• Name: Denni Schnapp
• Date of Birth: 24th November 1964
• Place of Birth: Münster (Germany)

PhD RESEARCH

My PhD research has been concerned with antiviral and antibacterial defence in marine crustaceans, using the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, as experimental animal. During my research, I have developed an interest in antimicrobial peptides and their role in invertebrate immune defence and vertebrate inate immunity. I am currently seeking a postdoctoral position in medical research. I am particularly interested in gaining more experience in molecular biology, and in return I can offer skills in protein separation, microbiology and tissue culture (see below).

EDUCATION

• 1992-1996: University of St. Andrews
  PhD (thesis submitted May 13th): Antiviral Defence Mechanisms and antibacterial Proteins in the Haemocytes of the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas (L.). Supervisor: Dr. V.J.Smith, Comparative Immunology Group, Gatty Marine Laboratory.
  Supported by a studentship award from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

• 1991-1992: Kings College London
  MSc Aquatic Resource Management (taught course)
  Project: Individual Variation and Tissue Distribution of Mercury, Methyl Mercury and Selenium in the Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena. Supervisor: Dr. S. Smith.

• 1987-1990: St. Hilda's College, Oxford University
  BA Hons.in Zoology (2:1)
  Thesis: Distribution and Range of the Orinoco Dolphin Inia geoffrensis in the Rio Apure, Venezuela. Supervisor: Dr. P.G. Evans.

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS

• Jan.-Dec. 1997: Antibacterial peptides in human airways. Dr. Ann Harris, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford. Funded by the Wellcome Trust.

• May 1998-Dec. 1999: Role of matrix metalloproteinases in tissue repair in the inflamed gut. Prof. T.T. Macdonald, QMW and Bart's Hospital, London. Funded by Pfizer.

• April 2001-April 2002: Biological control of the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis, Biocontrol ltd, based at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Modulators in Immune Response: The Evolutionary Trail. Beckenridge, Colorado, 8th-13th July 1995. Poster presentation: Antibacterial proteins in haemocytes of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (Schnapp, D. & Smith, V.J.).

Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology, St. Andrews, Scotland, 3rd-7th April 1995. Poster presentation: Antiviral defense reactions in the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (Schnapp, D. & Smith, V.J.). Poster price for the Fish and Invertebrate Immunology session.

VIth Congress of the International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology (ISDCI), Wageningen, Netherlands, 31st July-5th August 1994. Talk: Antimicrobial defense in marine decapod crustaceans (Schnapp, D., Chisholm, J.R.S. &: Smith, V.J.).

VIIth Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society (ECS) in Inverness, Scotland, 18th-21st February 1993.Poster presentation: Individual variation and tissue distribution of mercury, methyl mercury and selenium in the harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (Schnapp, D.)

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PUBLICATIONS

Pender SL, Salmela MT, Monteleone G, Schnapp D, McKenzie C, Spencer J, Fong S, Saarialho-Kere U & MacDonald TT (2000). Ligation of alpha4ss1 integrin on human intestinal mucosal mesenchymal cells selectively Up-regulates membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase and confers a migratory phenotype. Am J Pathol 2000, 157:1955-62

Schnapp, D. & Harris, A.(1998). Antibacterial peptides in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Am. J. Respir. Cell. Mol. Biol. 19, 352-356.

Schnapp, D.; Reid, C.J. & Harris, A. (1998). Localization of expression of human beta defensin-1 in the pancreas and kidney. J. Pathol. 186, 99-103.

Schnapp, D,.; Kemp, G.D. & Smith, V.J. (1996). Purification and characterisation of a proline rich antibacterial peptide with sequence similarity to bovine Bac 7 from haemocytes of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas.Eur. J. Biochem. 240, 532-9.

Smith, V.J., Kemp, G.D. & Schnapp, D. (1996). Purification and characterisation of a proline rich antibacterial peptide with sequence similarity to bovine Bac 7 from haemocytes of the shore crab,

Schnapp, D. & Smith, V.J. (1995). Antibacterial proteins in haemocytes of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (refereed proceedings). In Stolan, J. (ed.) Modulators in Immune Response: The Evolutionary Trail, SOS Publications, Fair Haven, NJ (in press).

Schnapp, D. & Smith, V.J. (1995). Detection of antiviral activity by invertebrate blood cells, tissues or body fluids in vitro. Techniques in Fish Immunology 4, 201-214. SOS Publications, Fair Haven, NJ.

Smith, V.J., Findlay, C., Hutton, D. & Schnapp, D. (1995). Detection of antibacterial activity by blood cells of marine invertebrates. Techniques in Fish Immunology 4, 173-186. SOS Publications, Fair Haven, NJ.

Schnapp, D., Chisholm, J.R.S. & Smith, V.J. (1994). Antimicrobial defense in marine decapod crustaceans (meeting abstract). Dev. &Comp. Immunol. 18, Sup. 1, S125).

Schnapp, D. (1993). Individual variation and tissue distribution of mercury, methyl mercury and selenium in the harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (unrefereed proceedings). In Evans, P.G.H. (ed.). European Research on Cetaceans 7: Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Conference of the ECS in Inverness, Scotland, 1990.

Schnapp,D. & Howroyd,J.D.(1992). Distribution and local range of the Orinoco dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) in the Rio Apure, Venezuela. Z. Säugetierkunde 57, 313-315.

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SKILLS

• Laboratory: Protein separation (gel filtration, ion exchange chromatography, reverse-phase HPLC), electrophoresis, microbiology, virus cultivation, virus purification, tissue culture, trace metal analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry, water pollution assessment.

• Languages: German (mother tongue), English (proficient), Danish (proficient).
• Computing: Word processing: Microsoft Word, old versions of WordPerfect, Wordstar, T^3 (from the days before Bill Gates clinched the position as market leader...).
  Data analysis: Lotus1,2,3, Minitab, Statview, GSG (sequence search and comparision).
  Presentation: PowerPoint, Cricket Graph III, 1.5, NIH-Image, Adobe Photoshop 3.0.5, Graphic Converter 2.0.4., GIMP
  Networking: html, e-mail (Mail and Pine).
  
  

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