Claudia McKeown

Research Assistant

I completed my BSc at University of Brighton in 2017; focusing on antibiotic and phage co-therapy reducing Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on silicone surfaces.

I then completed my MSc International Public Health at LSTM in 2020; including a systematic review on Remdesivir as a therapeutic for COVID patients, contributing to LSTM's COVID research. Between degrees,

I have worked for private laboratory companies using microbiological identification and clinical cleanrooms in the processing of stem cells products. I worked under GMP and quality control as a production lead in a company developed product. I most recently have worked with Emily Adams research group at LSTM; running RNA extractions, qPCRs and other diagnostic techniques for COVID projects.

I am now a Research Assistant within the Roberts group at LSTM researching AMR. I am currently working on the iiCON project building an environmental isolate library, screening the isolates found to identify any antimicrobial activity.

Alongside this is the ongoing science citizen project, Swab and Send. Here we are increasing public engagement on the importance of AMR research, with an aim to discover new antimicrobials to be applied to antimicrobial drug development. AMR research is essential as there have been limited new antimicrobial discoveries since the 1950's, and we are now in a critical position with the increase of antimicrobial resistance.