Professor Chris Tang

Professor Christoph Tang’s group is based at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at the University of Oxford. The group studies the human adapted pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Shigella spp.. We are interested in how these important pathogens survive in their host and interact other members of the microbiome. We also invesitgate the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of plasmids, as they can confer virulence and antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria.

Our aim is to understand the basis of host:pathogen interactions and how bacteria have evolved to exploit specific niches during colonisation and disease, and co-exist within bacterial communities. We seek to apply this knowledge to prevent infection through the development of vaccines and therapeutics.

The Maiden Lab currently holds a collaborative research grant with Chris, funded by the Wellcome Trust, and titled 'Gonococcal vaccine initiative'.