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Wendy Sue Fox (née Barclay) is a British virologist. She is currently head of Department of Infectious Disease and Chair in Influenza Virology at
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
. She leads a team of scientists studying the
influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
virus and its
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
and morphology to discover novel vaccines. In particular, they are trying to understand more about influenza virus mutations, and how they can allow scientists to create new
vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.
s against possible flu
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic disease with a stable number of in ...
s.


Education

Barclay graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
(BA) degree in
Natural Sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeat ...
from the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. For a postgraduate study, she conducted medical research at the
Common Cold Unit The Common Cold Unit (CCU) or Common Cold Research Unit (CCRU) was a unit of the British Medical Research Council which undertook laboratory and epidemiological research on the common cold between 1946 and 1989 and produced 1,006 papers. The Commo ...
in Salisbury, supervised by David Tyrrell and Fred Brown, for which she was awarded a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(PhD) from the
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
in 1988: her
doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
was titled "The humoral immune response to rhinovirus infection". At Reading, she was involved in human challenge studies with rhinovirus, to study the virus and its interaction with the human body.


Research and career

After her PhD, Barclay held two
postdoctoral research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...
positions. One was with Professor Jeff Almond at the
University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
, and the other was at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York with Peter Palese. While at Reading, she learned many molecular virology skills that would help her to form the basis of her research career. At Mount Sinai, she was the first person to modify techniques for recovering recombinant influenza virus from cloned cDNA for the study of type B influenza virus. At the start of her research career, Barclay worked with both rhinoviruses and various types of small RNA viruses. Barclay has worked mainly with the three types of virus:
Influenza A virus '' A virus'' (''IAV'') causes influenza in birds and some mammals, and is the only species of the genus ''Alphainfluenzavirus'' of the virus family ''Orthomyxoviridae''. Strains of all subtypes of influenza A virus have been isolated from wild ...
, Influenzavirus B, and
Influenzavirus C ''Influenza C virus'' is the only species in the genus ''Gammainfluenzavirus'', in the virus family ''Orthomyxoviridae'', which like other influenza viruses, causes influenza. Influenza C viruses are known to infect humans and pigs. Flu due to ...
. All three belong to the family ''
Orthomyxoviridae ''Orthomyxoviridae'' (from Greek ὀρθός, ''orthós'' 'straight' + μύξα, ''mýxa'' 'mucus') is a family of negative-sense RNA viruses. It includes seven genera: ''Alphainfluenzavirus'', ''Betainfluenzavirus'', '' Gammainfluenzavirus'', ...
''. Viruses that belong to this family are single stranded (-) RNA viruses that replicate within the nucleus of the host's cells. Influenza types A and B are routinely spread from human to human, and they are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year. Influenza type C virus causes mild respiratory infections and are not known to cause epidemics, unlike the other two. Barclay has worked intensively with Influenza A and Influenza B viruses for at least a decade. She has published many articles detailing the importance of understanding how influenza viruses interact with their hosts, understanding their
genomic Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...
makeup, and understanding how different strains of the two viruses interact with host cells differently. She has also described some of the mechanisms of flu resistance to drugs. In addition, she has written articles describing the importance of understanding how some viruses can cross species barriers to prevent another epidemic. In February 2015, CNN posted an article on its webpage that included statements made by Barclay. In it she told of her concerns about another possible flu pandemic, and how, if it ever did happen, it would spread fast and hard. Barclay has been working on understanding and discovering more information about the relationship between
pathogenesis Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...
and the influenza virus since her publication in 2006. She is trying to learn more about host range restrictions for the influenza virus, and its transmission between humans and animals as well as transmission between animal species. Barclay is also interested in studying influenza virus
mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, m ...
s, which allow scientists to create new vaccines against possible influenza pandemics. She is particularly keen on understanding the resistance mechanisms of
antiviral Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Unlike most antibiotics, antiviral drugs do n ...
compounds, and characterisation of novel cell substrates and attenuated virus backbones for influenza vaccines. In January 2019, Wendy Barclay led an IdeasLab session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that focused on 'Developing a Vaccine Revolution', in which she spoke about the race to stop the next flu pandemic at source by preventing it from crossing from wild birds into chickens. Work with the
Roslin Institute The Roslin Institute is an animal sciences research institute at Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, part of the University of Edinburgh, and is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. It is best known for creati ...
focused on blocking this transmission using novel molecular techniques.


