British professors Paul Richard Langford, Janine T. Bossé and Andrew Rycroft visited UFV in March, from the 11th to the 22nd. They were welcomed by Professor Denise Bazzolli, coordinator of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Bacteria (LGMB -Bioagro/UFV) and advisor to the Postgraduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology (PPGMBA). The trip is yet another mission carried out as part of the partnership developed since 2012 between Denise and Professor Paul, involving the study of respiratory pathogens in pigs, diagnosis and vaccine development, as well as the study of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae populations and the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes by mobile elements and vesidution.

“We’ve been working together for more than ten years now, and it’s important to note that this partnership has allowed us to introduce many innovations into the PPGMBA, such as research into small regulatory RNAs from pathogenic bacteria, RNA chaperones from bacterial pathogens, research involving Galleria mellonella as an alternative model to animals and it was also the kick-off for us to consolidate our line of research into bacterial extracellular vesicles,” says Denise.

During their visit in March, Professor Paul took part in the School of Advanced Studies – Global Challenges for Animal and Human Health, held from the 11th to the 15th at UFV’s CEAD, after which the trio were actively involved in discussions with the research group coordinated by Denise. Paul also presented a lecture to PPGMBA students and held research meetings with Professor Tiago Mendes, another program’s advisor, and the team of professors from UFV’s PPG in Veterinary Medicine. “It was an intense two weeks of work, updating research and setting goals for finalizing projects and publications,” says Denise.

From London
Denise and Paul began their partnership in 2012, when the professor took a sabbatical at Imperial College London, in the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine (St. Mary’s Campus). “During the time I worked there, Paul was my supervisor in research activities and introduced me to research with Dr. Janine Bossé, Dr. Yanwen Li and other professors, such as Professor Andrew Rycroft, then at the Royal Veterinary College.” The working partnership was consolidated with the approval of international cooperation projects funded by various funding agencies, such as the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), CNPq, Newton Funds and FAPEMIG, involving other researchers over the years, such as Professor Anastasia Callaghan, from the University of Portsmouth.

Before this contact, Professor Paul had never visited Brazil or another Brazilian teaching and research institution. Since then, he and Janine have been to UFV for missions six times, and Janine stayed in Viçosa for a period of six months, between October 2016 and May 2017, with a project funded by CONFAP-UK Academies/Newton Funds and Fapemig. “On this occasion, she co-supervised PPGMBA postgraduate students and IC students at LGMB/Bioagro. The research project involved the alternative animal model Galleria mellonella and the study of bacterial mutants for the expression of small RNAs.” Professor Paul also co-supervised, directly or indirectly, several PPGMBA PhD students, such as Ciro Cesar Rossi, Monalessa Fabia Pereira, Newton Moreno Sanches and Giarlã Cunha da Silva.

Another important aspect of the partnership between the professors is the participation of Paul and Janine in editions of the International Symposium on Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) since 2013 – with the exception of the 2023 edition. Before the pandemic, the British team’s last mission to UFV was in February 2020.

“The partnership with the group led by Professor Paul Langford represents a unique opportunity for us to work with internationally renowned researchers who are leading investigators in the field of veterinary respiratory pathogens. It represents developing research at the frontier of knowledge in the field. For our students and for the PPGMBA, it represents the opportunity to be part of the international scene, to improve techniques and the possibility of fruitful research discussions. The students have the opportunity to improve their English and to experience an environment of constant opportunities and encouragement,” says Denise.