Institute of Agri-Food & Land Use

Lecturer in Microbiology

Postal Address:
Institute of Agri-Food & Land Use
Queen's University Belfast
Medical Biology Centre
97 Lisburn Road
Belfast BT9 7BL

Room:  01.440
Telephone:  +44 (0)28 9097 2950
Fax:  +44 (0)28 9097 5877
Email:  l.stewart@qub.ac.uk

• BSc. (Jt Hons) Genetics and Microbiology, 1987; Queen's University Belfast
• Ph.D Clinical Microbiology, 1993; Queen's University Belfast
• PGCHET, 2007; Queen's University Belfast

Research Profile
Linda obtained her BSc (Joint Honours) in Genetics and Microbiology at Queen's University Belfast in 1987 and her PhD in Clinical Microbiology at Queen's University Belfast in 1993.  She was employed for 18 years as a Senior Biomedical Scientist in the Microbiology department at Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust before returning to pos doctoral research at Queens in 2005.  In 2013 Linda was appointed Lecturer in Microbiology in the School of Biological Sciences.  She has developed experience in the area of binding protein technology developing monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, cellular receptors and pioneering phage display technology in the areas of clinical diagnostics and food safety.  Her experience covers production of binders to both small molecular weight compounds such as marine biotoxins and to larger more complex targets such as bacteria (Mycobaterium bovis, Campylobacter, Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis sphaeroplasts) and phage (D29 mycobacteriophage).  Using these specific affinity ligands she has developed and validated assays for the detection of contaminants using a range of platforms including optical biosensors, ELISA, nanodetection technology, electrochemical based sensors, immunomagnetic separation, phage assays and PCR.  Her recent research activities include characterization of the epitopes recognized by novel M. bovis specific affinity ligands she produced which could indicate crucial factors for M. bovis pathogenicity and may signify appropriate markers for immunodiagnosis and development of diagnostic or therapeutic reagents or represent targets for vaccine-induced immunity.

Publications
Linda D. Stewart, James McNair, Lyanne McCallan, Alan Gordon, and Irene R. Grant (2013). Improved detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in bovine lymph node tissue using immunomagnetic separation (IMS)-based methods.  PLOS One.

Josephine Morton, Nitsara Karoonuthaisiri, Linda D. Stewart, Michalina Oplatowska, Christopher T. Elliott, Irene R. Grant (2013). Production and Evaluation of the Utility of Novel Phage Display-Derived Peptide Ligands to Salmonella spp. for Magnetic Separation.  J. Appl. Micro.

Linda D. Stewart, James McNair, Lyanne McCallan, Suzan Thompson, Leonid A. Kulakov, and Irene R. Grant (2012). Production and Evaluation of Antibodies and Phage Display-Derived Peptide Ligands for Immunomagnetic Separation of Mycobacterium bovis.  J. Clin. Microbiol., 50(5): 1598-1605.  doi:10.1128/JCM.05747-11.

Simon A. Haughey, Michalina Oplatowska, Caroline Frizzell, Linda D. Stewart, Christopher T. Elliott and Lisa Connolly. (2012). Production of a monoclonal antibody to Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) and its use to test foodstuffs in an SPR biosensor assay.  Food Chemistry, 134: 540-545.  doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.02.116.

Sassolas, A., Catanante, G., Hayat, A., Stewart, L.D., Elliott, C.T., Louis Marty, J., (2012). Improvement of the efficiency and simplification of ELISA tests for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of okadaic acid in shellfish.  Food Control,   doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.05.028.

Stewart, L.D., Elliott, C.T. Walker, A. D., Curran, R. M., Connolly, L. (2009). Development of a monoclonal antibody binding okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins-1,-2 in proportion to their toxicity equivalence factors.  Toxicon, 54: 491-498.

Stewart, L.D., Hess P., Elliott, C.T. (2009). Development and single-laboratory validation of a pseudofunctional biosensor immunoassay for the detection of the okadaic acid group of toxins.  Anal. Chem 81., 10208-10214.

Campbell, K., Stewart, L.D., Doucette, G.J., Fodey, T.L., Haughey, S.A., Vilarino, N., Kawatsu, K., Elliott, C.T. (2007). Assessment of specific binding proteins suitable for the detection of paralytic shellfish poisons using optical biosensor technology.  Anal. Chem., 79: 5906-5914.

Llamas, N.M., Stewart, L., Fodey, T., Higgins, H.C., Velasco, M.L.R., Botana, L.M., Elliott, C.T. (2007). Development of a novel immunobiosensor method for the rapid detection of okadaic acid contamination in shellfish extracts.  Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 389: 581-587.

Lutton, D.A., Patrick, S, Crockard, A.D., Stewart, L.D., Larkin, M.J., Dermot, E. and McNeill, T.A. (1991). Flow cytometric analysis of within strain variation in polysaccharide expression by Bacteroides fragilis using murine monoclonal antibodies.  J. Med. Mircro., 35: 229-237.

Stewart, L.D., Patrick, S., Lutton, D.A., Larkin, M.J., Poxton, I., Brown, R. (1992). Immunological detection of polysaccharide antigens of Bacteroides fragilis in human pus samples.  In: Medical Environmental Aspects of Anaerobes. B.I. Duerden, B.S. Brazier, S.V. Seddon, W.G. Wade (eds) Wrightson publishing Ltd, UK. Pg 55-56.

Patrick, S., Stewart, L.D., Damani, N., Wilson, K.G., Lutton, D.A., Larkin, M.J., Poxton, I., Brown, R. (1995). Immunological detection of Bacteroides fragilis in clinical samples.  J. Med. Micro., 43: 99-109.

Conference / Meeting Presentations
DeTectox meeting Paris, 2007 - Development of an SPR-based biosensor for the detection of lipophilic phycotoxins in shellfish residues.

3rd safefood Biotoxin Research Network Meeting, Cork, 2007 - Surface plasmon resonance immunobiosensor detection of okadaic acid contamination in shellfish extracts.

CRLMB/BioCop/DeTectox Workshop, Cyprus 2007 - Development of an SPR-based biosensor for the detection of lipophilic phycotoxins in shellfish.

4th safefood Biotoxin Research Network Meeting, Belfast, 2008 - Development of a Prototype Assay for Azaspiracid Detection in Shellfish.

DeTectox meeting, Greece, 2008 - Development of an SPR-based biosensor for the detection of lipophilic phycotoxins in shellfish residues.

C-Mar Aquaculture Workshop, Portaferry, 2008 - Marine toxin analysis - Utilising biosensor technology.

Poster Presentations
IUPAC Symposium Turkey, 2007 - Development of a novel Surface Plasmon Resonance immunobiosensor method for the rapid detection of Okadaic acid contamination in shellfish extracts.

Biacore BioPharmaceutical Symposium, Dublin, 2007 - The Screening of Hybridomas for Specific Monoclonal Antibody Production using the Biacore Q System.

IAEAC 3rd International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis, Prague, 2007 - Production and evaluation of binders to lipophilic phycotoxins.