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PhD Student
Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research (CEPHR), University College Dublin, Ireland
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Sophie O’Reilly is a PhD candidate in the UCD Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. Sophie received her MSc in Molecular Biology and Pathology of Viruses from Imperial College London, supported by a Dean’s Master’s Scholarship, and was then awarded a Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship from the Irish Research Council to fund her PhD (2019-2024). Sophie is a trained molecular virologist qualified to work independently in a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory. Sophie’s research focusses primarily on SARS-CoV-2 and the humoral immune response. She has developed a medium-throughput flow-cytometry based micro-neutralisation assay to screen large numbers of clinical plasma samples from vaccinated or convalescent individuals to monitor immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC). This assay was selected by VACCELERATE, the pan-European backbone for the acceleration of phase 2 & 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials, to monitor neutralising antibody capacity against SARS-CoV-2 WT and Omicron variants post-vaccination. In response to the early COVID-19 pandemic, Sophie worked to develop in-house RNA extraction kits to supply Irish hospitals, screened and identified convalescent plasma donors with high neutralising capacity for the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and collaborated with Abbott, monitoring protective immunity from vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 WT and VOCs. Furthermore, Sophie has investigated plasma and memory B cell responses to COVID-19 vaccination in an immunocompromised population and is also involved in the screening and characterisation of novel anti-viral therapies using in vitro cellular models.