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Claire Powers

Viral Vector Core Facility Manager

The VVCF supplies pre-clinical grade modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectors or adenoviral vectors (either AdHu5 or the Oxford owned ChAdOx) to academic institutions and some industrial partners. I am the first point of contact when someone is interested in having a viral vector produced. I offer them advice, discuss what is required, generate a quote for the work and book it all in. I schedule work based on the urgency, staff availability and specific vector requirements to ensure we can produce vectors in given times frames.

VVCF are currently based within the Old Road Campus Building and are small team of experienced and dedicated staff providing small to medium scale viral preparations of high quality at low cost. We save our end users time and provide peace of mind that projects are started using materials that are viable and correct.

To contact VVCF with an enquiry please email 

vvcf-enquires@ndm.ox.ac.uk

 Background / Previous Research

My background is in avian immunology and I worked for a number of years within the Enteric Immunology group at the Institute for Animal Health (Compton). For my PhD I investigated protective immune responses in chickens during Salmonella infection and looked at how gut microflora helps develop the enteric immune system using gnotobiotic chickens. From there I studied immune responses and vaccine candidates against Marek’s disease virus (MDV) in poultry and later vaccines to Staph. aureus infection in mouse models. I came to work at the VVCF in 2017 as I wanted to continue working in vaccine development but in a role with family friendly hours.