Diphtheria, a disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae

白喉是一种由白喉棒状杆菌引起的疾病，可以通过最成功的疫苗之一DTP（白喉、破伤风和百日咳）轻松预防。虽然白喉和白喉样症状主要见于部分接种疫苗或未接种疫苗的个体，但也报告了一些完全接种疫苗的病例。此外，C.白喉和一些非白喉物种也与该疾病有关。罗伯特博士将使用先进的计算机模拟和湿实验室方法来验证这些不寻常的变体。产生的WGS数据将用于跟踪它们的分子进化和设计智能诊断试剂盒。罗伯特将花一些时间在流行地区的实验室，在那里他将调整他的基因组学为基础的测试领域，使用真正的临床标本。在博士学位结束时，罗伯特将接受大数据处理、生物信息学、分子生物学、微生物学、实地工作和翻译方面的培训。

Diphtheria, a disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be easily prevented by one of the most successful vaccines, DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis). While diphtheria and diphtheria like symptoms are mostly noticed in individuals who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated, some fully vaccinated cases have also been reported. Moreover, some non-toxigenic variants of C. diphtheriae and some non-diphtheriae species have also been associated with the disease. Robert's PhD will characterise these unusual variants using advanced in-silico and wet lab approaches. The WGS data generated will be used to track their molecular evolution and design smart diagnostic kit. Robert will spend some time at labs in endemic areas where he would adapt his genomics based tests for the field, using true clinical specimens. By the end of his PhD, Robert would be trained in big data handling, bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbiology, field work and translation.