Gary Ward
| Gary Ward | |
| Occupation | Microbiologist |
|---|---|
| Known for | Research on Toxoplasma gondii invasion mechanisms |
| Alma mater | University of New Brunswick; University of California San Diego |
Gary Ward is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Vermont.[1] His research addresses the cell biology of Toxoplasma gondii, including the mechanisms by which the parasite invades and moves within host cells.[2]
Education
Ward received a B.Sc. in biophysics from the University of New Brunswick, completed between 1975 and 1979.[3] He earned a Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of California San Diego, completed between 1979 and 1985.[4]
Career
Ward carried out postdoctoral research in biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California San Francisco from 1985 to 1989.[5] He then served as a Senior Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1989 to 1996.[6]
He joined the University of Vermont's Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics as an Assistant Professor in 1996, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002, and became Professor in 2007, a position he continues to hold.[7]
Research
Ward's work has focused on the molecular and cell biology of Toxoplasma gondii, including the parasite's inner membrane complex, motility, and mechanisms of host cell invasion. According to Semantic Scholar, his publications include studies of alveolin proteins in the Toxoplasma inner membrane complex, motility-dependent processes in tachyzoites and bradyzoites, and the mechanisms of host cell plasma membrane perforation during parasite invasion.[8]
His research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health awarded to the University of Vermont, including projects on host cell membrane perforation during invasion by Toxoplasma gondii and the Vermont Immunology / Infectious Diseases Training Grant.[9]
Selected publications
- "Alveolin proteins in the Toxoplasma inner membrane complex form a highly interconnected structure that maintains parasite shape and replication" (2024), PLoS Biology[10]
- "Motility-dependent processes in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites: same same but different" (2025), mSphere[11]
- "Perforation of the host cell plasma membrane during Toxoplasma invasion requires rhoptry exocytosis" (2025), EMBO Reports[12]
- "Clustering of host N-glycans licenses Toxoplasma rhoptry discharge" (2025), bioRxiv[13]
- "The invasion pore induced by Toxoplasma gondii" (2025), EMBO Reports[14]
External links
- ↑ University of Vermont faculty records.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ ORCID record 0000-0003-4138-3055.
- ↑ ORCID record 0000-0003-4138-3055.
- ↑ ORCID record 0000-0003-4138-3055.
- ↑ ORCID record 0000-0003-4138-3055.
- ↑ ORCID record 0000-0003-4138-3055.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ NIH RePORTER grant records for University of Vermont & St Agric College.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.
- ↑ Semantic Scholar author profile for Gary Ward.