Notable work, honours and awards

One of Barclay's most notable work involved looking at cells infected with the influenza A virus and identifying physiological
RIG-I RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene I) is a cytosolic pattern recognition receptor (PRR) responsible for the type-1 interferon (IFN1) response. RIG-I is an essential molecule in the innate immune system for recognizing cells that have been infect ...
agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ag ...
s. This article was published in ''Cell'' in 2010, and has been cited over 270 times. Research gathered for the article explained how one of the human cell's defences against RNA viruses comes in the form of RIG-Is. When a cell is infected with a RNA virus, RIG-I activation triggers an antiviral immune response. However, it was not fully known what part of the virus infection triggers RIG-I activation. Results of this study found that RIG-I activation is caused by the process of
viral replication Viral replication is the formation of biological viruses during the infection process in the target host cells. Viruses must first get into the cell before viral replication can occur. Through the generation of abundant copies of its genome an ...
and correspond to full-length virus genomes, or single-stranded RNA viral genomes bearing 5′-triphosphates. In 2016 she gave the
Peter Wildy Norman Peter Leete Wildy (31 March 1920 – 10 March 1987) was a 20th-century British virologist who was an expert on the herpes simplex virus. Education and personal life He was born in Tunbridge Wells in Kent on 31 March 1920 the son of Eric ...
Prize Lecture in Virology on the subject of
Influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
. and she was awarded the 2023
Microbiology Society Prize Medal Microbiology Society Prize Medal is awarded annually by the Microbiology Society to those who have made an impact beyond microbiology and are world leaders in their field. It was introduced in 2009 as the Society for General Microbiology Prize M ...
by the
Microbiology Society The Microbiology Society (previously the Society for General Microbiology) is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. It is the large ...
for her work. Barclay was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the
2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...
for services to virology.


Memberships and editorial boards

*Committee member, Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (Influenza Sub-group), Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, Department of Health (DoH), 2008 *Committee member,
Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...
basic Science Interview Committee * Invited Member of panel, The peer review panel for animal work on influenza, Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) 2013, 2013 – 2013 *committee member, Scientific Programme Committee for Options for Control of Influenza, Options for Control of Influenza Conference, Cape Town, 2013 *Chair of the Virus Division, The Society For Microbiology, 2013 *Member,
New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) is an advisory body that advises the United Kingdom Government's Chief Medical Advisor / Chief Medical Officer for England, who in turn advises the UK Department of Health an ...
Barclay has served on several
editorial board The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take. Mass media At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, ...
s including: * ''
PLOS Pathogens ''PLOS Pathogens'' is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal. All content in ''PLOS Pathogens'' is published under the Creative Commons "by-attribution" license. ''PLOS Pathogens'' began operation in September 2005. It was the fifth journa ...
'', guest editor * '' The Journal of General Virology'', member of the editorial board * ''
Virology Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, the ...
'', member of the editorial board


Media appearances

* World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland 2018: IdeasLab session on Developing a Vaccine Revolution *BBC Future (Online) 2018 : Why the Flu of 1918 was so deadly *''Human Swarm'' (TV movie documentary), 2013; appeared as herself * ''Horizon'' (UK TV series), 2013; appeared as herself * Interviewed by
Jim Al-Khalili Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili ( ar, جميل صادق الخليلي; born 20 September 1962) is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in scie ...
on ''
The Life Scientific ''The Life Scientific'' is a BBC Radio 4 science programme, presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili , in which each episode is dedicated to the biography and work of one living scientist. The programme consists of an interview between Al-Khalili ...
'' on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
, first broadcast in 2018.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, Wendy S. Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Academics of Imperial College London Alumni of the University of Cambridge British virologists British women scientists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Influenza researchers Women virologists