The John Curtin School of Medical Research
From the Director
This year marks 60 years since the foundation of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) as part of The Australian National University (ANU) in 1948.
JCSMR is the result of the vision of Australian Nobel Laureate Sir Howard Florey and war-time Prime Minister John Curtin. Florey foresaw a national medical research school where scientists would carry out superlative research in fundamental areas, and our staff and students continue to strive towards this goal.
A major strength of our research programs lies in their strong cross-disciplinary interactions. We currently have strong programs in genomics and epigenomics, immunology, protein structure and function and cell signalling, virology and neuroscience.
This research aims to understand and provide novel insights into diseases such as cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, and conditions such as epilepsy and vision impairment, amongst others.
Our research staff continue to perform at the highest level nationally and internationally. This report highlights some of our recent research findings that will have impact on human health. Many of our staff and students have received recognition for their contributions through prizes and awards.
As an integral part of the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, we are committed to cross-disciplinary research that will provide solutions to health problems which beset our community, and we continue to pride ourselves on our commitment to the training and mentoring of the young medical researchers of the future.
Professor Frances Shannon Director JCSMR
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 1 Table of Contents
Introduction to The John Curtin School of Medical Research From the Director...... 1 Selected Highlights...... 3 Jackie Chan Science Centre ...... 6 JCSMR Structure...... 7 Boards and Committees ...... 8
Research Programs ...... 9 Division of Immunology and Genetics...... 10 Division of Molecular Bioscience...... 18 Division of Neuroscience...... 28 High Blood Pressure Research Unit...... 33
Staff & Student Achievements ...... 35 Degrees ...... 36 Prizes and awards ...... 37
Research Collaborations & Visitors ...... 39 Visitors to JCSMR...... 40 Research Collaborations...... 42
Staff & Students ...... 51 Division of Immunology and Genetics...... 52 Division of Molecular Bioscience...... 55 Division of Neuroscience...... 57 High Blood Pressure Research Unit...... 58 Students...... 59 School Administration and Services ...... 61
Publications, Presentations & Patents...... 63 Publications...... 64 Patents ...... 71 Presentations...... 72 Student Presentations...... 76
Contact with our Community...... 79 Commitment to Serving Our Community...... 83
Support...... 91 Grants...... 92 Statistics...... 97 Donors...... 98
2 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Selected Highlights 2008 JCSMR
Health through Discovery
How nerve impulses are generated in the brain Neuronal Signalling Group
Research Fellow Dr Maarten Kole, along with Professor Greg Stuart and other members of the Neuronal Integration Laboratory, Neuroscience Program, have been working to increase our understanding of the way in which the nerve impulse, or action potential, is generated in nerve cells of the brain. Action potentials are the primary electrical signals used for fast communication between nerve cells. From previous research, it is known that action potentials are generated in a region of the nerve cell axon (the main output pathway of neurons) called the axon initial segment. In two separate papers published in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience, Kole, Stuart and colleagues have described the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to action potential generation, showing that it is the result of a high density of voltage-activated sodium channels in the axon initial segment, which are tightly bound to the actin cytoskeleton. These sodium channels open as a result of a changed voltage across the cell membrane, allowing positively charged sodium ions to flow inwards, resulting in the generation of a single site with low action potential threshold and subsequently the triggering of the action potential. Collectively, these studies describe for the first time the fundamental cellular mechanisms used by neurons to generate electrical impulses, enabling complex neural processing of the brain.
Kole, M.H.P., Ilschner, S.U., Kampa, BM, Williams, S.R., Ruben, PC and Stuart, G.J. (2008) Action potential generation requires a high sodium channel density in the axon initial segment. Nature Neuroscience 11(2): 178-186
Kole, M.H.P. and Stuart, G.J. (2008) Is action potential threshold lowest in the axon? Nature Neuroscience 11(11):1253-1255
Overturning the one cell — one antibody dogma Cancer and Vascular Biology Group
Postdoctoral fellow Ben Quah, along with Professor Chris Parish and collaborators in the Divisions of Immunology and Molecular Bioscience JCSMR published the groundbreaking discovery that B lymphocytes - the immune cells responsible for making antibodies - share these antibodies with one another. Current concepts of immunity are based firmly upon Nobel-prize winning Australian immunologist Mac Burnet’s concept of ‘clonal selection’. In that view, each immune cell is restricted to making a single, unique antibody, so that production of a particular antibody can only be built up after a single cell has replicated into clonal copies many times. While the genes encoding antibodies are indeed subject to Burnet’s laws of one cell- one antibody, Quah, Parish and their colleagues discovered that the antibody proteins themselves are efficiently passed among different cells so that one cell can borrow a useful antibody made by another. This remarkable violation of the clonal selection dogma may help the immune system respond more rapidly to an infection, and points to a new process in cell biology that may have ramifications well beyond the immune system.
Quah, B.J.C., Barlow, V.P., McPhun, V., Matthaei, K.I., Hulett, M.D. and Parish, C.R. (2008) Bystander B cells rapidly acquire antigen receptors from activatedB cells by membrane transfer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(11):4259-4264
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 3 Selected Highlights 2008
Discovering mechanisms of memory in the immune system: parallels with mechanisms of memory in the brain Immunogenomics Group
PhD student Zuopeng Wu published the discovery of a new gene and mechanism essential for the immune system to produce the class of T cells that ‘remember’ an infection or immunization and resist re-infection His paper – co-authored with JCSMR supervisors Gerard Hoyne and Chris Goodnow and collaborators in Gottfried Otting’s group in the ANU Research School of Chemistry and at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle — featured on the cover of the prestigious journal Immunity. It revealed that a previously obscure protein, hnRNPLL, dramatically changes the splicing of messenger RNA molecules in memory T cells — changing the characteristics and longevity of the T cells much as a film editor can alter the plot of a film by splicing different scenes in and out. Remarkably, both the general strategy of altered splicing and the specific ‘scenes’ affected in memory T cells overlaps with emerging findings about RNA splicing changes occurring during the formation of memory in the brain. Thus, the study not only reveals a specific mechanism for memory in the immune system, but also a general strategy used in immune cells and brain cells.
Wu, Z., Jia, X., de la Cruz, L., Su, X., Marzolf, B., Troisch, P., Zak, D., Hamilton, A., Whittle, B., Yu, D., Sheahan, D., Bertram, E., Aderem, A., Otting, G., Goodnow, C.C. and Hoyne, G.F. (2008) Memory T cell RNA rearrangement programmed by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein hnRNPLL. Immunity 29(6):863-875
The role of calsequestrin in skeletal muscle contraction Muscle Research Group
Dr Nikki Beard, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Muscle Research Group headed by Professor Angela Dulhunty, has worked with colleagues including other members of the Group and Magdolna Varsányi from Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany to understand the mechanisms by which the skeletal muscle calcium binding protein calsequestrin plays a role in controlling muscle contraction. Published in the journal Cell Calcium, this research shows for the first time that phosphorylation of calsequestrin enhances its capacity to bind calcium. Appropriate binding of calcium is essential to the proper functioning of skeletal muscle in the regulation of movement. Additionally, this research identified an accessory protein, junctin, as being essential in mediating regulation of muscle contraction by calsequestrin.
Beard, N.A., Wei, L., Cheung, S.N., Kimura, T., Varsanyi, M. and Dulhunty, A.F. (2008) Phosphorylation of skeletal muscle calsequestrin enhances its Ca2+ binding capacity and promotes its association with junctin. Cell Calcium 44(4):363-373
4 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 The goals of JCSMR are to
• conduct research of the highest international standard into fundamental life processes and the pathologies of these processes which cause human disease • play a leadership role in medical research in Australia • provide outstanding training in medical research for young scientists and health professionals • apply new knowledge for better health outcomes.
Selected Highlights 2008
Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year • Dr Carola Garcia de Vinuesa was awarded the Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year at the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. The award celebrates the achievements of an outstanding early career researcher. Dr Vinuesa currently leads a team of ten people at JCSMR, and received the award in recognition for her work on the quality control of antibodies, which has helped uncover causes of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes and lupus.
Member of the Order of Australia • Professor Steve Redman AM, was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia, General Division in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Professor Redman’s award was for services to medical science, particularly in the field of experimental neuroscience as an academic and researcher and through contributions to professional organisations.
Adrien Albert Award • Professor Jill Gready received The Adrien Albert Award from The Division of Biomolecular Chemistry of The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc. at their conference in July. This prestigious award is named for Professor Adrien Albert, Chair of The Department of Medical Chemistry at JCSMR from its inception in 1948 until his retirement in 1972.
Australian Society for Biophysics • Professor Angela Dulhunty, Division of Molecular Bioscience, was elected President of the Australian Society for Biophysics.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 5 Jackie Chan Science Centre Launch 2008
In March, mega movie star Mr Jackie Chan and Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd launched the Jackie Chan Science Centre in the JCSMR foyer. The displays in the Centre will showcase the history and current research of The John Curtin School of Medical Research at The Australian National University.
Mr Chan told guests that he was very happy to be involved in the project, as his late father had always advised him to “talk less, do more”.
6 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 JCSMR Organisation 2008
ANU College of Medicine and Health Sciences (until August 2008) ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment (from August 2008)
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Director
Research Groups, Units and Laboratories
Division of High Blood Pressure Division of Division of Immunology & Research Unit Neuroscience Molecular Bioscience Genetics
Administration
Public Affairs & Director’s Office Communications
Services and Support
ACRF Biomolecular Microscopy & Technical Operations Resource Facility Cytometry Facility Services
Media & Washup
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 7 Boards & Committees 2008
The JCSMR Research Advisory This Strategic Advisory Committee Board provides advice to was dissolved in June 2008 due the Director regarding the to the imminent advancement of the research ANU College restructure. programs currently undertaken JCSMR became a constituent of within the School and on the newly formed ANU College of proposals for future projects. Medicine, Biology and Environment on 1 August 2008.
Faculty Board 2008 Research Advisory Board Strategic Advisory Committee
The Director (Chair), ex officio Director, JCSMR (Chair), ex officio Director, JCSMR (Chair), ex officio Professor J.A. Whitworth (until June) Deputy Director, JCSMR, ex officio Deputy Director, JCSMR, ex officio Professor M.F. Shannon (from June) Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Sir David Akers-Jones, Hong Kong The Deputy Director, ex officio ANU, ex officio Professor M.F. Shannon (until June) Professor Peter Doherty AC, The Professor S. Easteal (from June) Chair, JCSMR Group Leaders, ex officio University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Chair of Group Leaders Forum, ex officio Professor Sam Berkovic, Austin Professor I.A. Ramshaw and Repatriation Medical Centre, Mr Alan Evans, Strategic Consulting Melbourne, VIC Services, Canberra, ACT Subdean Biomedical Sciences, ANU College of Medicine and Health Professor Ross Coppel, Monash Mr Peter Gordon, Canberra, ACT Sciences, ex officio University, Melbourne, VIC Professor Colin Johnston AO, Dr A.I. Cowan Professor Tony D’Apice, Department Baker Medical Research Institute, Head, Division of Immunology and of Clinical Immunology, St Vincent’s Melbourne, VIC Genetics, ex officio Hospital, Melbourne, VIC The Hon Dr Barry Jones AO, Professor C.C. Goodnow Dr Liz Dennis, CSIRO Plant Industry, Melbourne, VIC Head, Division of Molecular Canberra, ACT Associate Professor Levon Khachigian, Bioscience, ex officio Professor Robert Graham, Victor Centre for Vascular Research, The Professor A.F. Dulhunty Chang Cardiac Research Institute, University of New South Wales, Head, Division of Neuroscience, ex Sydney, NSW Sydney, NSW (ASMR Past-President) officio Professor Anne Kelso, WHO Dr Denis W King, St George Private Professor G.J. Stuart Collaborating Centre for Reference Medical Hospital, Sydney, NSW Divisional Representatives and Research on Influenza, Mr Andrew Podger AO, Canberra, ACT Professor P.G. Board (Molecular Bioscience) Melbourne, VIC Professor T.D. Lamb (Neuroscience) Dr John Rose AO, Director Australian Professor Kiaran Kirk, School of Dr M. Regner (Immunology & Genetics) United Investment Company; Biochemistry and Molecular Governor, Ian Potter Foundation, Level AB Representative Biology, ANU College of Science, Melbourne, VIC Dr B. Quah Canberra, ACT Mr David Vos, Inspector General of Graduate Student Representative Professor Jim McCluskey, The Taxation, Sydney, NSW Mr R. Sun University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Dr Cameron Webber, Canberra, ACT General Staff Representatives Ms M. Townsend Dr George Morstyn, Industry Mr B. Webb, Business Manager Representative, Melbourne, VIC By Invitation Professor Steve Redman, The John Dr M.J. Nicol, Public Affairs Manager Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Canberra, ACT Professor Jonathon Stone, Research School of Biological Sciences, ANU College of Science, Canberra, ACT
8 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Programs
The John Curtin School of Medical Research is organised into three Divisions: Immunology and Genetics, Molecular Bioscience, and Neuroscience and one Unit — The High Blood Pressure Research Unit.
