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Interview with Peter Velickovic

Peter Velickovic is a Research Fellow at Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), and a member of Work Package 5. We caught up with Peter and asked him some questions.

Tell us about your role within ERA4TB
I’ve really enjoyed my time at ERA4TB so far. I have especially enjoyed contributing to the optimisation of preclinical study designs and then seeing those optimisations prove effective in practice. It has been rewarding to play a part in making studies more efficient and impactful. I’ve also found it fascinating to explore the mechanisms of novel drugs in the TB pipeline. More specifically, in BT12/13 I supported the analysis of preclinical species in collaboration with IDMIT and UKHSA, which gave me the opportunity to see first-hand how collaborative efforts strengthen our research.

ERA4TB is in nearing the end of its project life. What are some of your hopes and dreams for the future?
In the future I hope to see the potential drugs researched in ERA4TB make their way to the clinic and play a vital role in combating MDR TB. Most importantly, I would love to see similar collaborative consortia form around other diseases as it expedites research and improves clinical outcomes. This could be especially relevant for neglected tropical diseases

What is one piece of advice you would give to early careers researchers?
I would encourage early career researchers to collaborate across disciplines. This can open you to new areas of research as well as help you improve research in your own field.

If you were to deliver a TedTalk, what would be your topic?
The importance in the emerging role of host directed therapy, a novel method to circumvent bacterial resistance.

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