I am a cell biologist/geneticist focusing on understanding tumourigenesis. Cancer is a multigenic and complicated disease, involving interactions between the tumour and normal tissue. I use the genetically tractable model organism, the vinegar fly, Drosophila, to model cancer in situ and identify novel genes that drive cancer. My 5 year career plan is to use the Drosophila system to model cooperative tumourigenesis in epithelial and brain tissues and translate this to human cancer.
Regulation Of Cell Death, Cell Survival And Ubiquitination In Normal Physiology And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,980.00
Summary
The project will investigate the functions of specific genes and pathways to understand the molecular basis of various diseases. It is based on our data that indicate new roles for (i) cell death in genomic instability in cancer, and (ii) ubiquitination in hypertension, developmental defects, kidney disease, as well as iron homeostasis. The work will lead to new understanding of human disease and discovery of potential new drug targets. It will also provide training of junior scientists.
Inflammasome Function In Protection Against Infectious Disease And Autoimmunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,010.00
Summary
Inflammation, characterised by swelling, heat, pain and redness, is a normal response to injury and infection. Many human diseases such as gout, athersclerosis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease involve some inflammation, mediated through a common pathway termed the inflammasome. This project will investigate the proteins involved in this pathway and how they interact in their normal role of combatting infections, as well as a possible defect in this pathway in autoimmune patients.
Structural Studies Of The Molecular Machinery Regulating Cell Death
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$638,517.00
Summary
Our bodies use a process called Programmed Cell Death to remove unwanted or dangerous cells. This work aims to understand the machinery that regulates this process at the molecular level. These insights will inform the development of drugs aimed at either initiating cell death when required, for example in cancer, or at inhibiting it when excessive cell death causes disease.
Targeting Host Pathogen Interactions And Signalling Networks To Promote Death Of Infected Cells And Facilitate Pathogen Clearance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
Preclinical models of infectious diseases including hepatitis B, HIV, tuberculosis and human herpes virus infections will be used to understand how pathogens interact with host cells. With this understanding we aim to identify which host cell signalling pathways play a critical role in limiting or faciliating pathogen persistence. After identifying the important cellular pathways we aim to target these host cell signalling components with clinical stage drugs to promote pathogen clearance.
Overcoming Resistance Of Human Metastatic Melanoma To Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$727,758.00
Summary
Melanoma is a major Australian health problem, but there is no curative treatment once the disease spreads beyond the skin. I have been working on “overcoming resistance of melanoma to treatment” continuously for 10 years. My past research has provided a number of insights into the resistance of melanoma to treatment. I wish to extend my work to find new treatment approaches against the disease. If successful, this work will greatly benefit melanoma patients and Australian people.
Understanding And Preventing Adverse Developmental Effects Of Perinatal Infection/inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
Exposure of babies to infection or inflammation within the womb is common and is associated with preterm delivery and illness in newborns. The biggest problem for these babies is lung disease due to inflammation of the lungs before birth and/or in response to lung injury after birth. We are investigating how inflammation alters lung development, and working on developing a novel cell therapy to prevent life-threatening newborn lung disease.
Delineating Immune Circuits For Innate And Adaptive Immune Protection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
The immune system provides the essential frame-work to protect us against infection, disease and to heal tissues after trauma. This is achieved by a complex but elegant network of different types of white blood cells. Understanding the molecular wiring of these cells will provides fundamental insights to how the body fights pathogen infections and cancer and lays the foundation to therapeutic approaches to vaccination and disease treatments.
The human immune system comprises many different types of cells that can detect foreign molecules. My research will lead the way to understanding some of the most abundant, yet least well understood, cells within this system, collectively known as 'unconventional T cells'. This knowledge is essential to optimally and efficiently manipulate the immune system in health and disease.
The research focuses on how gene function is networked and the ways that cells talk to each other to coordinate their activity in the formation of organs and body parts. Knowledge gleaned from these investigations will enhance our understanding of the genetic control underpinning normal development and the errors that lead to birth defects. The elucidation of the process that turns naive cells into the right cell type is essential for the use of stem cells for cell therapy and tissue repair.