Within the Divisions, staff and students belong to Groups. Members of these Groups collaborate across Divisions within the School and across ANU, as well as with colleagues in other institutions. The following pages provide an overview of the research projects being undertaken within the School.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Programs Division of Immunology & Genetics Ye Qing He Stephanie Day Yogeshraj Jeelall Charmaine Simeonovic Elissa Sutcliffe
10 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 2008
Annual Review
Head of Division Professor Christopher Goodnow
Group Leader
Cancer and Human Immunology Group Associate Professor Hilary Warren
Cancer and Vascular Biology Group Professor Christopher Parish
Cellular Microbiology Group Professor Tim Hirst
Humoral Immunity and Autoimmunity Group Dr Carola Garcia de Vinuesa
Immunogenomics Group Professor Christopher Goodnow
Infection and Immunity Group Associate Professor Guna Karupiah
Molecular Virology Group Dr Mario Lobigs
Vaccine Immunology Group Professor Ian Ramshaw
Viral Immunology Group Professor Arno Müllbacher
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 11 Cancer & Human Immunology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Human NK cell biology http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/canc-humimm Associate Professor Natural Killer (NK) cells are cells of the immune effective procedures for growing large numbers of Hilary S. Warren system that can respond instantly to viral infections NK cells in the test tube. Our future work is aimed at and cancer. They comprise 10% to 15% of the translating this information into procedures suitable blood lymphocytes and are a first line of defence for patient treatment. With this aim in mind we will in combating disease. NK cells also instruct other be developing pre-clinical mouse models to test our lymphocytes so they can develop a sustained immune hypothesis that increasing the number and activity attack. Consequently, NK cells could have therapeutic of NK cells will benefit patients in controlling value in treating cancer patients. In collaboration their cancer. with colleagues at The Canberra Hospital we have begun a study investigating NK cells in patients with cancer of the white blood cells called B-Non- Hodgkin Lymphoma. We want to determine if the number and function of NK cells relates to the efficacy of their therapy. The therapy used involves treatment with Rituximab, an antibody which targets the cancer cells and at the same time activates the function of NK cells. Clearly the efficacy of therapy will be determined by the number of NK cells in the patient and how effective they are in killing the cancer cells. With this in mind we have developed
Cancer & Vascular Biology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
New approaches to controlling cancer http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/canc-vascbiol Professor The Cancer and Vascular Biology Group is particularly heparanase, that aids cancer spread. Such drugs Christopher R. interested in identifying novel approaches to are also being investigated as potential new anti- Parish controlling cancer and autoimmune diseases, such inflammatory agents and have been shown to control as Type I diabetes. When primary cancers arise they the development of Type 1 diabetes in mice. Our cannot grow beyond 1-2 millimetres in diameter Group has also shown that platelets play a crucial role unless they induce the growth of new blood vessels in cancer spread (metastasis) and represent a target that supply them with oxygen and nutrients and for the development of new anti-metastatic drugs. In remove toxic byproducts of metabolism. Similarly, parallel studies the Group is investigating a number blood vessels play an important role in the spread of of clever vaccination strategies that stimulate the cancer cells to other organs, the cancer cells having immune system to recognise cancer cells as foreign to use a range of degradative and eliminate them. One of these cancer vaccines enzymes to digest their way will enter Phase I clinical trials in melanoma patients through blood vessel walls, in 2009. Finally, basic immunological research by the particularly when they lodge group has identified a blood protein, histidine-rich in distant organs. The Cancer glycoprotein, which may play an important role in and Vascular Biology Group controlling autoimmune disease, and has identified has been able to develop a novel form of membrane exchange between cells relatively simple sugar-based of the immune system which has the potential drugs that inhibit blood to dramatically enhance the immune response to vessel growth in tumours and pathogens and cancer. block a key enzyme, called
12 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Cellular Microbiology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
The nature of cholera toxin http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/cellmicro Professor Tim Currently our research is focused on providing ranging immunological properties have sparked Hirst an understanding of the remarkable properties considerable interest in the possibility of found in cholera toxin (Ctx) and its closely related developing them as novel therapeutic anti- homologue, E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (Etx). inflammatory agents. Both toxins are comprised of a single A-subunit responsible for toxicity and five B-subunits that mediate interaction with cell surface receptors. Until recently, the B-subunits were widely thought of simply as ‘carrier/delivery’ moieties that facilitated entry of the A-subunit into mammalian cells. It is now apparent that the B-subunits in addition to being carriers also exhibit remarkable immunomodulatory properties. These include the capacity to inhibit the development of inflammatory autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Type I diabetes in animal models, as well as enhancing antibody responses to co-administered vaccine antigens. These broad
Humoral Immunity & Autoimmunity Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Dangerous liasons between T & B cells http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/imm/humimm Dr Carola Garcia Our group focuses on understanding the place to prevent selection of cells that will produce de Vinuesa mechanisms that control the ‘quality’ of the harmful antibodies. When these checkpoints fail, antibodies produced by our immune system. autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus, Production of high affinity and long-lived antibody rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes can occur. responses are essential to fight infections and We have identified a key tolerance checkpoint protect our offspring ‘in utero’ and during the that prevents production of these autoreactive neonatal period. They are also key to the success antibodies. It hinges on a little understood of most existing vaccinations. Autoantibodies need lymphocyte, known as ‘follicular helper T cells’, or to be carefully selected against the risk of self- ‘TFH’ cells, which appear to be regulated by Roquin, reactivity: during the process of affinity maturation, a protein we discovered in our laboratory. Roquin some antibodies prevents autoimunnity through orchestrating will be randomly the function of small non-coding RNAs, called generated that microRNAs. We are currently investigating how can recognise Roquin acting in concert with these microRNAs and potentially inhibits the expression of other proteins that when destroy our dysregulated cause lupus and other autoimmune own tissues diseases. This research will ultimately identify and organs. The better and more specific targets for the treatment immune system of these diseases. has tolerance checkpoints in
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 13 Immunogenomics Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Genetic analyses of tolerance & immunological memory http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/imm/immunogenomics
Professor Immunity to infection can last for decades following Christopher C. successful immunization or recovery from infection. How the immune system achieves the critical feat of Goodnow ‘remembering’ an infection or immunization remains poorly understood, blocking efforts to conquer life- threatening situations where adequate immunity fails to develop – notably AIDS, tuberculosis, glandular fever, malaria, or cancer. Equally, this gap in understanding hampers our ability to explain and rationally correct many diseases where unwanted immunity arises against our own organs in autoimmune diseases like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, against transplanted • Mr Owen Siggs and Dr Adrian Liston showed the organs, against innocuous agents in allergic diseases, or in the relentless growth of genetic balancing act our body faces between immune system cancers. producing too few T cells to mount immunity and producing too much antibody of types that cause At the heart of all of these health issues is our fragmentary knowledge about autoimmunity or allergy. the nature and selection of specialized ‘memory’ T and B lymphocytes, expanded clones of cells which carry for decades a dramatically heightened capacity to • Dr Katrina Randall and collaborators discovered destroy the infectious agent, self organ, or allergen that brought them into being. a critical gene and mechanism that underpins Our laboratory is resolving this problem from multiple angles by harnessing new the selection of memory B cells. In its absence, technologies from genomics, molecular genetics, cell biology, cell signalling, and antibodies are made initially following flow cytometry. immunization but they fade away within weeks and fail to ‘mature’ into the powerful antibodies In the last year: that we require to resist infection for decades. • Mr Zuopeng Wu and Dr Gerard Hoyne, together with systems biologists and structural chemists, discovered a critical protein that reprograms the splicing • Dr Sally Mapp and Dr Keisuke Horikawa of messenger RNAs in memory T cells – akin to a film editor re-cutting many discovered that three separate gene defects are scenes in a movie. Remarkably, many of the gene products edited by this splicer needed to set B cell proliferation on a relentless help form memory in our brain. course to malignant lymphoma.
Infection & Immunity Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Understanding virus-host interactions http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/infimm Associate Professor The Infection and Immunity Group is interested directed our research effort toward dissecting Guna Karupiah in gaining a better understanding of virus-host out the immunological parameters that allow the interactions and the immune response to infection rapid resolution of virus infection with minimum with a view to ultimately developing more effective pathology. These studies are being carried out in vaccines and selective treatments that would parallel with others that attempt to reveal the many minimise the damaging effects of an established strategies that viruses have evolved to subvert the infection. We use well-characterized mouse models host immune response. to study the immune response and disease processes One focus of our group is to investigate the and this allows us to dissect the roles of leukocyte function of a number of poxvirus-encoded subsets, cytokines, antibody and a number of molecules that are homologous to host signalling molecules in the control of infection counterparts involved in the immune response. and, also importantly, Using a combination of gene knockout mice and in protection from re- mutant viruses, we are studying how some of these infection. virus-encoded molecules influence both the host The immune effector immune response and the immunopathology that mechanisms that are often ensues. We have found that deletion of a generated to control and single viral gene, such as that encoding vIFN-g clear virus instead often binding protein, can significantly decrease the virus cause immunopathology virulence and replication capacity in vivo. Analysis that has serious, sometimes of such virus-host interactions should not only lethal, consequences for reveal novel aspects of virus pathogenesis, but also the host. We have therefore identify new targets for therapeutic intervention.
14 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Molecular Virology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Flavivirus molecular virology and vaccines http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/vi-mv/molecular Dr Mario Our research is focused on a number of flaviviruses Lobigs (yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis and West Nile viruses), which are responsible for the most important mosquito- transmitted viral diseases in humans. We investigate their interaction with the host at the molecular, cellular and whole animal levels with the aim of developing improved and novel vaccines for the virus ecologies. Our study shows that vaccine potency prevention of flaviviral disease. is key to Japanese encephalitis vaccine safety. We In a recent study we have tested, in a laboratory find that vaccines that elicit potent immune responses setting, the benefits and risks associated with the use cross-protect against related flaviviruses, whilst vaccines of live or inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccines that are poorly immunogenic can enhance disease in the Australian context. Japanese encephalitis virus severity following infection with related flaviviruses, is an emerging pathogen in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Murray Valley encephalitis virus. This research which causes an acute, and often fatal, central raises the prospect that human disease caused by Murray Valley encephalitis virus in Australia is preventable by nervous system inflammatory disease in infected vaccination against Japanese encephalitis. humans. The geographic spread of this virus has resulted in its co-circulation with related viruses, such In other research we have investigated the immune as Murray Valley encephalitis virus in Australia, which mechanisms important in recovery from infection with can also cause central nervous system disease and Japanese encephalitis virus, the molecular events leading for which no vaccine is available. Vaccination policy to flavivirus morphogenesis by budding at intracellular against Japanese encephalitis in Australia should membranes and biochemical properties of a poorly consider potential risks associated with the changing characterised small flavivirus protein, NS2A.
