Meet the 2026 Translational Prize Winner, Professor Alan Parker
The Microbiology Society annually honours a researcher who has made a notable impact in translational microbiology through its Prize Lecture.
Ahead of this year’s lecture, Dr Shadia Khandaker spoke with Professor Alan Parker about his pioneering work in precision virotherapies and the journey that led to it.
About Shadia Khandaker
As a microbiologist and immunologist, my own research focuses on host–pathogen interactions and immune responses, often in contexts closely linked to patient outcomes. While I do not work directly in cancer virotherapy, the translational direction of Alan’s research, taking detailed mechanistic understanding and reshaping it into something that can be tested in patients, felt particularly relevant and thought-provoking.
Speaking with Alan was both insightful and refreshing. Beyond the science, what stood out was the journey: the challenges of re-engineering viruses to selectively target tumour cells, the realities of moving from laboratory discovery to clinical trials, and the importance of collaboration, timing, and persistence in translational research. Our conversation offered not only a window into cutting-edge therapeutic development but also valuable perspectives for early career researchers navigating similar paths.
How does it feel to receive the Translational Microbiology Prize?
When asked about receiving the award, Alan admitted, “I’m still in a bit of a state of shock.” He described the prize as both humbling and a privilege. Despite the recognition, he was quick to emphasise that the award reflects the efforts of a much wider community of collaborators and team members across different institutions. He highlighted that, while he may be in the “driving seat”, the journey has been built on the contributions of many; very much, in his words, “one for the team”.
Re-engineering viruses for targeted cancer therapy
Alan’s work centres on a deceptively simple but technically complex idea: using viruses as precision tools to target and destroy cancer cells. While viruses have long been explored as cancer therapeutics, a major limitation has been their inability to work effectively when delivered systemically through the bloodstream.
His research focused on understanding exactly how viruses interact with host systems, particularly how they infect healthy tissues and how to prevent them. By dissecting these mechanisms in detail, his team engineered viruses that are effectively “de-targeted” from healthy cells, creating what he described as a highly attenuated or “null” particle. This then opened a critical opportunity: reprogramming the virus to recognise tumour-specific markers instead. By combining deep mechanistic understanding with engineering approaches, his team developed viruses that selectively infect cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues, bringing the field closer to true precision virotherapy.
Balancing specificity, safety and efficacy in virotherapy design
Designing a virus that is both effective and safe is, as Alan put it, “like looking for needles in haystacks.” The ideal target would be uniquely expressed on tumour cells, but in reality, most markers are also present, albeit at low levels, on healthy tissues. One of the key breakthroughs in his work has been targeting the αvβ6 integrin, a molecule highly expressed across multiple cancer types but largely absent from normal tissues. Importantly, this receptor is not only tumour-associated but also compatible with viral entry mechanisms, something many candidate targets fail to achieve.
To further enhance safety, his team incorporates additional “molecular safeguards”. These include engineered mutations and regulatory elements that prevent viral replication in healthy cells, effectively creating a “double safety switch”. This layered design ensures that even if the virus enters the wrong cell, it cannot propagate, balancing potency with safety.
Pre-existing immunity: barrier, opportunity, or both?
The interaction between antiviral immunity and anti-tumour responses remains an open and evolving question. Pre-existing antibodies against viral vectors are often considered a barrier, as they may neutralise the virus before it reaches its target. This is a key challenge not only for cancer virotherapy, but also for many viral vector–based approaches more broadly, including vaccines and gene therapies.
However, Alan highlighted that the picture is more nuanced. While antibody responses may limit delivery, T cell responses could potentially enhance anti-tumour effects by increasing immune activity within the tumour environment. In fact, some evidence suggests that antiviral immunity might even be beneficial in certain contexts. Because of this uncertainty, his clinical trial does not exclude patients based on pre-existing immunity. Instead, immune responses are being monitored retrospectively to better understand their impact, an approach that could help clarify an important question in the field.
What does your current clinical trial look like?
One of the major milestones for Alan’s group has been the transition of their engineered virotherapy into a first-in-human phase I clinical trial. The trial is currently in a dose-escalation phase, focusing primarily on safety while also seeking early signs of efficacy. At this early stage, the goal is to carefully determine how much of the therapy can be administered safely, while beginning to understand how patients respond.
Patients are being recruited across multiple cancer types, including pancreatic, lung, bladder, and head and neck cancers, selected based on high expression of the αvβ6 integrin target. This broad applicability reflects one of the strengths of the approach: a single engineered virus with potential relevance across multiple tumour types. With multiple sites across the UK and expansion planned internationally, the trial represents a significant step forward in translating virotherapy into clinical practice.
From bench to bedside: the realities of taking virotherapy into the clinic
“Taking anything to the clinic is a huge challenge,” Alan said, and his experience reflects that reality. While the core science progressed relatively quickly, the transition to clinical application required navigating an entirely different landscape: manufacturing, regulatory approvals, quality control, and large-scale coordination.
A key turning point came with the formation of a biotech company to drive the translational process. This enabled access to the expertise, infrastructure, and funding needed to move from laboratory discovery to patient trials, something that would have been extremely difficult within academia alone. From publication in 2018 to first patient dosing in 2025, the journey took around seven years, remarkably fast for this type of therapy, but still requiring a large, multidisciplinary effort. As Alan noted, it takes “an army” of people to make this transition possible.
Working at the intersection of academia and industry
Alan describes himself as “very much still an academic”, but his involvement with a biotech company has provided valuable insight into the translational pipeline. Balancing these roles comes with challenges, particularly around intellectual property and maintaining clear boundaries between academic and commercial work.
At the same time, this interface creates opportunities. Industry partnerships can provide resources and capabilities that are often unavailable in academic labs, while academia offers the intellectual freedom to explore new ideas. For Alan, the combination has been both demanding and rewarding. Ultimately, the experience has reinforced his identity as an academic scientist while highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration to achieve real-world impact.
What matters most for early-career researchers
Alan’s advice centres on two key principles: passion and impact. Rather than following a rigid career plan, he emphasised the importance of pursuing what genuinely interests and excites you. His own career path has been shaped by curiosity and a desire to apply science in meaningful ways. This perspective is particularly relevant in translational research, where the path is often less defined but potentially more impactful. He also highlighted the importance of research culture. Building a supportive, collaborative team environment is just as important as scientific excellence. The first recruits into a new group, in particular, play a crucial role in shaping both the culture and long-term success of the lab. His final piece of advice is simple but powerful: trust your instincts. Whether in recruitment, research direction, or career decisions, there is always an element of uncertainty, but sometimes, following your gut is part of the process.
Looking ahead, Alan’s group is developing new technologies to expand virotherapy to additional cancer types, including brain tumours. This next phase builds on the same principles of precision targeting and engineered viral systems, while ongoing clinical trials continue to shape the direction of the field. In many ways, his work captures what translational microbiology can achieve at its best. By combining deep biological understanding with persistence, collaboration and a clear vision for impact, Professor Alan Parker is helping to redefine how we think about using viruses, not as pathogens, but as precision tools for therapy. As precision virotherapies continue to evolve, they offer a promising glimpse into the future of cancer treatment and stand as a powerful example of translational microbiology in action.