School of Infection & Immunity

Dr Emma Briggs

Zoom link:https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/89225723459?pwd=hoc48Iy8jEv9v6iYxiUkgmNuvTulbM.1 

Passcode:434347

Title: Deciphering cell cycle regulatory networks and their role in driving kinetoplastid development

Synopsis:

Regulated transitions between proliferation, arrest and quiescence are central to the life cycles of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., underpinning transmission, differentiation and potentially persistence. Although key components of the core cell cycle machinery, particularly cyclin‑dependent kinase and cyclin homologues, have been identified in both parasites, it remains unclear how signalling inputs are integrated by this core machinery to drive developmental progression, enforce cell cycle arrest, or enable long‑term persistence within hosts and vectors.

This gap contrasts with yeast and mammalian systems, where the diversity, combinatorial control and context‑dependent functions of cyclin–CDK complexes are increasingly well defined. In trypanosomes and Leishmania, comparable principles of signalling integration and cell cycle control remain largely unexplored.

 Cross‑species comparison of single‑cell transcriptomic datasets, together with numerous genome‑wide phenotypic screens and omics studies, has identified a large cohort of candidate regulators with the potential to function in cell cycle control signalling networks. This talk will focus on early efforts to dissect cyclin‑driven cell cycle transitions through targeted functional experiments, the application of targeted CRISPR‑based parallel screening to identify the novel pathway components, and the establishment of cell cycle markers in Leishmania, with the aim of defining how altered cell cycle regulation shapes parasite development and persistence.

Bio:

Dr Emma Briggs is a molecular parasitologist specializing in Trypanosoma species, the protozoan parasites responsible for three Neglected Tropical Diseases: Human African Trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, and Chagas Disease. She holds a Ph.D. in molecular parasitology from the University of Glasgow, where her research focused on the unusual genome of Trypanosoma brucei and its complex antigenic variation system.

During her Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship, hosted by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Emma applied single‑cell transcriptomics to study trypanosome species. Her work investigated the mechanisms driving parasite differentiation, particularly the switch between proliferating and cell‑cycle–arrested forms, which plays a crucial role in parasite survival, transmission efficiency, and host interactions.

Now an Research Fellow at Newcastle University, Emma leads a research group focused on:

  • Dissecting molecular signalling networks and protein interactions that regulate cell‑cycle transitions in trypanosomes.
  • Mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of proliferative and arrested forms within mammalian hosts and insect vectors.
  • Exploring how these adaptations influence transmission, infection dynamics, and treatment resistance.

Her group employs genetic editing, fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, proteomics, and single‑cell transcriptomics to unravel key aspects of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. biology. By combining experimental and computational approaches, they aim to uncover mechanisms underlying parasite adaptation and treatment failure and to identify new routes to improve disease outcomes.

First published: 10 February 2026

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