Vaccine Immunology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Development of a mucosal delivery system for HIV-1 vaccines http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dig/vacimmunology Professor Ian A. The great majority of human pathogens are first design of vaccines that selectively induce optimum Ramshaw encountered at the mucosae and this realisation has responses. One neglected area in the evaluation of led to a resurgence of interest in vaccines that elicit immune responses elicited by vaccines is the ‘quality’ good mucosal immune responses. Thus, the induction or ‘avidity’ of the responses induced. Functional of effective mucosal CTL and IgA antibody responses T cell avidity is a key component in determining as a ‘first line of defence’ would appear to be an the effectiveness of T cells to clear infectious important feature of vaccination against HIV and pathogens. We have made the important finding that other pathogens which enter the body via mucosal T cell avidity is strongly influenced by the cytokine surfaces. One of the greatest hurdles in the design interleukin-13 (IL-13). In the absence of IL-13 vaccines of vaccines that elicit ‘protective immunity’ is the induce high avidity T cells with enhanced capacity understanding to protect against viral challenge. We are therefore of the correlates designing vaccines and immunization protocols that of immune selectively inhibit IL-13 production. Our Group has protection, particularly also shown the importance of toll-like receptor (TLR) those relating pathways in the generation of T cell responses to to infections vaccines. In the absence of TLRs T cell responses are such as HIV. greatly reduced but can be fully restored by providing Understanding interferon beta. These findings suggest new ways these factors to boost immune responses to vaccines that require may help in the strong T cell mediated responses for protection.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 15 Viral Immunology Group Division of Immunology & Genetics
Fighting viral disease http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/epv/viralimmun/ Professor Arno The general aims of the group are Müllbacher 1. To generate new knowledge about the fundamental properties of the immune system at the molecular, cellular and whole system level, with particular emphasis on immune responses against viruses
2. To study virus/host interactions at the cellular A large number of virus models including flaviviruses, and molecular level and devise strategies for the poxviruses, influenza and parainfluenza viruses, prevention of viral disease alphaviruses and adenoviruses are employed in these studies. The availability and generation by 3 Explore the use of gamma-ray inactivated virus our laboratories of gene-targeted mice defective preparations as inducers of cytotoxic T-cell in immune effector molecules such as perforin, the memory, and their efficacy as vaccines for control granzymes, and Fas receptor/ligand has allowed us to of influenza and Flavivirus encephalitis. elucidate important host/parasite relationships in the context of the host immune response. Our current investigations focus on We are also exploring the interface between innate • the functions of cytolytic effector molecules and adaptive immune responses, particularly the role • viral immune evasion strategies of type-I interferon in sequential viral and bacterial infections. Furthermore, we are employing our • T-cell and natural killer cell responses against expertise in cytotoxic T-cell responses and in virus infection with viruses, bacteria and fungi inactivation to formulate a broadly virus strain-cross- • virus/host interactions in flavivirus infections. protective anti-influenza vaccine.
16 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 17 Research Programs Division of Molecular Bioscience Marco Casarotto Kristine Hardy Rohan Williams Kristine Hardy
18 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 2008
Annual Review
Head of Division Professor Angela Dulhunty
Group Leader
Asthma and Allergy Group Dr Dianne Webb
Biomolecular Structure Group Dr Marco Casarotto
Chromatin and Transcriptional Regulation Group Professor David Tremethick
Computational Genomics Group Dr Gavin Huttley
Computational Proteomics and Therapy Design Group Professor Jill Gready
Cytokine Molecular Biology and Signalling Group Professor Ian Young
Epigenetics and Genome Stability Group Dr Danny Rangasamy
Gene Expression and Epigenomics Group Professor Frances Shannon
Membrane Physiology and Biophysics Group Dr Louise Tierney
Molecular Genetics Group Professor Philip Board
Molecular Systems Biology Group Dr Rohan Williams
Muscle Research Group Professor Angela Dulhunty
Predictive Medicine Group Professor Simon Easteal
Stem Cell and Gene Targeting Group Professor Klaus Matthaei
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 19 Asthma & Allergy Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Asthma & the immune response http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/asthma Dr Dianne C. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airways disease groups suggests that a different form of this enzyme Webb that is caused by inappropriate immune responses to is more often found in asthmatics. Our studies using environmental allergens. This persistent inflammation Gstp-null mice are the first to demonstrate that ultimately triggers structural changes to the airways GSTP1 suppresses allergic airways disease and that that cause breathlessness and wheezing. The reason reduced function of this enzyme is related to more why some individuals develop asthma is often related severe allergic responses. To understand how variants to a genetic and gender predisposition that allows of GSTP1 are linked to asthma susceptibility, we are an allergen-induced immune response to occur more studying allergic responses in mice that are genetically easily. Asthma susceptibility is also compounded by modified to express ‘humanised’ variants of GSTP1 in irritants such as cigarette smoke, pollutants and viruses. the lung. Our research is focused on two main themes: Why are women more susceptible to asthma? How does exposure to We have shown that a lipid mediator called 12-HETE environmental irritants can control asthma-like symptoms in male mice, enhance the ability of but not in female mice. As reproductively mature allergens to induce airway women are more susceptible to asthma than men, inflammation? we are studying whether oestrogen regulates the GSTP1 is an enzyme found in ability of this molecule to inhibit allergic disease. This bronchial epithelial cells that study will provide important new information on a detoxifies irritating chemicals in potential therapeutic for asthma and will also help us pollutants and cigarette smoke. understand why women are more susceptible Analysis of diverse population to asthma.
Biomolecular Structure Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Structural elucidation of biological molecules in medical research http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/biostruct Dr Marco G. Biomolecules such as proteins, DNA and drugs of two proteins, the dihydropyridine and ryanodine Casarotto play a vital role in all biological processes and by receptors are being evaluated and this information exploring the structures of these molecules we aim will be used to target heart disease and correct to discover how biological processes work and their skeletal muscle-associated conditions. role in disease. Our work focuses on a wide range The delivery of biological agents into cells poses one of biological problems associated with various of the modern day challenges of drug design. A major disease states. One class of protein currently under obstacle to this problem is the transport of molecules investigation form viral ion channels and have across the biological membrane and we are exploring been implicated in AIDS, hepatitis C and Ross River the delivery of biological cargoes such as peptides/ fever. We are endeavouring proteins, DNA, RNA and drug compounds across to determine how various this barrier into a variety of cells. The enzyme drug molecules interact with glutathione transferase (GST) has been shown to be these membrane proteins so an effective vehicle for the delivery of these cargo that more potent drugs may molecules. Currently, our laboratory is involved in the be designed in the future. delivery of molecules that may hold the key in the Membrane proteins are also effective treatment of diabetes, cancer and sexually related to muscle movement transmitted diseases. and play an integral role in skeletal and cardiac muscle function. Structural elements
20 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Chromatin & Transcriptional Regulation Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
The epigenetic code: the link between chromatin structure & function http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/chromatin Professor David J. It is now clearly established that the central regulator However, our recent work has shown that the Tremethick of eukaryotic gene transcription is the organisation functional readout of specific histone modifications of the genome into chromatin. Chromatin performs is also dependent upon the composition of the this crucial function by partitioning the genome underlying nucleosome. One way the biochemical into functionally specialised domains that differ in composition of a nucleosome can be altered is by the their extent of compaction. Chromatin is built from substitution of one or more of the core histones with nucleosomes (histones plus DNA), the universal the corresponding histone variants. Our studies have repeating protein-DNA complex in all eukaryotic cells. focused on a major essential variant of H2A, H2A.Z, Significantly, the tail of each histone protrudes on and have demonstrated that one of its key functions the outside of the nucleosome and is subject to an is to maintain the integrity of heterochromatin and extensive range of enzyme-catalysed modifications the centromere, where it is assembles compacted of site-specific amino acid residues in response to domains with both active and inactive histone intrinsic and external signals. Functionally, it has been modifications. In an attempt to provide a dynamic argued that the link between chromatin structure and function, our combination in vitro structural studies have discovered a specific of such macromolecular determinant (an acidic patch) modifications located on the surface nucleosome responsible for the is recognised or ability of H2A.Z to form compacted chromatin. Most read by specific interestingly, we have recently discovered a family of chromatin binding new histone variants in the mouse that lack this acidic proteins involved patch and consistent with our model, incorporation in regulating of these variants into nucleosomes inhibits chromatin transcription and/ condensation. We are currently exploring the function or chromatin of these variants, but they appear to have a role in the structure. testis and in the brain.
The Computational Genomics Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Making sense of sequence http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/genbio/compgen Dr Gavin A. Interactions are a characteristic property of biological Huttley systems and this holds true even at the most fundamental level. The probability of a nucleotide in a DNA sequence mutating is affected by it’s neighbouring nucleotides. The influence of neighbours arises from both the intrinsic chemical properties of DNA polymers and the sensitivity of the DNA maintenance systems (consisting of DNA modification, of methods to exploit the signature influence repair and replication enzymes) to the series of of sequence neighbourhoods on DNA metabolic nucleotides themselves. Longer distance interactions are also evident. If a mutation occurs at a nucleotide processes. In 2008 we developed a statistical that encodes an important amino acid in a protein, modelling framework for measuring the contributions the effect of that genetic variant on individual health of these processes to mutations. Application of may be influenced by mutations elsewhere in the the new models revealed that DNA methylation, same gene or even in other genes. Thus interactions which plays a central role in the regulation of gene between genetic variants that reside in different expression, is responsible for nearly 50% of all human genomic locations can affect health. single nucleotide genetic variants.
Analyses of how the human genome differs from that A further critical achievement was the resolution of other species provides powerful insights into to the of a statistical modelling approach that accurately effect of these localised and long-range interactions measures long-range interactions, but is thousands on human health. The development of statistical of times faster to compute than competing methods. methods and algorithms for measurement of these This breakthrough now makes the tractable the full- effects is a major objective of the Computational scale analysis of genomes for evidence of interactions Genomics Group. Of particular interest is development among genetic variants.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 21 Computational Proteomics & Therapy Design Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
A conceptual biology approach to understanding protein function in cells http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/cptd Professor Jill E. Our research aims to understand how proteins carry Gready out their functions in the cell, in terms of their molecular structure, interactions and energetics, and also how the genes have evolved to enable the proteins to work in this way. Our findings provide the basic knowledge to understand the proteins’ normal functions and their dysfunctions in disease. Our approach is unusual as we employ innovative couplings of computation into crop plants for greater productivity and specific and experiment which can take advantage of features such as drought tolerance, and for biomass existing knowledge and the power of computational and biofuel production, and carbon sequestration. simulation and bioinformatics, and also comparative The results are now being developed for public good genomics which can exploit publicly available genome (international agriculture), national benefit, and data for model organisms, such as mouse, chicken, commercial applications. But other insights are now frog and fish, to see how the proteins are evolving. being extended into models to better understand the impact of climate change on plants. Using this approach we have invented new technology for the design of mutants of the plant Using a similar repertoire of methods, we are enzyme Rubisco with improved catalytic efficiency systematically mapping the functional evolution and substrate specificity. This was achieved by of the three prion protein (PrP) family genes (PrP; combining our computational insights on the Doppel, Dpl; and Shadoo). We have defined a enzyme’s mechanism with structural and sequence mechanism for regulating co-ordinated transcription bioinformatics, and phylogenetic analyses. As Rubisco of the PrP and Dpl genes, which can explain how the is almost solely responsible for fixing carbon dioxide relative levels of the two proteins are controlled, and into the energy-rich compounds of life, our method can can be perturbed under certain conditions to induce be used for re-engineering more efficient Rubiscos apoptosis and cell death in Alzheimers’ disease.
