Sophie Foley
Sophie Foley

Dr Sophie Foley

Associate Professor

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in Microbiology and also Director of International Partnership and Development for the School of Applied Sciences.

My current research primarily focuses on bacteriophages (viruses that specifically attack bacteria). From a biomedical perspective, our interest is the exploitation of phages as a source of antimicrobials both for the treatment of bacterial infections and the control of specific bacterial populations in contexts such as animal husbandry and medical. From an environmental perspective, our interests include phage diversity and ecology in environments such as soil and activated sludge as phages may play an important role in the success or failure of a particular remediation strategy. In the context of food, research has focused on phage diversity and ecology in the dairy industry and environment, together with the selection and development of starter cultures resistant to phage infection.
Additional research interests include the functionality of intestinal microflora (e.g. carbohydrate metabolism by Bifidobacterium, chitinolytic/cellulolytic gut microflora), and the response of microorganisms to environmental stresses. With a background in food microbiology, I have experience of industrial research having worked previously as a research scientist at the National Food Biotechnology Centre (Ireland) and Nestle Research Centre (Switzerland). In my current post, I continue to develop collaborations with industry (food companies and food/environmental testing companies) either as consultancy or through funded collaborative research programmes to support SMEs.
In addition to teaching and research, I am programme leader for the BSc (Hons) Biological Science and MSc Biomedical Science, delivered through our partner HKU-SPACE at Hong Kong University. In 2009 I was appointed Teaching Fellow, with a particular interest in the learning experience of our international students studying on Edinburgh Napier programmes delivered overseas and the support of staff teaching on these programmes. As School Director for International Partnerships and Development, I am responsible for international articulations and our transnational education (TNE) provision, working with colleagues and our overseas partners in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka across the disciplines of biomedical sciences, microbiology, sport & exercise science, sociology and psychology.

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • HEA QAA reviewer
  • Assessor as invited independent expert scientist for European Commission, 2004-2009

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External Examiner for Higher Certificate in Medical Laboratory Sciences (Medical Microbiology), Hong Kong University, School for Professional and Academic Continued Education

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

 

Grant Reviewer

  • BBSRC Peer Reviewer

 

Invited Speaker

  • Probiotics and Bifidobacterium. National Soybean Engineering Centre, Harbin, China, Nov 2005.
  • Phages – The Coming of Age. Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana), April 2014
  • Bacteriophages – friend and foe? North-East Agricultural University, Harbin (China), Nov 2005.
  • Bacteriophages – The Coming of Age. National University of Ireland Galway (Ireland). Invited by Postgraduate Microbiology Society, March 2009.
  • ‘Bacteriophages in Cheese Manufacturing’. Invited speaker to Scottish Artisan Cheese Makers Network, organised by Interface Food and Drink, Scotland – SRUC Elmswood Campus, Cupar, Oct 2015
  • Can functional analysis of Bifidobacterium provide insights to activity within the human gastrointestinal tract? North-East Agricultural University, Harbin (China), Nov 2005.
  • Workshop ‘Biotechnology and it Applications: Towards the Future in Food, Agriculture and Medical Science’, Universitas Indonusa Esa Unggul, Jakarta (Indonesia),
  • Can the bacteriophage genome be exploited in the development of bacteriophage-resistant starter cultures? University of Bordeaux (France), 1999.
  • ‘Careers in Life Sciences’, Keynote speech at the Biomedicine and Biotechnology Forum, organised by Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology, Colombo (Sri Lanka), July 2015
  • Plasmid of lactic acid bacteria and their relevance to dairy applications. National Research Centre of Dairy Engineering & Technology and the Heilongjiang Dairy Training Centre, Harbin (China), Nov 2005.
  • ‘Bio Medical Science – the emerging career path for students of Life Sciences in India’. National Degree College and Mount Carmel College, Bangalore (India). July 2015.
  • Bacteriophages – a tool amongst many in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, Jan 2015
  • Probiotics and Bifidobacterium. North-East Agricultural University, Harbin (China), Nov 2005.
  • Plasmid replication in lactic acid bacteria. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain), 1994.
  • Plasmid replication in lactic acid bacteria. Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, Madrid (Spain), 1994.

 

Media Activity

  • ‘Relevance of Biotechnology to Indonesia’ - Radio Talk Show on Mustang Radio, a radio station targeting teenagers, Jakarta (Indonesia)

 

Research Degree External Examining

  • External Examiner PhD, Heriot Watt University (2016)
  • External Examiner PhD, University of Leicester (2013)
  • External Examiner PhD - University of “Al. I. Cuza”, Iasi (Romania) (2004)
  • External Examiner PhD, University of Lille (France) (2007)

 

Reviewing

  • Journal reviewer: Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research (2016), Journal of General Virology (2013), Letters in Applied Microbiology (2013, 2008), The Science of the Total Environment (2008) , Journal of Applied Microbiology (2008), Journal of Biotechnology (2005)

 

Date


17 results

Isolation and characterization of chitin-degrading micro-organisms from the faeces of Goeldi's monkey,Callimico goeldii

Journal Article
Macdonald, C., Barden, S., & Foley, S. (2014)
Isolation and characterization of chitin-degrading micro-organisms from the faeces of Goeldi's monkey,Callimico goeldii. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 116(1), 52-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.12338
Aims The objective of this study was the isolation and characterization of chitin-degrading micro-organisms from the faeces of the insectivorous Goeldi's monkey, Callimico goe...

