Professor
Muhammad
Munir
After obtaining PhD in influenza virology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, I worked as a BBSRC Fellow at The Pirbright Institute on NDV and Innate Immunity. Currently, Muhammad Munir is a Professor of Virology at Lancaster University in the Northwest of England, UK. Prof Munir has been studying virus pathobiology, viral antagonism of immune responses, and host factors that limit virus replication for the last 15 years. Owing to his extensive research on Newcastle disease virus (NDV), including proprietary vector establishment, Prof Munir is a leading figure in the NDV-based vaccine development. Molecular Virology Laboratory of Prof Munir holds an HSE-compliant CL3 facility, an egg incubation facility, and viral vectors. He also acts as a Technical Advisor for pharmaceuticals and supports novel product development for both humans and animals. Prof Munir has promoted the public understanding of viruses and zoonoses, presenting over 1000 times on CNN, BBC, SkyNews, ITV, Al-Jazeera, GBNews, among others, on both national and international forums. Prof Munir has won the Dean’s Award 2022 and Research Impact Award 2022 for his research excellence on viruses. Prof Munir is the author of >175 articles, 8 books, 25 book chapters, and is the Associate Editor of Scientific Reports and Microbial Pathogenesis, and Editor of Hosts and Viruses amongst others.
I am virologist with research experience on virus pathobiology, viral antagonism of immune responses and host factors that limit virus replication. Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of inter-species pathogenesis of viruses (i.e zoonotic viruses). Specifically, using model influenza viruses, my research aim to explore host and viral RNA biology (sensing – interferon responses, epigenetics and gene regulation) and define structural and functional differences in human and animals (e.g. birds and bats), which determine the transmission dynamics of animal viruses to human. In collaboration with national and international virologists, I study differential virus pathobology, diagnosis and vaccine developments against viruses in different animal hosts with special focus on Newcastle disease virus, a paramyxovirus causing enormous economic losses in the poultry, well-characterized vaccine vector and carrying excellent oncolytic properties. More information on this virus. My laboratory is funded by the BBSRC, British Council, Newton Fund, and Royal Society, and is equipped with CL3 facilities, holding avian viruses bank, chicken eggs facilities and expanding to establish vaccine vectors bank.