Cytokine Molecular Biology & Signalling Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Cytokine signalling in health & disease http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/cytomol Professor Ian G. The research of our group centres on three hormone- undergo maturation or self-renewal in response Young like proteins (IL-3, IL-5 and GM-CSF) belonging to a to IL-3. In allergic inflammation, maturation is group of cytokines which regulate immune responses normal but the three cytokines are involved in the to infections. They stimulate the maturation and production of high levels of inflammatory cells such activation of white blood as basophils, eosinophils and mast cells. We have cells involved in host defence begun a new study of the role of IL-3 in asthma using against parasites and in allergic gene-targeted mice in collaboration with Paul Foster inflammation in diseases such (University of Newcastle). By contrast, excessive self- as asthma and may also have renewal and defective maturation are the hallmarks a role in leukemia. We wish to of leukemia and we are trying to understand how understand how the cytokines oncoproteins block the maturation of blood cells modify the growth, maturation induced by IL-3. Of relevance to our research is the and activation of blood cells finding that the specific receptor required for IL-3 by binding to their cell surface signalling (IL-3Rα) is present in abnormally high levels receptors. To this end we have on the surface of leukemic stem cells and is currently determined the 3D structure of the main signalling being explored as a target for the eradication of these receptor (hβc) shared by these cytokines using X-ray cells. Our future studies will investigate the possible crystallography. Our recent studies of receptor hβc involvement of the IL-3 receptor system in myeloid and the closely related βIL-3 receptor have indicated leukemia and we have developed an important new there are two modes of receptor activation which collaboration with the Fujian Medical University in influence whether blood cell-forming stem cells China which is a centre for leukemia treatment.
22 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Epigenetics and Genome Stability Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Exploring the dark matter of the genome: L1 transposable elements in cancer development http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/epigenstab
Dr Danny Transposable elements are ubiquitous in the genomes Rangasamy of mammals. About 45% of human DNA consists of a subclass of transposable elements termed the Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements, LINE-1s, or L1s, which are segments of DNA still moving in the mouse and human genomes even now. The presence and function of these mobile elements has long puzzled biologists and often inspired the concept of ‘junk DNA’. Like dark matter in the universe, the true functions of these transposons are still unclear.
An uncontrolled L1 activity can destabilise the in chromosomal stability and gene regulation, both in genome, shaping genomic landscapes by insertional normal healthy and diseased tissues. mutagenesis, deletion, and gene rearrangements. Given the deleterious nature of L1 transposon activity, normal Our latest studies in cancer cell-lines have shown healthy cells must have multiple pathways to suppress that genomic instability of cancer cells and L1 gene activity such as DNA methylation, packaging upregulation of transposon activity is intimately transposons into inactive heterochromatin structures, associated with several disease states such as and silencing by repeat-associated small non-coding cancer and other syndromes involving chromosomal small RNAi pathways. We are interested in molecular instability. We are extending these findings to breast mechanisms by which the L1 transposon regulates in cancer cells to investigate how disease states arise and human cells. Of particular importance is to understand how the altered expression of transposons regulates the roles of L1 transposons and their epigenetic control cancer development.
Gene Expression & Epigenomics Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Gene expression & the immune system http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/genbio/cytogene Professor Frances The Gene Expression and Epigenomics Group studies Shannon the molecular switches that control inducible gene expression in the immune system. The response of an organism to environmental signals generally requires complex changes in gene expression and the immune system is one of the major body systems that respond to external signals, specifically from invading pathogens such as viruses, bacteria or parasites. The cells of the immune system are exquisitely poised to alter gene expression patterns within minutes of detecting a signal and waves of changes in gene expression then occur within the next 24-48hrs to This year we have focused our research on the role of ensure a correct immune response. the transcription factor, c-Rel, in the development of Incorrect activation or repression of genes can lead a specific type of T-cell known as a regulatory T-cell to an adverse response, triggering autoimmunity (critical for preventing autoimmune responses). We or the failure to eliminate a pathogen. We focus on have also identified a role for the aryl hydrocarbon the transcription factors that drive inducible gene receptor, another transcription factor, in T-cell expression in the immune system as well as the selection in the thymus. In the area of epigenomics, role of the packaging of the genes into chromatin we have shown that genes which respond very quickly (the epigenome) in the nucleus using single gene to an immune signal are marked by specific chromatin (especially cytokine genes) as well as genome-wide features and already have the enzyme that transcribed (microarray, ChIP-onchip) approaches. the gene located at the promoter in a poised state.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 23 Membrane Physiology & Biophysics Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Molecular mechanisms of ion channel function range of adaptive cellular responses including those involved in fertility, immunity and cancer. We have http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/structbio/membrane developed a series of molecules capable of mimicking defined functional sites of GABA Dr Louise Essentially all biological processes are based on a A receptors. We Tierney regulated series of specific interactions, many of are using these molecules to inhibit the underlying these involving proteins interacting with other molecular interactions as a means of determining the
proteins or with ligands. We wish to understand the composition of native GABAA receptors underlying relationship between the regulated clustering of ion modulation by current medications (such as general channels in the membrane, a process that facilitates anaesthetics, anti-depressants, anti-epileptics and specific protein interactions, and ion channel function sleeping pills) and as a strategy for the controlled (electrical activity). In particular, we are examining interference with biological functions. how such protein interactions relate to the differential Using this strategy our latest studies have uncovered responses mediated by drugs and to the adaptive the existence of intermolecular protein interactions ability of a cell to meet dynamic physiological needs. involving neuronal GABAA receptors that profoundly Ion channels play a central role in the rapid alter the properties of the ion channel. The transmission of electrical signals throughout the regulation of such protein interactions has important central nervous system and also in peripheral implications for brain function, potentially providing tissues. Our research the brain with an enormous capacity to regulate focuses on the (gamma)- excitability in both normal and disease states. We have
aminobutyric acid type A also identified similar molecular interactions of GABAA
(GABAA) receptor, a ligand- receptors in sperm leading us to suggest that such gated ion channel found protein interactions are a general mechanism through
both in the brain where which GABAA receptors synergise their function in the it is primarily responsible control of neuronal excitability in the central nervous for controlling neuronal system and GABAergic signalling in peripheral tissues. excitability and in peripheral The cellular circumstances under which the proteins tissues where GABAergic interact and their biological significance are currently signalling underlies a wide being pursued.
Molecular Genetics Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Medication for individual patients http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/molgen Professor Philip G. It has been reported that adverse drug reactions are environment. The work is particularly focused on the Board the fifth most frequent cause of death. Drugs that are investigation of the structure and function of enzymes effective in most people but are extremely toxic in a called glutathione transferases (GSTs). These enzymes small number of individuals cannot be used unless exhibit a wide range of genetic variability that has the patients in whom toxicity is likely to occur can been shown to impact directly on the metabolism be identified. The Molecular Genetics Group studies of anti-cancer drugs and to influence the onset of the genetic differences between individuals in their asthma as well as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. ability to breakdown and detoxify therapeutic drugs. We are also studying the toxicity and mode of action Our ultimate aim is to provide tests that allow the of dichloroacetate (DCA) as a novel anticancer agent. personalized prescription We have found that DCA is effective in a rat model of drugs at safe effective of metastatic cancer and works well in combination levels. The detoxification of with other anti-cancer drugs against a breast cancer foreign chemicals involves cell line. similar processes to those involved in the metabolism of medicines. Our studies are therefore also relevant to the identification of individual susceptibility to toxic chemicals within the
24 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Molecular Systems Biology Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Inter-individual variation in health and disease http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/genbio/systemsbio/ Dr Rohan The genome sequencing projects, including the Williams Human Genome Project, have resulted in an unprecedented leap in our understanding of the nature and scope of genetic information. An inherent part of this advance has been the development of new genome-wide technologies, permitting ‘global’ views of the functional genome to be made on a routine basis. While such information represents a tremendous intellectual and practical advance, the clear challenge is to develop ways to exploit this new data to understand human health and disease. We are focused on two major problems in modern genetics: occurs, for example, by examining the chromatin state that a gene is placed in, or where in the nucleus (1) how do genetic differences between individuals the expressed gene is located. We are applying these result in demonstrable differences at the level of approaches to form coherent, testable hypotheses gene expression (and the subsequent relationship to concerning the organization, regulation and function morphological, physiological and behavioural traits)? of global gene expression in humans, including in the (2) understanding the organisational principles context of preventative health research. By nature this and mechanisms of gene regulation, by systematic work is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on recent analysis of sequence (DNA) controls and information ideas and methods from molecular biology, genetics, about the broader context in which gene expression applied statistics and physiological-level biology.
Muscle Research Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Ryanodine receptor physiology http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/structbio/muscle/ Professor Angela F. The Muscle Research Group studies molecular Dulhunty interactions between two calcium ion channels, that underlie calcium signalling in muscle. The channels are the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) calcium channel in the surface membrane and the ryanodine receptor (RyR) calcium release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium store. These proteins are essential for movement and heart beat. Excitation-contraction (EC) coupling is broadly the RyR during EC coupling and (b) on the amount defined as the signal transduction process that of calcium available for release within the calcium links an action potential to contraction, but more store and bound to the calcium binding protein narrowly encapsulates the processes that intervene calsequestrin. The factors that set RyR channel activity between depolarization of the surface membrane and and the calcium load within the store, including calcium release from the SR. EC coupling in the heart RyR regulation by calsequestrin and its associated depends on RyR activation by calcium ions that enter proteins and by the DHPR, are the focus of our through the DHPR ion channel. In marked contrast investigations. Our research is increasingly directed EC coupling in skeletal muscle does not depend on to understanding disease-related mutations in the external calcium. Instead, a depolarisation-dependent proteins that cause debilitating skeletal myopathies signal is transmitted from the DHPR to the RyR by and fatal cardiomyopathies. The long term goal is the conformational coupling between the two proteins. rational design of drugs that might help alleviate the Proper calcium signalling depends (a) the activity of symptoms of these disorders.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 25 Predictive Medicine Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
The evolution of human diversity & its impact on health & disease http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/genbio/predictivemed Professor Simon As humans, we have experienced substantial Easteal evolutionary change over the past few hundred thousand years. Our social and cultural environments have played a predominant role and psychological and neurological change has been particularly important. One of the suprising features of this process is that it has led, not to an optimal ‘type’ of human, but to extensive physical, psychological and cognitive diversity. Some of this diversity has evolved by natural selection, but some of it is an unintended side effect of the evolutionary process. The extensive changes to our biology and psychology brought about by the complex evolutionary dynamic between our knowledge of our peculiar evolutionary past and the ancestors and their environments have resulted in biological and psychological differences between vulnerabilities, trade-offs and imbalances, which now people that it has produced. affect our health and make us susceptible to disease. By studying variation in DNA sequences in human In our research we ask ‘Why are people so different genomes we characterize how evolutionary forces, from each other?’ ‘How have these differences such as natural selection, have shaped it. We use this between people arisen during human evolution?’ information to design studies of how the evolutionary and ‘How do these differences affect health and history of genetic variation influences its contribution susceptibility to disease?’ Our overall aim is to to differences in personality, behaviour and develop better approaches to managing health and cognition and affects mental and physical health, intervening to prevent disease that incorporate particularly in old age.
