Alex Cook has been awarded a Career Development Award to start his own laboratory at the University of York.
Alex has been working with us to understand how African trypanosomes deploy the receptor ISG65 to help them to avoid being killed by the human complement system. He has also identified novel receptors for other complement components. Alex aims to build on these discoveries in his own research group to fully reveal how trypanosomes evade complement, also aiming to open new approaches for treating inflammatory diseases and vaccination against parasites.
Alex said “I have had the best possible time as postdoc in the Higgins Lab and Department of Biochemistry, and I will miss my colleagues dearly. However, I am really excited to move to the vibrant parasitology and structural biology communities at the University of York and start my new lab in mid-2026.”
Alex has made major contributions to our group, including providing excellent supervision for masters and D. Phil. students and we will miss him. But we are excited to see him seize this wonderful opportunity to build his own team and look forward to seeing what he discovers!
October 2025
