Contact
Biography
After growing up in France and the United States, I moved to the UK for my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Birmingham. After graduating, I moved to Norwich where I was accepted into the John Innes Centre's PhD program with a rotation year. Upon completion, I stayed on for a number of postdoctoral positions in George Lomonossoff's group. Finally, in April 2024, I moved to the University of Nottingham to take up an Assistant Professor position in Plant Virology and Plant Biotechnology.
Expertise Summary
My expertise sits at the intersection of virology, biochemistry, and plant biotechnology. More specifically, I have worked on the molecular biology of plant-infecting RNA viruses (primarily cowpea mosaic virus), both from a fundamental research perspective as well as from a biotechnological angle (i.e. how to better use plant viruses or their genomic elements as biotechnological tools). I use plant molecular farming techniques to develop plants (specifically the wild Australian tobacco species Nicotiana benthamiana) as expression hosts for the overproduction of recombinant high-value proteins for technological or medical uses. The main focus of my research so far in this regard has been the production of virus-like particles of a wide range of viruses (from viruses which infect plants, humans, and non-human animals) for technological or medical (mainly vaccine-related) uses. I have also worked extensively on the molecular tools underlying plant molecular farming technology: primarily the expression vectors which are used to direct recombinant protein expression in host plants through agroinfiltration.
Teaching Summary
I teach the fundamentals of molecular cloning and associated tools to first year undergraduates, along with plant virology and plant molecular farming to both first and second year undergraduate… read more
Research Summary
My current research focuses on three main areas:
- The production of virus-like particles (VLPs) and individual antigens of viruses of medical or veterinary relevance, such as bluetongue virus (BTV), through recombinant protein expression in plants, for use as vaccine candidates or diagnostic reagents.
- The development and use of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) as a specific custom RNA-packaging and delivery system, with potential uses as diagnostic tools, RNA vaccines, and novel green biopesticides.
- The study of plant RNA virus replication and how this process is linked to the packaging of the RNA genome into the viral capsid. These two processes seem inherently linked through mechanisms which are not yet clear, but understanding this could allow us to develop new tools for specifically packaging designer RNA molecules into virus-like capsids.
Recent Publications
You can follow me on Twitter (X): @HadrienPeyret or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hadrien-peyret or ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hadrien-Peyret Looking for overexpression vectors for transient expression of recombinant proteins in plants via agroinfiltration? Order the pHREAC and/or pHRE vectors from AddGene: https://www.addgene.org/134908/ and https://www.addgene.org/134909/
I teach the fundamentals of molecular cloning and associated tools to first year undergraduates, along with plant virology and plant molecular farming to both first and second year undergraduate students. I also teach second year undergraduates about modern biotechnological techniques for plant genome modifications, particularly in the context of crop improvement.
I host final year undergraduate students in my lab every year for their final year laboratory-based research project, and I also supervise postgraduate (MRes and PhD) students conducting research in my lab.