Stem Cell & Gene Targeting Group Division of Molecular Bioscience
Gene targeting: creating mice with a pre-determined genetic makeup http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dmb/genetarget
Professor Klaus I. A major aim of medical research is to understand offspring that consist of modified cells as well as Matthaei how gene function is altered in human disease. normal cells. Breeding the chimæra with a normal However, it is often impossible to perform studies mouse gives rise to offspring that carry the modified directly in the human and it is therefore easier to work gene, thus creating an animal that is identical to with a more manipulable the original mouse strain except that the function system such as the mouse. of a single gene has been deleted. Similarly, it is also Given the knowledge of the possible to add new genes into the ES cells resulting in nucleotide sequence of a gene, ‘transgenic’ mice that now have overactive genes. it is now possible to make changes to the corresponding We have generated a series of different mouse endogenous gene of an mutants including mouse models of asthma, embryonic stem (ES) cell and gut allergy, nerve re-generation, parasite-host produce a mouse that carries a relationships, hypertension, wound healing, drug de- desired mutation. This procedure toxification, muscle diseases and cancer. For example is called gene targeting. in collaboration with Professor Caryl Hill in the Blood Gene targeting involves the use of DNA technology Vessel Group we are switching specific genes ‘on’ to modify a cloned gene, which is introduced into and ‘off’ in small branches of arteries to determine the ES cells and the normal gene is replaced by the whether they are involved in controlling blood mutated form. The modified ES cells are then micro- pressure. If proven, we may be able to design small injected into a blastocyst and they become integrated. molecules that modify the gene in a similar manner, These ‘combination’ blastocysts are re-implanted into providing the potential for completely new treatments pseudo-pregnant mice and give rise to live chimæric for hypertension.
26 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 27 Research Programs Division of Neuroscience John Bekkers Bruce Walmsley John Bekkers Bruce Walmsley
28 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 2008
Annual Review
Head of Division Professor Greg Stuart
Group Leader
Blood Vessel Group Professor Caryl Hill
Cerebral Cortex Group Associate Professor John Bekkers
Neuronal Signalling Group Professor Greg Stuart
Synaptic Transmission Group Professor Bruce Walmsley
Visual Neuroscience Group Professor Trevor Lamb
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 29 Blood Vessel Group Division of Neuroscience
Vascular function in health & disease http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dns/bloodvessel Professor Caryl E. The regulation of blood flow and blood pressure Hill depends on the coordinated behaviour of small arteries and arterioles. Under normal conditions blood vessels are in a state of partial constriction and changes in blood flow result from changes in the balance between stimuli which promote further constriction, and those which promote relaxation and an increase in vessel diameter. A critical role for small arteries and arterioles is to match blood regulation of blood flow. We have also found that cell flow to metabolic demand so that active tissues coupling in specialized cells of the small arterioles of are preferentially supplied with nutrients. This is the kidney is essential to the control of blood pressure especially important in the brain, where reduction and can actively regulate the renin-angiotensin in the supply of nutrients during brief periods of system. In contrast, within the brain circulation, we time can lead to significant neural impairment and have identified an important role for glial cells in the cognitive deficit. We have shown that in the systemic coordination of blood flow due to a surprising lack circulation, the cells which make up the blood vessel of appreciable intravascular coupling. Our studies in wall are electrically and chemically coupled through cerebral vessels have also demonstrated expression of membrane channels called gap junctions, and that novel variants of voltage dependent calcium channels coupling within and between the endothelial and which, along with more conventional calcium smooth muscle layers is critical for the action of channels, appear to contribute to the regulation of vasodilatory processes that enable the long range blood flow to the brain.
Cerebral Cortex Group Division of Neuroscience
Understanding olfaction http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dns/cortex Associate Professor My group studies the olfactory cortex, which is a brain from identified neurons (nerve cells). We make both John M. Bekkers region important for recognising and remembering electrical and optical recordings from neurons while smells. We chose to focus on the olfactory cortex applying artificial stimuli resembling the measured because it has a relatively simple structure compared to responses to real odours. other brain regions. Hopefully this simplicity will make This year we have completed a detailed study it easier for us to work out how the brain processes of cortical neurons that release the inhibitory information about odours. Ultimately our experiments neurotransmitter, GABA, and have begun to examine should clarify how information in general is processed the neural circuits in which they are embedded. We by the brain – a fundamental question in biology. The have found that there are five main categories of olfactory cortex also has the unfortunate distinction of GABA-releasing neurons, each of which appears to be being one of the most epileptic specialised for a particular role in olfaction. regions of the brain. By studying what makes it so, we hope to We have also developed optical methods, based on shed light on causes of (and the use of calcium indicators, in order to observe the cures for) epilepsy. spread of electrical activity through olfactory circuits under both normal and epileptic conditions. We have Most of our experiments use found that different classes of neurons contribute thin slices of living brain tissue very differently to the spread of epilepsy. This is taken from rats and mice and important for our understanding of seizures in the placed under a microscope cerebral cortex. so we can selectively record
30 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Neuronal Signalling Group Division of Neuroscience
Understanding the brain neuron by neuron http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dns/neurosignal Professor Greg J. The Neuronal Signalling Group conducts basic Stuart research on how nerve cells in the brain process information. This work involves recording activity from single nerve cells (neurons) using both electrical and optical techniques. Over the past year we have been investigating the following issues:
Action potential generation Nerve impulses, or action potentials, are the primary electrical signals influence the properties of single neurons in the cortex. We find that used by neurons for communication within the brain. Previous work a reduction in sensory input, as might occur following nerve injury, indicates that action potentials are generated in a region of the leads to an increase in the excitability of neurons in the cortical area axon (the main output pathway of neurons) called the axon initial that would normally receive this input. segment. We have investigated the cellular mechanisms leading to Electrical properties of interneurons action potential generation, discovering that this is due to a high density of so-called voltage activated sodium channels in the axon The brain is made up or two types of neurons – ones that increase initial segment, which are tightly bound to the actin cytoskeleton. activity (excitatory neurons) and those that act to reduce activity Voltage activated sodium channels are proteins opened by a change (inhibitory neurons). Inhibitory neurons play a critical role in in the voltage across the cell membrane, leading to influx of controlling excitation and timing in the brain, which if left positively changed sodium ions, thereby generating the upstroke of unchecked can lead to conditions such as epilepsy. Less is known the action potential. about the properties of inhibitory neurons as they make up only a small fraction of the neuronal population in most brain areas, such Changes in cell properties following sensory deprivation as the cortex. In this study we used optical methods to examine the One of the most amazing properties of the brain is its ability to propagation of action potentials in interneurons. This work showed change in response to changes in the environment. This gives our that action potentials propagate relatively poorly in to the dendrites brains the capacity to learn and remember. To understand this of inhibitory neurons, which may have important consequences for process better we have investigated how changes in sensory input synchronisation of interneuronal networks.
Synaptic Transmission Group Division of Neuroscience
Synaptic signalling in the brain http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dns/synapse Professor Bruce The key to how the brain works lies in its capacity central auditory pathways of alterations in neural Walmsley to modify the strength of its neuronal connections. activity, using congenitally deaf mice, in which the Research in the Synaptic Transmission Group is aimed brain does not receive the appropriate signals during at understanding the role of activity in shaping development, and the effects of increased auditory Synapse and Hearing Laboratory synaptic and neuronal properties at a detailed nerve activity induced by subjecting normal mice Head cellular level. On the immediate (millisecond) time- to a variety of acoustic stimuli. The results of these Professor Bruce Walmsley scale, we are studying the mechanisms underlying experiments will provide important insights into our Neuronal Network short-term plastic changes in synaptic strength understanding of the basic mechanisms of short- and Laboratory between individual neurons in both the cortex and long-term synaptic plasticity in the brain. Head the brainstem. We are investigating the factors Associate Professor Christian Stricker which regulate the fundamental quantal release of neurotransmitter from presynaptic nerve terminals. Thin slices of brain tissue are used to visualize and obtain recordings of the electrical signals generated by synaptically connected pairs of neurons. Imaging of individual synaptic terminals using multi-photon confocal microscopy is allowing us to examine the role of calcium release from presynaptic stores in regulating quantal release. On a longer time-scale (hours and days), we are investigating the effects on
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 31 Visual Neuroscience Group Division of Neuroscience
The first stage of vision http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/dns/visual Professor Trevor D. Our laboratory studies the detection and the neural of our visual system results from the slow removal Lamb processing of light in the retina of the eye. The current of the products of light exposure from within the focus of our research is on the mechanisms mediating rod photoreceptor. We have studied this process of recovery from light exposure, both on a sub-second ‘dark adaptation’ by recording the electroretinogram time-scale and over times up to an hour. (ERG) from the eyes of human subjects and by making parallel behavioural experiments of the visual The very rapid phase of recovery in the visual sensitivity of human observers. We have discovered system is accomplished by the fast shut-off of that the slowness of recovery characterising the the electrical response in the rod photoreceptors, overall human visual system is a feature that is already mediated by rapid phosphorylation of the activated present at the first synapse in the visual system. rhodopsin molecules within the rod. We have studied this In a collaboration with colleagues in Queensland and process by recording electrically Pennsylvania, we have begun testing a new theory from the cells of transgenic of the evolution of the vertebrate eye, through zebrafish that have altered studies of the light-sensitive organs of ‘primitive’ levels of phosphorylation vertebrates such as hagfish and lampreys. Our aim is activity. to rigorously test a new description of the sequence of unseen steps that are postulated to have led to the Following exposure of our eye emergence of our own eye. to intense illumination, the very slow phase of recovery
32 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Programs High Blood Pressure Research Unit Head of Unit Professor Judith Whitworth
Steroid hormones & blood pressure http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/org/hbpru
Professor Judith High blood pressure (hypertension) is the leading Whitworth cause of death, causing heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other complications such as blindness Dr Yi and prematurity. The High Blood Pressure Research Zhang Unit (HBPRU) undertakes basic and clinical research into hypertension, in particular the development of hypertension caused by adrenal glucocorticoid hormones (steroid hormones). data showed that inhibition of 20-HETE production We have found glucocorticoid-induced hypertension prevents and reverses naturally occurring but not relates to decreased production of nitric oxide (NO), synthetic steroid-induced hypertension. a chemical that relaxes blood vessels, and elevated We are also studying the genetic modifications reactive oxygen species (ROS), which act by mopping induced by glucocorticoids using micro-array up vasodilator NO. Our studies suggest an imbalance and RT-PCR in collaboration with of NO (deficiency) and ROS (excess) is important in Professor Frances Shannon (JCSMR) and the causation of glucocorticoid hypertension due both to naturally occurring and synthetic steroids. Dr Ruby Lin (University of NSW). We are investigating a range of strategies relevant to In an ongoing collaboration with Dr George Mangos the apparent imbalance between NO and ROS. and Associate Professor John Kelly (St George We have demonstrated that L-arginine, a precursor Hospital, Sydney), clinical studies arebeing conducted for the NO producing enzyme NO synthase, into cortisol-induced hypertension and the effect of arginase inhibitors and antioxidants (such as synthetic steroids on blood vessel function. tempol, apocynin) prevent and reverse steroid- Our collaboration with Dr John Earl (Westmead induced hypertension while vitamins C and E had hospital) has enabled us to measure plasma no effect. We are identifying agents that prevent biopterin levels, a marker for an important co- and/or reverse glucocorticoid-hypertension in the factor for enzymes that produce NO. We found this rat which are appropriate for use in clinical trials. co-factor is not decreased by steroid treatment. Our collaboration with Associate Professor Kevin Croft (University of Western Australia) The results of our studies will help understanding has enabled us to measure markers of systemic of the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids induce oxidative stress and investigate the role of hypertension. This will have major implications for 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), treatment of steroid-induced hypertension, and a chemical that narrows blood vessels, in possibly broader implications for our understanding glucocorticoid-induced hypertension. Our recent and treatment of so-called essential hypertension.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 33 34 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Staff & Student Achievements Degrees, Prizes & Awards
A major strategic goal of JCSMR is to provide outstanding training and mentoring for medical researchers of the future. The majority of our academic staff supervise post-graduate scholars through their studies leading to Honours, Masters and PhD degrees.
