinity probes for the identification serine and cysteine proteases involved disease processes (including infectious diseases), he was appointed to a Lectureship in Pharmaceutics (Pharmaceutical Microbiology) in July 2004 in the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s, aged 26. In 2005 he was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Prof Howard Ceri, University of Calgary, where he remains a visiting scientist in the Biofilm Research Group. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2010.
His research seeks to elucidate the mechanistic and biochemical pathways central to the process of microbial biofilm formation and to uncover novel targets for prevention of microbial biofilms, which constitute a ubiquitous and persistent problem in infectious diseases. His research is characterised by a fusion of microbiology, chemical biology, and synthetic/medicinal chemistry directed toward antimicrobial and anti-biofilm applications. His main interests include the role of proteolytic enzymes in biofilm formation and novel approaches for biofilm control in chronic infections (novel biocides, antibiotic development and discovery, antimicrobial plasmas).
To date, he has been involved in securing over £4M of research funding, over £1M of which has been from RCUK, including a BBSRC New Investigator Scheme (2007). He is an investigator and steering committee member of the Beaufort Marine Biodiscovery project (EUR7.2M), an All-Ireland Biodiscovery Consortium aimed at identification of novel marine-derived drugs and biomaterials. His group are currently isolating novel marine bacteria and achaea (halophiles) as part of an anti-biofilm/ antibiotic discovery programme. His highly multidisciplinary work has also attracted significant funding from industry and from Invest Northern Ireland translational science schemes.
He has published over 50 papers in leading international peer-reviewed journals, nine book chapters, and a patent (ionic liquid biocides). He has presented his work at major national and international conferences. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Society for Applied Microbiology and an editor of the textbook ‘Hugo & Russell’s Pharmaceutical Microbiology’ (8th Ed).
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Scope
The Microbiology and Anti-infectives
focus group is being launched in 2014 to provide a forum for the promotion of pharmaceutical
microbiology and anti-infectives research and development within the academic,
regulatory and industrial pharmaceutical sciences. The focus group is open to
all members with an interest in pharmaceutical microbiology, antibiotic
resistance, anti-infectives research and development, antibiotic innovation and
regulatory developments.
The main aims of this focus group are:
To provide a forum for
discussion of all aspects of pharmaceutical microbiology and anti-infectives
research and development, that are of interest to members of the APS
Seek to raise the profile of
pharmaceutical microbiology and anti-infectives research across the
pharmaceutical and allied sciences
To underpin the importance of
microbiology to the pharmaceutical sciences and innovation
Collaborate and coordinate
with other relevant organisations active in the field
Provide continuing education
for the membership, through annual symposia and focused meetings
