Microbiology and Immunology

Microbiology And

Immunology

Clinical Tom Riley Tim Inglis

Barry Marshall Ben Clarke

Immunology Manfred Beilharz

Alec Redwood Geoff Stewart Chris Peacock Allison Imrie

Bioinformatics and Genetics

Tim Perkins Michael Wise Chris Peacock

Alfred Tay

Host Pathogen Charlene Kahler Barbara Chang Geoff Shellam Alec Redwood Chris Peacock Allison Imrie

Translational Ondek

Cheryl Johansen Tom Riley Tim Inglis

Applied and Environmental

David Sutton Barbara Chang

Tom Riley Tim Inglis

Barry Marshall

Epidemiology Tom Riley

Alec Redwood Geoff Shellam

Cheryl Johansen Tim Inglis

Associate Professor Chris Peacock Research areas: Host Pathogen Interactions, Molecular Biology, Genomics. Current projects: 1. The role of pathogenic and commensal microbes in

otitis media using a metagenomics approach. 2. Effects of low level in utero exposure to

environmental arsenic on epigenetic reprogramming and susceptibility to infection.

3. Investigations into the use of the Australian marsupial Leishmania as an attenuated vaccine for human leishmaniasis.

4. Determination of the parasite genomic factors responsible for a new clinical drug insensitive phenotype in Brazilian cutaneous leishmaniasis. 5. Identification of novel protozoal pathogens in

Australian wildlife.

Associate Professor David Sutton Research area: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Current and recent projects: 1. Bacteriophages as alternative bacterial disease

control agents. 2. Novel antibacterial natural products with clinical and

industrial applications from marine bacteria and invertebrates.

3. Pollution control based on industrial-scale bacterial bioreactors.

4. A novel biotechnological approach to recovery of phosphorus from wastewater.

5. Prevention and monitoring of biofilm formation in drinking water distribution systems.

Cytomegalovirus Research Group Geoff Shellam, Alec Redwood and Megan Lloyd

Host Pathogen Interactions, Molecular Virology, Immunology and Genetic Epidemiology. Current projects: 1) Epidemiology of HCMV in human breast milk

2) Multi-strain CMV infection

1) Viruses hunting in packs 2) Natural killer cells mediating viral competition

3) Viral immune evasion

4) Effects of genetic variation on host pathogen

interactions

Prof Barry Marshall and the Ondek Research Team

Research area: Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis and delivery technologies Scientific projects: Oral delivery of biologics and vaccine antigens using H. pylori , immunotherapies, host-pathogen interaction, genetic tools construction, detection and containment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Collaborators: Assoc Prof Mohammed Benghezal, Dr. Alma Fulurija and the Ondek team

Ondek develops a delivery platform for vaccines and biologics based on live Helicobacter pylori

6

Associate Professor Manfred Beilharz

Cancer Immuno- and Complementary therapies 1. Immunotherapy of cancer based on regulatory T cell manipulation. 2. Anti-cancer properties of tea tree oil, a natural renewable Australian product.

Type 1 Interferon and Influenza 3. Extension of low-dose oral interferon results from a phase IIb clinical trial for winter colds and flu.

Prof Barbara Chang

Research Area: Molecular bacteriology; bacteriophages; virulence factors; plasmids

Projects: 1. Virulence determinants of

WA Aeromonas isolates 2. Aeromonas phages and their

role in virulence 3. Moraxella catarrhalis

bacteriophages

Aeromonas infection

p.4

Associate Professor Allison Imrie Research areas: Host Pathogen Interactions, Molecular Epidemiology, Emerging Infectious Diseases. Current projects: 1. Cross-reactivity in Flavivirus (Murray Valley

encephalitis virus, dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus) -specific immunity

2. Immunodominance and the dengue-specific memory T cell receptor repertoire 3. Long-term dengue virus-specific memory T cell phenotype and function, > 6 decades after infection 4. Molecular epidemiology of dengue and chikungunya viruses in Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Bali

Professor Tim Inglis

Cycle5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Nor

m. F

luor

o.

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0 Threshold

Research areas: • Clinical microbiology • Applied microbial bioinformatics • Field applications of molecular

microbiology • Antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Gram

negative bacteria • Drinking and recreational water

microbiology

Projects: the Burkholderia pseudomallei metabolome field investigation of mosquito-borne viruses molecular epidemiology of multi-resistant

Enterobacteriaceae

p.16

Associate Professor Charlene Kahler

Research area: Bacterial pathogens causing sepsis (esp. Neisseria spp.) Projects:

1. Outer membrane and endotoxin biogenesis in Neisseria

2. Endotoxin synthesis in Neisseria

3. Gene regulation in Neisseria spp.

4. Cellular biology of the nasopharynx

5. Protein folding in the periplasm of Gram negative bacteria

Molecular Biology Microbiology

Structural Biology

A model for disease

Chemistry (Drug design)

Application (Disease treatment)

p.23

W/Professor Geoff Stewart Research area: Immunology & Bacteriology

Inflammatory lung diseases, such as asthma and rhinitis; House dust mite and rye grass pollen allergy

Kallikrein-Kinin System

Projects:

1)Modulatory effects of proteases and protease activated receptors on respiratory epithelial cell function

2)Cloning, expression and characterisation of bacteriolytic enzymes and antimicrobial peptides

3)Characterisation of endosymbiotic bacteria from the house dust mite

4)Activation of the Kallikrein-kinin system on epithelial cells

Professor Tom Riley Major research areas: Clostridium difficile infection Antimicrobial and natural products research

Projects:

1. Epidemiology of C. difficile infection in Australia 2. New methods of detecting C. difficile 3. New treatments for C. difficile infection 4. C. difficile infection in animals 5. C. difficile in food 6. Effects of tea tree oil on Candida albicans

investigated by flow cytometry 7. Interference of essential oil terpenes with microbial

quorum sensing 8. Antimicrobial activity of Western Australian honeys

Niki Foster, Briony Elliott, Kate Hammer, Christine Carson, Kerry Carson, Dan Knight, Pim Putsathit