JCSMR staff and students continue to be honoured and acknowledged through awards and prizes presented by local, national and international organisations.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Degrees 2008
Congratulations to our students who graduated in 2008
Graduands and their supervisors celebrate following the graduation ceremony in July.
PhD degrees awarded in 2008 L. Wei How calsequestrin governs the intracellular calcium N. Chakka store of skeletal muscle Comparative genomic studies of prion-protein family members R.J. Wood Identification and characterisation of cell surface L. Ellis receptors for heparanase: Implications in health Investigating the anti-cancer activities of the histone and disease deacetylase inhibitors LAQ824 and LBH589 Z. Wu J.I. Ellyard T cell deficiencies resulting from aberrant pre-mRNA Analysis of Th2-mediated immune responses alternative splicing caused by a novel splicing silencer to tumours hnRNP LL in an ENU mutant mouse strain ‘thunder’ K. Ikeda A. Ziolkowski Presynaptic properties of cultured autaptic The role of degradative enzymes in the development hippocampal neurons of Type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice K. Leao The role of activity in regulating the properties of MPhil degrees awarded in 2008 brainstem auditory neurons K.D. Brown J.J. Letzkus The role of the histone variant H2A.Z in early Xenopus Mechanisms governing information processing at laevis development unitary synaptic connections in the neocortex S.K. Leang M.F. Navarro-Gonzalez The biological roles of Asn-Linked glycosylations in Calcium channels and the control of vasomotion and the E protein of DENV-2 tone in the basilar artery X. Hu L.M. Palmer ROQUIN regulates Cis-acting elements within a target Investigations on synaptic input and action potential mRNA output using voltage imaging I.G. Sakala Honours Degrees awarded Interferon-Gamma and immunity to viral infection in 2008 V.A.L. Seymour GABAA receptors generate high conductance B. Balakishnan A.R. Kim channels via a single mechanism F. Bongi J. Li S.Y. Chan M. Neve F.J. Choong S. Newman H. Gooch J. Shuang A. Hanna M. Thida
Dr Manuel Y. He D. Wijesundara Navarro- S. Ismail R. Wirasinha Gonzalez with his family following the graduation ceremony.
36 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Honours, awards and prizes Prizes & Awards 2008 acknowledging the Staff and Students achievements of our staff and students External Awards during 2008
Professor Redman AM Ms S. Corley was honoured with a Member of the Order Student Poster Prize: World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists triennial of Australia, General conference, Sydney, NSW Division, for services to Ms L. Coupland medical science. University of Canberra Scientific Poster Prize, Australian Society for Medical Research, Canberra Region Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, ACT Travel Bursary from the Australian Vascular Biology Society to attend the International Vascular Biology Meeting, Sydney, NSW Professor J.E. Gready The Adrien Albert Award from The Division of Biomolecular Chemistry of The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc. Ms I. Kuo Student Poster Prize: 9th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, Hamilton Island, QLD Ms C. Lim Travel Bursary from the Australian Microarray and Associated Technologies Association to attend the Lorne Genome Conference on the Organization and Expression of the Genome, Lorne, VIC Ms M. Linterman Australian Society for Medical Research Young Investigator’s Forum, Oral Presentation Award, Canberra Region Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, ACT
Ms M. Neve Professor Jill Gready received Inaugural Quinn Honours Research Scholarship awarded by the Medical Advances Without Animals Trust The Adrien Albert Award from Dr V. Panchanthan The Division of Biomolecular Chemistry of The Royal Travel Award from the Australasian Society for Immunology to attend the Conference Australian Chemical Institute Inc. Poxvirus 2008, Grainau, Germany Mr I. Poon University of Canberra Poster Prize, Australian Society for Medical Research Young Investigator’s Forum, Canberra Region Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, ACT Ruth Gani Memorial Travelling Fellowship for Human Genetics to attend the Gordon Research Conference: Apoptotic Cell Recognition and Clearance, New London, NH, US Professor S. Redman AM Member of the Order of Australia, General Division in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list Mr R. Sun The Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Student Prize at ComBio 2008, Canberra, ACT Ms E. Sutcliffe Travel Bursary from the Australian Microarray and Associated Technologies Association to attend the Lorne Genome Conference on the Organization and Expression of the Genome, Lorne, VIC Student Poster Prize at the Lorne Genome Conference on the Organization and Expression of the Genome, Lorne, VIC Dr Carola Garcia Dr C.G. Vinuesa Vinuesa was awarded 2008 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year the 2008 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Professor I.G. Young Scientist of the Year Guest Professorship, Fujian Medical University, China
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 37 Prizes & Awards 2008 Staff and Students Awarded by JCSMR & ANU
Mr J. Altin The ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for Doctoral Study Professor M. Feldmann The Curtin Medal Ms L. Coupland Vice-Chancellor’s Travel Award to attend the International Vascular Biology Meeting, Sydney, NSW Dr S. Mapp Vice-Chancellor’s HDR Travel Grant to attend the Conference New Directions in Leukaemia Research, Marcoola, QLD Dr I. Sakala The Alan and Elizabeth Finkel Prize Dr S. Weiss First Prize: $25,000 major award in the inaugural Innovation ANU Business Development Program awards Dr D. Yu The Frank Fenner Medal: Most outstanding PhD thesis submitted at JCSMR during 2007 The Dewar Milne Prize in Immunology: Most significant research in the field of immunology during a doctoral candidature at The John Curtin School of Medical Research
Professor Marc Feldmann was awarded the Curtin Medal by JCSMR Director Professor Frances Shannon
Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner presents the Fenner Medal to Dr Di Yu.
38 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Visitors to JCSMR & Research Collaborations
Staff and students of The John Curtin School of Medical Research continue to enjoy close collaborative ties with colleagues across Divisions within the School, and with other scientists at ANU. JCSMR researchers also enjoy close scientific association and collaboration with colleagues throughout Australia and the world. Some of these collaborative research ventures are listed here. In addition, we have the pleasure of welcoming visitors from local, national and international universities and research institutes who come to JCSMR to present seminars or work on collaborative research projects within our laboratories.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Visitors 2008
We have welcomed colleagues from Australia and overseas into The John Curtin School of Medical Research throughout 2008, to share their research findings or to carry out research projects in JCSMR laboratories in collaboration with JCSMR staff and students.
Professor Julian Cribb
Professor J.A. bin M Abdullah Professor J. Cribb IVF Laboratory, Women’s Specialized Hospital, King University of Technology, Sydney, NSW Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr B. Dalrymple Dr E. Arabzadeh CSIRO Livestock Industries, Brisbane, QLD School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Dr D. Eichner Sydney, NSW Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, Canberra, ACT Associate Professor M. Bellgrove Dr J. Epps Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Queensland Brain School of Electrical Engineering and Institute, University of Queensland, QLD Telecommunications, The University of New South Dr D. Bowser Wales, Sydney, NSW Synaptic Neurobiology Laboratory, Howard Florey Professor M. Feldmann Institute and Mental Health Research Institute, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC London, UK Dr R. Brake Dr L. Foa Amgen Inc., Cambridge, MA, US Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, School of Dr R. Brink Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS Immunology Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Dr M. Frese Research, Sydney, NSW Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra, Professor W. Britton Canberra, ACT Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Dr A. Garrett Biology, Sydney, NSW Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, Professor F. Carbone University of Western Australia, Perth, WA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Professor C. Geczy University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Inflammatory Diseases Research Unit, School of Dr J. Carland Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Sydney, NSW Wales, Sydney, NSW Dr M. Gibbs Dr E. Chan Department of Anatomy and Developmental CSIRO Livestock Industries, Brisbane, QLD Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC Dr M. Connor Associate Professor G. Goodall Pain Management Research Institute at Royal North Department of Human Immunology, Institute of Professor Frank Carbone Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, SA Professor R. Cornall Dr B. Graham Autoimmunity and Immune Regulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, Oxford Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW University, Oxford, UK Professor S. Grimmond Professor R. Cotton Expression Genomics Laboratory, Institute for The Genomic Disorders Research Centre, Howard Florey Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Brisbane, QLD Professor A. Cowman Mr M. Hamady Infection and Immunity Division, The Walter and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, of Colorado, Boulder, CO, US Melbourne, VIC
40 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Professor Yokoyama Professor Wolfgang Weninger (right) with Associate Professor Guna Karupiah
Dr J. Heath Dr S. Russell Colon Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Ludwig Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne, VIC Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC Dr K.K. Hsu Dr B. Saunders Inflammatory Diseases Research Unit, School of Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Biology, Sydney, NSW Sydney, NSW Dr C. Schmidt Professor R. Knight Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Queensland Institute Psychological Sciences, University of Otago, of Medical Research, Herston, QLD Christchurch, New Zealand Dr E. Scott Dr R. Knight School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Department Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Queensland, Brisbane, QLD of Colorado, Boulder, CO, US Professor A. Smola Assistant Professor H. Koester Statistical Machine Learning Program, NICTA, Centre for Learning and Memory, School of Biological Canberra, ACT Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, TX, US Professor N.P. Spruston Professor A. Lawrence Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Addiction Neuroscience Laboratory, Howard Florey Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, US Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Associate Professor M. van den Buuse Professor J. McCluskey The Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, Mental Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Health Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Professor C. Watson Associate Professor F. Meunier Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA, and Prince Molecular Dynamics of Synaptic Function Laboratory, of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, NSW Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Assistant Professor A.S. Weinmann Brisbane, QLD Department of Immunology, University of Professor K. North Washington, Seattle, WA, US Paediatrics and Child Health, Children’s Hospital at Professor W. Weninger Westmead, Sydney, NSW Centenary Institute for Cancer Medicine and Cell Professor T. O’Brien Biology, Sydney, NSW Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital Dr M. Wilkins and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Dr J. Pardo University of NSW, Sydney, NSW Foundation Aragon, University of Zaragoza, Ms E. Williams Zaragoza, Spain Transgenic Animal Service of Queensland, University Dr J. Pimanda of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD Prince of Wales Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Professor W. Yokoyama University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington Dr R. Richardson University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, US Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children’s Dr D. Yu Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, US Immunology and Inflammation Group, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 41 Research Collaborations 2008
