Background:
I am a research associate developing new bacteriophage-based therapeutics for the treatment of antibiotic resistant infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. My research encompasses the manufacturing and purification of bacteriophages using bioreactor systems, as well as the evaluation of phage dose delivery to in-vitro lung models via nebulisation. I work under the supervision of Professor Danish Malik in collaboration with a commercial industrial partner.
Prior to this role, I was a research associate at the University of Sheffield (2023–2025), where I worked on Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) gene therapies, initially focused on the genetic engineering of AAV vectors in collaboration with RegenXBio. I subsequently specialised in cell line development, applying evolutionary approaches to optimise HEK-293 cells for industrial-scale AAV production, as part of an industrial partnership with the Cell and Gene Therapy CATAPULT.
I completed my PhD in molecular and cellular biology at Cardiff University School of Pharmacy (2017–2022), under the supervision of Professor Arwyn Jones and Professor Mark Gumbleton. My research project focused on developing antibody phage display libraries derived from sheep antibodies to enhance antibody discovery in an industrial collaboration funded by the Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN). Following my PhD, I undertook a research associate position in antibody discovery, where I screened and characterised novel antibodies derived from phage display libraries targeting triple-negative breast cancer cells.
Qualifications:
- PhD in Molecular Biology, Cardiff University (2022)
- BSc In Microbiology, University of Nottingham (2016)
Outline of main research interests:
- Bacteriophage biomanufacturing and therapeutic application
- Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) genetic engineering and cell evolution
- Antibody phage display, library creation, and bio-panning
Recent publications:
Johari, Y.B., Pohle, T.H., Whitehead, J., Scarrott, J.M., Liu, P., Mayer, A. and James, D.C., 2024. Molecular design of controllable recombinant adeno鈥恆ssociated virus (AAV) expression systems for enhanced vector production. Biotechnology Journal, 19(6), p.2300685.