D G Allison BSc PhD(Edinburgh) Tel: +44 (0)161 275 2359 FAX: +44 (0)161 275 2396 E-mail: DAllison@fs1.pa.man.ac.uk

Research
Bacterial biofilm physiology
Bacterial adhesion to surfaces
Extracellular matrix production
Infectivity and virulence of opportunistic lung pathogens
Bacterial cell-cell signalling (QSTA)

Teaching
Pharmaceutical Microbiology - introductory microbiology, sterilisation processing
Quality Assurance - environmental control, cleanroom design, microbial monitoring
Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - antibiotic mode of action, bacterial resistance mechanims
Microbial Pathogenicity - bacterial growth in vivo, virulence factor production, resistance to host defences
Fermentation Biotechnology - strain selection,cell culture, fermenter design, product recovery

Postgraduate Admissions Tutor
Chairman of the Staff/Student Committee
Member of the Curriculum Committee
Module tutor on the Pharmaceutical Industry Advanced Training Programme PIAT
(Sterilisation of Medical Devices)

Qualifications
B.Sc.(Hons) Biological Science, Upper Second Class. University of Edinburgh 1977 - 1981.
Ph.D Microbial Physiology, University of Edinburgh, 1981 - 1984

Society Membership
American Association for Microbiology
Society for General Microbiology
Society for Applied Microbiology
Biofilm Club
Parenteral Society of Great Britain

Brief Career Details
Lecturer, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (1990 - present)
Visiting scientist, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA (1992)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute, Aston University, Birmingham, England, (1987 - 1989)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Zeneca (nee ICI) Pharmaceuticals, Alderley Edge, England, (1984 - 1987)

McKenny, D & Allison, D.G. (1997). Influence of growth rate and nutrient limitation upon sensitivity of Burkholderia cepacia to ciprofloxacin and tobramycin. J.Antimicrob.Chemoth.40:415-417.

Allison, D.G. (1998). Validation of novel methods of sterilisation. Eur.J.Parent. Sci 3:33-36.

Allison, D.G. (1998). Exoploysaccharide production in bacterial biofilms. Biofilm 3: (BF98002).

EGINTON, P.J., HOLAH, J., ALLISON, D.G., HANDLEY, P.S & GILBERT, P.(1998).  Disinfection and post-treatment cleansing of surfaces. ( Lett. App. Microbiol.27:101-106).

ALLISON, D.G., RUIZ, B., San JOSE, C., JASPE, A & GILBERT, P (1998). Extracellular products as mediators of the formation and detachment of Pseudomonas fluroescens biofilms. FEMS Microbial. Lett. 167: 179-184.

Biography

David ALLISON was appointed as a lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of Manchester in January 1990. His first degree was in Microbiology at Edinburgh University, as were his postgraduate studies in Microbial Physiology where he studied the role of bacterial exopolysaccharides in cell adhesion. On leaving Edinburgh in 1984 he emigrated to join ICI Pharmaceuticals, Macclesfield, England, for a three year postdoctoral period investigating the production and role of ß-lactam antibiotics in bacteria. This was followed by a further period of postdoctoral research, at Aston University, Birmingham, England, on the properties and surface antigenicity of clinically important adherent bacterial populations.

Dr Allisons main research interests are two-fold. The first area centres on the infectivity and virulence properties of opportunistic lung pathogens. In particular, work on bacterial infections in patients with fibrocystic (CF) lung disease features various aspects associated with the microbiology of lung tissue colonisation, including cell-cell communication,extracellular matrix production and resistance to antibiotics.

The second area of interest concerns the production of biofilm-specific matrix polymers in adherent bacterial populations. Avenues under investigation include polymer characterisation, the role of such polymers in adhesion, and mechanisms of prevention\inhibition.