Dr N.A. Beard Dr G. Chenevix-Trench Cancer Genetics Properties of calsequestrin and fast and slow Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical twitch skeletal muscle Research, Brisbane, QLD Dr R. Murphy and Professor D.G. Lamb Department Professor P.G. Board of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC Determination of glutathione transferase Regulation of calcium release channels (RyR2) in structures cardiac disease Professor M. Parker St Vincent’s Medical Research Dr D. Laver Hunter Medical Research Institute, Institute, Melbourne, VIC University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW Function of Zeta and Omega class GSTs Antibody screening in thyroid eye disease Professor M.W. Anders Department of autoimmunity Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Dr V. Calder UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Rochester Medical Centre, Rochester, NY, US London, UK Structure of γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase Associate Professor J.M. Bekkers Dr A. Oakley CSIRO Molecular and Health Use of a transgenic mouse for identifying Technologies, Parkville, VIC interneurons in cell culture Dr Y. Yanagawa Gunma University Graduate School Dr M.G. Casarotto of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan Structural studies into the mechanism of dihydrofolate reductase Dr E. Bertram Professor G. Roberts Centre for Mechanisms of Role of LIGHT and 4-1BB in immunity to influenza Human Toxicity, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Dr S. Turner Department of Microbiology and Dr J. Basran Department of Biochemistry, Immunology, The University of Melbourne, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Melbourne, VIC Chitinase and chitin binding proteins Australian Centre for Vertebrate Mutation Detection Dr C. Vorgias Biology Department, Athens Professor D. Hilton Molecular Medicine Division, University, Athens, Greece The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Peptide activators of the ryanodine receptor Research, Melbourne, VIC Professor I. Toth Pharmacy Department, The Dr E. Bertram and Professor C Goodnow University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD China-Australia Centre for Phenomics Research Effects of drugs that block Vpu ion channels Professor H. Tang, Centre for Infection and studied with NMR techniques Immunity, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor T. Watts and Dr W. Fischer Biomembrane Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Structure Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Sciences, Beijing, China Dr P.D. Cooper Dr E. Bertram and Dr P. Mana Adjuvant activity and formulation of gamma and Role of TNF family member LIGHT in EAE delta microparticulate inulin Dr D. Linares and Dr D. Willenborg Neurosciences Professor N. Petrovsky Department of Diabetes and Research Unit, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT Endocrinology, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA Professor M. Korbelik British Columbia Cancer Dr A.C. Blackburn Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada Mouse mammary tumour susceptibility loci Dr L. Wang Medical School, Monash University, Professor D.J. Jerry Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Melbourne, VIC University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, US Dr N. Ravenscroft Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Human breast cancer modifier gene discovery through the Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Professor A.F. Dulhunty Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Various aspects of ryanodine receptor physiology Cancer (kConFab) Dr D. Laver Hunter Medical Research Institute, The Molecular Cancer Epidemiology Dr A. Spurdle University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD
42 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Collaborations
Contribution of splicing defects in ryanodine Design of novel HS-mimetics to inhibit RSV infection. receptors to myotonic dystrophy Dr L. Simson Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Faculty Professor R.T. Dirksen and Dr L. Wei Department of Science, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Centre, Rochester, NY, US Professor C.C. Goodnow Mechanisms regulating islet beta cells in diabetes Regulatory and pore forming domains of calcium Dr C. Nolan The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT release channels Professor M. Varsanyi Institut für Physiologische Mucin gene functions Chemie, Ruhr Universität, Bochum, Germany Dr M. McGuckin Mater Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD Structure of ion channel domain peptides Dr M. Cook ANU Medical School, The Canberra Professor N. Ikemoto Boston Biomedical Research Hospital, Canberra, ACT Institute, Boston, MA, US Effects of Foxp3 deficiency on islet-specific tolerance Professor S. Easteal Professor A. Rudensky and Dr A. Liston Department Molecular biology and genetics in sport of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, Dr C. Gore, Dr A. Hahn and Dr J. Henderson WA, US Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, ACT Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr E. Bertram Evolution of functional variation in the human genome Mutations affecting male fertility and Monash Dr D. MacArthur Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Dr M. O’Bryan Professor D. DeKretser Hinxton Hall, UK Institute of Reproduction and Research, Melbourne, VIC Analysis of risk factors for depression, anxiety, substance use and cognitive change Mutations affecting the mammary gland Professor A. McKinnon ORYGEN Youth Health & Dr C. Ormandy Garvan Institute of Medical University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Research, Sydney, NSW Gene-environmental interactions in human Mechanisms of hyper-IgE syndromes affilative behaviour Dr M. Cook ANU Medical School, The Canberra Dr Z. Prichard The University of Ottowa Institute of Hospital, Canberra, ACT Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr E. Bertram, Analysis of risk factors for depression, anxiety, Dr C.G. Vinuesa and Dr L. Tze substance use and cognitive change Identifying genes for immunity and tolerance Professor P. Sachdev and Dr W. Wen School of Dr J. Cyster, Professor L. Lanier and Professor A. Psychiatry, The University of New South Wales, Weiss University of California, San Francisco, CA, US Sydney, NSW Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr E. Bertram and Dr A. Enders Ms B. Whittle Molecular function of T-bet Hearing mutations Dr A. Weinmann Molecular and Cellular Biology Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, US Dr H. Dahl Melbourne, VIC Dr C. Freeman Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr A. Enders Use of HS-mimetics to prevent Alzheimer’s disease NKT cell mutations Professor D. Small and Dr M. Beckman Department Department of Immunology, of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Professor D. Godfrey The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC University, Melbourne, VIC The role of heparanase in rheumatoid arthritis Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr G.F. Hoyne Dr R. Li and Dr P. Smith The Canberra Hospital, Role of cbl genes in B and T-cell tolerance Canberra, ACT Associate Professor W. Langdon and Dr C. Thien Use of novel HS-mimetics to mobilise haemopoietic School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, progenitor and stem cells into the circulation University of Western Australia, Perth, WA Dr L. Simson Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Faculty of Science, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 43 Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr C.G. Vinuesa Professor C.E. Hill Immunity and Infection Genomics Consortium Localisation of voltage dependent calcium Dr R. Cornall Nuffield Department of Clinical channels in cerebral and mesenteric arteries using Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, UK immunoelectron microscopy Professor J. Bell The Weatherall Institute of Dr S.L. Sandow Department of Pharmacology, Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, UK School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Molecular and cellular studies of the adaptive immune response in health and disease Identification of IP3 receptor subtypes in arteries Professor C. Mackay, Professor J. Sprent, and astrocytes Professor F. Mackay, Emeritus Professor A. Basten, Dr R.J.H. Wojcikiewicz Department of Pharmacology, Dr S. Tangye and Dr R. Brink Garvan Institute of SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, US Medical Research, Sydney, NSW Role of T-type calcium channels in control of Professor B. Fazekas Centenary Institute of Cancer cerebrovascular tone Medicine and Cell Biology, The University of Sydney, Dr L.C. Cribbs Cardiovascular Institute, Loyola Sydney, NSW University Medical Center, Loyola, IL, US Professor J.E. Gready Role of gap junctions in renal autoregulation and Identification of CTLDs in prasinophytes blood pressure Professor A. Worden Monterey Bay Aquarium Dr T. Takenaka and Professor H. Suzuki Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, US Department of Nephrology, Saitama Medical Dr A. Zelensky Department of Genetics, Erasmus College, Saitama, Japan Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Use of function blocking antibodies to investigate the role of TRP channels in vasomotor function Professor J.E. Gready and Mr M. Abraham Professor D.J. Beech Institute of Membrane and MD challenge simulations on the BlueGene Systems Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK Dr T. Dale and Mr C. McMurtrie BlueFern Supercomputing Centre, University of Canterbury, Biophysical properties and expression of naturally Christchurch, NZ occurring splice variants of the T-type voltage dependent calcium channels Professor J.E. Gready, Dr A. Blackburn and Professor E. Perez-Reyes Cardiovascular Research Mr N. Chakka Centre, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, US Assessment of gene dysfunction in human male infertility Professor T. Hirst Dr M. O’Bryan Monash Institute of Reproduction Antibody and peptide ligands as probes of and Research, Melbourne, VIC protein folding Professor J.E. Gready, Dr P.L. Cummins and Dr R. James Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Dr I.V. Rostov Dr M. Sack Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Application of the ONIOM QM/MM method to RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany simulation of enzyme reactions Dr T. Vrevren and Dr M..J Frisch GAUSSIAN Inc, E coli heat-labile enterotoxin adjuvant, EtxB, New Haven, CT, US antigen trafficking, and MHC class I antigen presentation Professor J.E. Gready and Dr B. Kannappan Professor A. Morgan Department of Cellular and Re-engineering of improved Rubiscos Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Dr A.G. Condon and Dr R. Furbank CSIRO Plant Biotech commercialisation opportunities Industry, Canberra, ACT Dr E. Giri-Rachman Arifin, SITH, Institute for Professor J.E. Gready and Ms T. Vassilieva Techology, Bandung, Indonesia Regulation of prion protein and doppel by FAC1 Assistant Professor K. Jordan-Sciutto, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, US
44 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Collaborations 2008
Dr G.F. Hoyne The Tammar wallaby genome project. Delta3-Notch signalling in T-cell development and Dr M. Wakefield Bioinformatics Division, The function and Role of Ikaros in the control of Notch Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, signalling in T cell development Melbourne, VIC Associate Professor S. Dunwoodie and Dr G. Evolutionary dynamics of triplet-repeat Chapman Developmental Biology Program, The containing proteins. Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW Dr J. Whisstock Monash University, Melbourne, VIC Effects of Lunatic Fringe: a modulator of Notch Development of a software library for genomic biology signalling in T-cell development and tolerance Dr R. Knight Department of Chemistry and Dr C. Guidos Department of Immunology, Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, US University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Platypus genome project Dr G.F. Hoyne and Professor C.C. Goodnow Dr W. Warren Platypus Genome Consortium, Identification of hnRNPLL target genes in T-cells Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University, using all exon arrays St Louis, MO, US Professor A. Aderem and Dr D. Zak Institute for Development of Markov-process models to measure Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, US the influence of sequence-neighbourhoods on Studies on beta cell islet homeostasis and mutation dynamics metabolic perturbations in ENU variant mice Dr V.B. Yap Department of Statistics and Applied Dr G. Farrell and Dr C. Nolan Department of Probability, National University of Singapore, Endocrinology, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT Singapore Dr G.F. Hoyne, Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr T Juelich Dr E. Bertram Elucidation of transcriptional mechanisms for the establishment and maintenance of CD8 T-cell Role of hnRNPLL in generating protective immunity effector gene function in a mouse influenza A model to mycobacteria tuberculosis Dr S. Turner Department of Microbiology and Dr B. Saunders and Professor W. Britton Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Mycobacterial Research Group, Centenary Institute Melbourne, VIC of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, Sydney, NSW Chromatin structure and transcriptional gene Dr G.F. Hoyne and Professor F. Shannon silencing of HIV-1 Role of c-rel in regulatory T-cell differentiation Associate Professor A. Kelleher National Centre in and homeostasis HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University Dr S. Gerondakis The Immunology Division, The of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation Melbourne, VIC in human regulatory T-cells Dr G.A. Huttley Dr N. Sedikki National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Dissecting the genotype-phenotype relationship for (alpha)-actinin-3 in humans Wales, Sydney, NSW Professor K. North Discipline of Paediatrics and Gene copy number variation in differentiated cells Child Health, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, – a CGH Analysis The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Dr R. McInnes Agilent Technologies, Melbourne, VIC Dr D. MacArthur Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton Hall, UK Associate Professor G. Karupiah and Dr G. Chaudhri APOSLE study - Identification of susceptibility alleles in Australian SLE patients Pathophysiological significance of reverse signalling through membrane TNF Dr M. Cook The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT Dr J. Sedgwick Bone and Inflammation Research, Statistical machine learning approaches to Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, predicting nucleosome placement Indianapolis, IN, US Professor A. Smola National ICT Australia (NICTA), Dr B. Saunders Mycobacterial Research Group, Canberra, ACT Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, Sydney, NSW
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 45 Modulation of the immune response by poxvirus Viral factors involved in flavivirus replication and encoded immune evasion molecules virus/host interactions Professor R.M.L. Buller Department of Molecular Dr A. Khromykh School of Molecular and Microbial Microbiology and Immunology, St Louis University, Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Louis, MO, US Brisbane, QLD Dr A. Alcami Department of Molecular and Cellular Cross-protective value of Chimerivax-JEV against Biology, Centro Nacional De Biotecnologia, Australian flaviviruses Madrid, Spain Professor T. Monath ACAMBIS Inc, Cambridge, Genetic control of early immune responses MA, US to poxviruses Dr A. Scalzo The Lions Eye Institue, Perth, WA Dr M. Lobigs and Dr P.D. Cooper Dr W. Yokoyama Washington University School of Flavivirus vaccines based on inulin adjuvants Medicine, St Louis, MO, US Professor N. Petrovsky Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA Investigating the role of dendritic cell subsets in anti-poxviral immune response Professor K.I. Matthaei Dr G. Belz Immunology Division, The Walter and The role of IL-5 and eosinophils in gut allergy Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Assistant Professor S. Hogan Division of Allergy Melbourne, VIC and Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Tracking virus-specific B cells using Blimp-1 Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, US transgenic mice The role of IL-5 and eosinophils in allergy Immunology Division, The Walter and Dr S. Nutt Professor M. Rothenberg Division of Pulmonary Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Melbourne, VIC Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, Cincinnati, Investigating virus-specific memory B cells and OH, US long-lived antibody secreting cells The role of ‘Flightless I’ in wound healing Dr R. Brink Autoimmunity Research Unit, Garvan Dr A. Cowin Skin Biology Laboratory, Child Health Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW Research Institute, Adelaide, SA Dr T. Newsome School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Parasite infection in gene deficient mice Dr L. Dent Eosinophil Biology Laboratory, Professor T.D. Lamb Microbiology and Immunology, School of Molecular Evolution of the vertebrate eye and Biomedical Science, Adelaide University, Professor E.N. Pugh Jr Department of Adelaide, SA Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania, The role of the ryanodine receptor in vivo Philadelphia, PA, US Professor P. Allen Department of Anesthesia, Professor S.P. Collin School of Biomedical Sciences, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD School, Boston, MA, US Role of G-protein receptor kinases in photoreceptor New mouse model for interferon action in human response shut-off viral diseases Dr Y. Fukada Department of Biophysics and Dr M. Frese School of Health Sciences, University Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo of Canberra, Canberra, ACT University, Tokyo, Japan Dr S. Kawamura Graduate School of Frontier The role of the S100 multigene family in Bioscience, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan inflammation Professor C. Geczy Inflammatory Diseases Research Dr M. Lobigs Unit, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Flavivirus virulence and vaccination New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Dr R.A. Hall Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, The University of Queensland, Professor A. Müllbacher Brisbane, QLD Oral induced T-cell tolerance Dr J. Chin Elizabeth MacArthur AG Institute, NSW Department of Agriculture, Camden, NSW
46 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Collaborations 2008
Gliotoxin as virulence factor in Aspergillosis Heparan sulfate and Alzheimer’s disease Professor M. Simon Max Planck Institute für Professor D. Small Menzies Research Institute, Immunbiologie, Freiburg, Germany University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS Gliotoxin mediated apoptosis Novel angiogenesis inhibitors Dr J. Pardo Foundation Aragon, University of Dr P. Karuso Department of Chemistry and Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW Professor A. Müllbacher, Dr M. Lobigs and Islet heparan sulphate and Type I Diabetes Dr M. Regner Professor R. Rodgers Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA Pathobiology and immune evasion of Ectromelia virus Dr J. Pardo Foundation Aragon, University of Development of a liposome-based tumor vaccine Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain Associate Professor P. Hogg School of Pathology, Dr E. Galvez University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Dr L. Simson Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Faculty Professor A. Müllbacher and Dr M. Regner of Science, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT The granzymes in early defence against viral infection Immunosurveillance of MCA-induced sarcomas in Dr J. Trapani and Dr V. Sutton Peter MacCallum TH2-immune deficient mice Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC Associate Professor M. Smyth Peter Macallum Role of granzymes in cytolytic leukocyte-mediated Cancer Center, Melbourne, VIC killing and viral-induced immunopathology Dr L. Simson Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Faculty Dr M. Simon Max Planck Institute für of Science, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT Immunbiologie, Freiburg-Zahringen, Germany Dr R. Wallich Department of Immunology, Professor I.A. Ramshaw University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Evaluation of HIV prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines The role of poxvirus encoded serpins in cytotoxic Dr S. Kent Department of Microbiology and T-cell induced apoptosis Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Dr J. Pardo Foundation Aragon, University of Melbourne, VIC Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain Design of HIV-1 vaccines Gamma irradiated influenza virus as a vaccine Dr D. Boyle CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian against bird flu Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, VIC Dr D. Boyle and Dr T. Bowden, CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Development of vaccines against genetically Geelong, VIC modified viruses Dr M. Alsharifi, Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Professor A. Ramsay Louisiana State University Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Health Sciences Centre, New Orleans, LA, US Adelaide, SA Development of a novel TB vaccine Professor W. Britton Mycobacterial Research Professor C.R. Parish Group, Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Role of platelets in tumour metastasis Cell Biology, Sydney, NSW Professor C. Chesterman and Professor B. Chong School of Pathology, The University of New South Evaluation of a nasopharyngeal cancer Wales, Sydney, NSW therapeutic vaccine Professor R. Stocker Department of Pathology, Professor D. Moss Division of Immunology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD Development of dendritic cell targeting vaccines Associate Professor D. Jackson Department of Development of enhanced immune responses to HIV vaccines Microbiology and Immunology, The University of and Department Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Professor P. Doherty Dr S. Turner of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Development of a liposome-based TB vaccine Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Professor W. Britton Mycobacterial Research Group, Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, Sydney, NSW
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 47 Dr C. Ranasinghe Editing of serotonin receptors by interferon HIV pox-virus vaccines and evaluation of Dr M. Frese Faculty of Applied Science, University CD8 T-cell avidity of Canberra, Canberra, ACT Dr J. Stambas Department of Microbiology Dr M. Regner and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Granzymes in lymphocyte migration Associate Professor P. Bird Monash University, Mucosal HIV vaccines and TB vaccines Melbourne, VIC Professor A. Ramsay Gene Therapy Program, Louisiana Vaccine Centre, Louisiana State University Professor M.F. Shannon Health Sciences Centre, New Orleans, LA, US Control of GM-CSF gene transcription in T-cells Dr D. Rangasamy Dr A. Holloway Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS LINE-L1 Retrotransposition events in human cancer lines The role of c-Rel in CD28 signaling and regulatory Professor G. Schumann Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, networks in T-cells Langen, Germany Dr S. Gerondakis Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Epigenetic regulation during brain development in Melbourne, VIC offspring of diabetic pregnancy Associate Professor S. Thameem Dheen National The role of Foxp3 in regulatory T-cells University of Singapore, Singapore Dr S. Barry Department of Paediatrics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA Dr S. Rao Micro RNAs and control of transcription in Microarray functional analysis cancer metastasis Associate Professor G. Denyer School of Molecular Dr G. Goodall Cytokine Research Laboratory, and Microbial Biosciences, The University of Sydney, Hanson Institute, Adelaide, SA Sydney, NSW Dr E. Dennis CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, ACT Computational promoter analysis Dr T. Werner Genomatix, Munich, Germany Dr C.J. Simeonovic Local expression of IDO, either alone or in HIV and RNAi strategies combination with CD40Ig, IL10 or CTLA4Ig, inhibits National Centre in Associate Professor A. Kelleher indirect xenorejection responses HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University Professor M. Sandrin Department of Surgery, of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Austin Health and University of Melbourne, Regulatory T-cells and transcriptional regulation Melbourne, VIC HIV Immunovirology Research Dr N. Seddiki Heparanase as a target for Type I Diabetes treatment Laboratory, Centre for Immunology, Sydney, NSW Clinical Associate Professor J.D. Wilson Effector function gene analysis Department of Endocrinology, The Canberra Dr S. Turner Department of Microbiology and Hospital, Canberra, ACT Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Mechanisms for achieving immunological tolerance Melbourne, VIC Dr P. McCullagh Faculty of Veterinary Science, The Analysis of ChIP-on-Chip data University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW and Agilent Technologies, Dr T. Taya Dr R. McInnes The peri-islet capsule in NOD mice is a basement Tokyo, Japan and Melbourne, VIC membrane protective of immune cell invasion Dr C.R. Raymond during non-destructive autoimmune disease LTP in the hippocampus of mGlu5 knockout mice Professor R. Rodgers and Dr H. Irving-Rodgers Professor A. Lawrence Addiction Neuroscience Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Laboratory, Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne, VIC University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA Contribution of astrocytic signalling to synaptic metaplasticity Professor W.C. Abraham Brain Health and Repair Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ
48 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Collaborations 2008
Dr Z-M. Song Dr C.G. Vinuesa Investigation of the non gut phenotype in Role of SAP in Follicular Helper T-cell (TFH) Hirschsprung’s disease (HSCR): Changes in the differentiation adrenal glands of a rat model of HSCR Professor P. Schwartzberg and Dr J. Cannons Associate Professor D. Croaker Gastrointestinal National Human Genome Research Institute, Unit, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, US Professor G.J. Stuart Regulation of ICOS expression by Roquin Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Interaction of action potentials with inhibitory Dr K.P. Lam synaptic events Immunology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Professor M. Häusser The Wolfson Institute for Agency for Science, Technology and Research Biomedical Research, University College, London, UK (A*STAR), Singapore Role of HCN channels in absence epilepsy Role of TFH-expressed Roquin in selection of germinal centre B cells Dr S. Petrou Howard Florey Institute, The University Autoimmunity Research Unit, Garvan of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Dr R. Brink Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW Professor S. Berkovic Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Identification of ROQUIN allelic variants in patients Melbourne, VIC with SLE Associate Professor T. O’Brien Department of Professor G. Anderson Birmingham Medical Medicine, The University of Melbourne, School, Birmingham, UK Melbourne, VIC Investigation of ICOS L expression in thymic Dr M.L. Tierney stromal populations Professor C. Mackay Garvan Institute of Medical GABAA receptor expression and function in testis Research, Sydney, NSW and sperm Professor H. Chan Chinese University of Hong Dr C.G. Vinuesa and Dr M. Cook Kong, Hong Kong, China APOSLE study - Identification of susceptibility Effect of trafficking on the channel properties of alleles in Australian SLE patients 5HT3 receptors Dr S. Addlestein Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Dr S.C. Lummis Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK Sydney, NSW Dr S. Riminton Repatriation General Hospital, Protein interactions in glycine receptors - effects Sydney, NSW on ion permeation properties Dr D. Fulcher Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW Professor P. Barry, Dr T. Lewis and Dr J. Carland Children’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Dr S. Alexander Dr P. Pavli The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT Professor D.J. Tremethick Professor B. Walmsley The role of histone variants in modulating chromatin fibre dynamics Electrical stimulation of the cochlea in congenitally deaf mice Dr K. Luger Department of Biochemistry and Bionic Ear Institute, Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Professor R. Shepherd Melbourne, VIC Collins, CO, US Mechanisms of central neuronal integration The structure and function of histone variants during spermatogenesis Professor R.E.W. Fyffe Center for Brain Research, Dr C. Caron Institut Albert Bonniot, Grenoble, France Wright State University, Dayton, OH, US Imprinted X inactivation in mammals Membrane properties of auditory neurons Dr J. Lee Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Professor I.D. Forsythe The University of Leicester, MA, US Leicester, UK Chromatin remodelling during X inactivation In vivo recordings of auditory neurons in congenitally deaf mice Dr E. Heard Curie Institute, Paris, France Dr A.G. Paolini La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC Dr S. Dimtrov Institut Albert Bonniot, Grenoble, France Dr A. Peters Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 49 Research Collaborations 2008
Activity dependent changes in brainstem Professor J.A. Whitworth and Dr Y. Zhang auditory pathways Effects of antioxidants and glucocorticoids on Dr R. Leao Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden plasma F2-isoprostane concentrations Dr K. Leao Department of Neuroscience, Associate Professor K. Croft and Dr T. Mori School Developmental Genetics, University of Uppsala, of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital Uppsala, Sweden Unit, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA Associate Professor H.S. Warren Glucocorticoid receptors in knockout mice Lymphocyte populations in diffuse large B-cell (and Dr T.J. Cole Department of Biochemistry and other aggressive) Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Dr D. Talaulikar Department of Haematology, The Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT Hypertension in rats Dr D.C. Webb Dr R. Lin The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Comparative roles of IL-4 and IL-13 in regulating Wales, Sydney, NSW dendritic cell function Professor P.S. Foster Discipline of Immunology Effect of glucocorticoid and sepiapterin on plasma and Microbiology, The University of Newcastle, total biopterin concentrations Newcastle, NSW Dr J. Earl, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW The development of allergic inflammation in the lungs of GSTP-/- mice Dr R. Williams Professor R. