Rate My Professor Brian Willett

Professor Brian Willett serves as Professor of Viral Immunology in the School of Infection & Immunity at the University of Glasgow, where he is also affiliated with the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. He earned his PhD in Immunology from the University of Strathclyde in 1989 and a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and Pharmacology in 1986 from the same university. Willett joined the University of Glasgow in 1989 and was appointed to his professorial position in 2008. He leads the Viral Immunology research group alongside Professor Margaret Hosie, focusing on virus-host interactions, humoral immune responses, and the development of vaccines and diagnostics for pathogens affecting human and veterinary health. His work emphasizes serological assays using lentiviral pseudotypes to enable safe, high-throughput neutralisation testing for emerging viruses, including filoviruses such as Ebola and Marburg, bunyaviruses like Rift Valley fever and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, togaviruses like chikungunya, and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

Willett's research has significantly advanced understanding of immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2 variants, notably Omicron's reduced neutralisation by vaccine-induced antibodies, preservation of T cell responses, and adoption of a TMPRSS2-independent endosomal entry pathway with altered cell tropism and virulence. He has investigated cross-species transmission and neutralisation of morbilliviruses such as peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), canine distemper virus (CDV), rinderpest virus (RPV), measles virus (MeV), and phocine distemper virus (PDV), informing zoonotic risks and eradication strategies. Earlier contributions include identification of CD134 (OX40) as the primary receptor for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and studies on feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and calicivirus. Key publications encompass 'SARS-CoV-2 Omicron is an immune escape variant with an altered cell entry pathway' (Willett et al., Nature Microbiology, 2022), 'Feline leukaemia virus: half a century since its discovery' (Willett et al., Retrovirology, 2013), and 'FIV infection of the domestic cat: an animal model for AIDS' (Willett et al., Immunology Today, 1997). His pseudotype platforms support surveillance in resource-limited settings like Malawi and Uganda, aiding outbreak responses and vaccine assessments. Willett teaches immunology to veterinary students and collaborates with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the University of Birmingham, and international partners on population immunity studies.