The goal of Professor Taylor's group is to improve the the diagnosis and treatment of human retroviruses and sexually transmitted infections. The diagnostic focus is developing accessible tools to detect early disease and minimal residual disease in patients with Adult T-cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATL). The group has MRC/Leuka support to study the step wise development of malignancy in patients infected with human T-cell lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and identify patients at high risk of ATL with a view to earlier treatment. The clinical arm of the group is the National Centre for Human Retrovirology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which is the major reference centre for patients in the UK infected with HTLV. Clinical research includes treatment of ATLL, pathogenesis studies into HTLV-associated myelopathy (HAM) and novel imaging of the central nervous system in patients with HAM in partnership with Imanova. The Molecular Diagnostic Unit of the Section of Virology translates the research into patient care providing novel diagnostics to the NHS.
Our primary goal at present is a better understanding of the relationship between HIV infection, treatment and preterm delivery. This includes an exploration of the cervico-vaginal microbiota and its role in pregnancy outcome in HIV infected women, working closely with the March of Dimes team at the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Imperial College. thus transforming scientifc research into steps to improve HIV pregnancy outcome, fetal and neonatal development, in a bench to bedside manner.