Personal profile
Biography
Sara Rooney is a skilled researcher specialising in zoonotic viral infections, with extensive experience in molecular biology, microbiology and virology. In 2025, Sara started in the Clinical Sceinces department, working on assay development for the testing of anti-viral compounds against Avian Influenza. Since 2026, she is working on developing and validating a Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) for Live Attenuated influenza Virus (LAIV). In 2021, she began her PhD at LSTM, focussed on studying the interactions between Usutu virus and the intracellular bacterium, Wolbachia pipientis. From 2019 to 2021, she worked as a Research Technician at The Pirbright Institute, focusing on transgenic mechanisms aimed at developing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that were refractory to viral infections.
Research interests
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
- 4 Article
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AePUb promoter length modulates gene expression in Aedes aegypti
Anderson, M. A. E., Leftwich, P. T., Wilson, R., Paladino, L. Z. C., Basu, S., Rooney, S., Adelman, Z. N. & Alphey, L., 21 Nov 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 13, 1, 20352.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus) -
Mimicking superinfection exclusion disrupts alphavirus infection and transmission in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti
Reitmayer, C. M., Levitt, E., Basu, S., Atkinson, B., Fragkoudis, R., Merits, A., Lumley, S., Larner, W., Diaz, A. V., Rooney, S., Thomas, C. J. E., von Wyschetzki, K., Rausalu, K. & Alphey, L., 1 Jan 2023, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120, 37, e2303080120.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access9 Citations (Scopus) -
Optimizing CRE and PhiC31 mediated recombination in Aedes aegypti
Carabajal Paladino, L. Z., Wilson, R., Tng, P. Y. L., Dhokiya, V., Keen, E., Cuber, P., Larner, W., Rooney, S., Nicholls, M., Uglow, A., Williams, L., Anderson, M. A. E., Basu, S., Leftwich, P. T. & Alphey, L., 1 Jan 2023, In: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 11, 1254863.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access4 Citations (Scopus) -
The Acquisition and Retention of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus by Blood-Feeding Insects Is Influenced by the Source of Virus, the Insect Body Part, and the Time since Feeding
Sanz-Bernardo, B., Suckoo, R., Haga, I. R., Wijesiriwardana, N., Harvey, A., Basu, S., Larner, W., Rooney, S., Sy, V., Langlands, Z., Denison, E., Sanders, C., Atkinson, J., Batten, C., Alphey, L., Darpel, K. E., Gubbins, S. & Beard, P. M., 1 Aug 2022, In: Journal of Virology. 96, 15Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access20 Citations (Scopus)
Thesis
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Exploring the interactions of Wolbachia pipientis & Usutu virus within British mosquito species.
Rooney, S. (Author), Hughes, G. (Supervisor), Baylis, M. (Supervisor) & Medlock, J. (Supervisor), 11 Nov 2025Student thesis: Doctoral thesis