Biography
Kelly Johnston graduated from the University of Glasgow with an undergraduate degree (MSci) in Parasitology. She initially joined Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) on a Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship to investigate, within the Filariasis Research group, the interactions of wolbachia bacteria with eukaryotic cells. Following the award of her PhD, Kelly continued research on wolbachia, both in immunological and drug discovery contexts and became the In Vitro Screening Co-ordinator for the Anti-Wolbachia Consortium, headed by Professor Mark Taylor. During this time, Kelly also developed expertise in teaching, gaining a teaching qualification and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (now Advance HE). In 2019, she took up a position of Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, where her teaching focused on immunology, biochemistry and parasitology. She was also Programme Director for the Human Physiology and Anatomy & Human Biology BSc programmes, a Senior Academic Advisor and had roles representing the school in local and international partnerships in further and higher education.
Kelly re-joined LSTM in 2023 as a Senior Lecturer in Tropical Disease Biology, with a focus on the management and delivery of undergraduate teaching and the development of new short courses aimed at working professionals. In January 2025, she achieved the status Senior Fellow of Advance HE. Kelly also continues her research in wolbachia biology, drug discovery and education/outreach. She has an active interest in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and is co-chair of the Disability and Carers’ Network at LSTM
Research interests
Kelly’s research interests are focused on neglected tropical diseases, in particular lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. The parasites that cause these diseases contain bacteria, wolbachia, which are essential for the biology of the parasites and can be targeted with drugs. She is interested in understanding the biology of these bacteria and their relationships with their host cells. Kelly has been using drug screening data to identify experimental tools that can be used to explore these areas.
Teaching
Kelly is Deputy Director of Studies for the MSc Tropical Disease Biology programme and leads several professional short courses in diagnostic parasitology. She is currently the Module Organiser for Topics in Global Health, a module run by LSTM in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, and co-leads on the MSc module Methods in Tropical Disease Research. Kelly also teaches in teach on the Molecular and Cellular Biology of Pathogens and Vectors module and is a regular demonstrator on the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene programme. From the 2026-2027 academic year, Kelly will be leading the BSc Global Infectious Disease programme in partnership with Edge Hill University.
Selected research publications
Targeting a microbiota Wolbachian aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to block its pathogenic host. – Journal: Science advances – Published: 10th July 2024
Wolbachia depletion blocks transmission of lymphatic filariasis by preventing chitinase-dependent parasite exsheathment – Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America – Published: 12th April 2022
Anti-Wolbachia drugs for filariasis – Journal: Trends In Parasitology – Published: 1st December 2021
Development of Pyrazolopyrimidine Anti-Wolbachia Agents for the Treatment of Filariasis – Journal: ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters – Published: 9th September 2021
Development of a High-Throughput Cytometric Screen to Identify Anti-Wolbachia Compounds: The Power of Public–Private Partnership – Journal: SLAS Discovery – Published: 1st May 2019
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