Isolation and characterization of soilborne virulent bacteriophages infecting the pathogen Rhodococcus equi

Journal Article
Salifu, S., Casey, S. C., & Foley, S. (2013)
Isolation and characterization of soilborne virulent bacteriophages infecting the pathogen Rhodococcus equi. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 114(6), 1625-1633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.12194
Aims To isolate and characterize a diversity of bacteriophages (phages) that infect the soilborne pathogen Rhodococcus equi. Methods and Results Twenty-seven phages were isola...

Genome and proteome analysis of phage E3 infecting the soil-borne actinomyceteRhodococcus equi: Rhodococcusbacteriophage E3

Journal Article
Salifu, S. P., Vázquez-Boland, J. A., Salifu, S. P., Valero-Rello, A., Campbell, S. A., Inglis, N. F., …Vázquez-Boland, J. A. (2013)
Genome and proteome analysis of phage E3 infecting the soil-borne actinomyceteRhodococcus equi: Rhodococcusbacteriophage E3. Environmental microbiology reports, 5(1), 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12028
We report on the characterization and genomic analysis of bacteriophage E3 isolated from soil and propagating in Rhodococcus equi strains. Phage E3 has a circular genome of 14...

Starvation/stationary-phase survival of Rhodococcus erythropolis SQ1: a physiological and genetic analysis.

Journal Article
Fanget, N. V. J., & Foley, S. (2011)
Starvation/stationary-phase survival of Rhodococcus erythropolis SQ1: a physiological and genetic analysis. Archives of Microbiology, 193, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-010-0638-9
The adaptation of Rhodocccus erythropolis SQ1 to energy and carbon starvation was investigated in terms of both the capacity to survive starvation and the contribution of a nu...

Characterisation of glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16) and N-acetylglucosamine metabolism in Bifidobacterium

Journal Article
Aïssi, E., Foley, S., Stolarczyk, E., Mouni, F., Brassart, C., Vidal, O., …Krzewinski, F. (2008)
Characterisation of glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16) and N-acetylglucosamine metabolism in Bifidobacterium. Archives of Microbiology, 189(2), 157-167. doi:10.1007/s00203-007-0307-9
Bifidobacterium bifidum, in contrast to other bifido-bacterial species, is auxotrophic for N-acetylglucosamine. Growth experiments revealed assimilation of radiolabelled N-ace...

DNA-Binding Activity of the Streptococcus thermophilus Phage Sfi21 Repressor

Journal Article
Bruttin, A., Foley, S., & Brüssow, H. (2002)
DNA-Binding Activity of the Streptococcus thermophilus Phage Sfi21 Repressor. Virology, 303(1), 100-109. doi:10.1006/viro.2002.1574
The cloned Streptococcus thermophilus phage Sfi21 repressor open reading frame (orf) 127 gp protects a cell against superinfection with the homologous temperate, but not again...

Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC15009 as a host for native and conjugative plasmid DNA.

Book
Thompson, K., Collins, M. A., & Foley, S. (2002)
Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC15009 as a host for native and conjugative plasmid DNA. In S. G. Pandalai (Ed.), Recent Research Developments in Plasmid Biology, 55-74. Research Signpost/Transworld Research Network
The plasmid complement of Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC15009 (plasmids pLH1, pLH2 and pLH3) has been sequenced and is being analysed for functional properties. Sequences used ...

Transcription Mapping as a Tool in Phage Genomics: The Case of the Temperate Streptococcus thermophilus Phage Sfi21

Journal Article
Ventura, M., Foley, S., Bruttin, A., Chennoufi, S. C., Canchaya, C., & Brüssow, H. (2002)
Transcription Mapping as a Tool in Phage Genomics: The Case of the Temperate Streptococcus thermophilus Phage Sfi21. Virology, 296(1), 62-76. doi:10.1006/viro.2001.1331
For the lytic growth cycle of the temperate cos-site Streptococcus thermophilus phage Sfi21 a transcription map was developed on the basis of systematic Northern blot hybridiz...

Genomics, molecular genetics and the food industry

Journal Article
Pridmore, R., Crouzillat, D., Walker, C., Foley, S., Zink, R., Zwahlen, M., …Mollet, B. (2000)
Genomics, molecular genetics and the food industry. Journal of Biotechnology, 78(3), 251-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1656%2800%2900202-9
The production of foods for an increasingly informed and selective consumer requires the coordinated activities of the various branches of the food chain in order to provide c...

Widespread distribution of a group I Intron and Its three deletion derivatives in the Lysin Gene of Streptococcus thermophilus Bacteriophages.

Journal Article
Foley, S., Bruttin, A., & Brüssow, H. (2000)
Widespread distribution of a group I Intron and Its three deletion derivatives in the Lysin Gene of Streptococcus thermophilus Bacteriophages. Journal of Virology, 74, 611-618. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.74.2.611-618.2000
Of 62 Streptococcus thermophilus bacteriophages isolated from various ecological settings, half contain a lysin gene interrupted by a group IA2 intron. Phage mRNA splicing was...

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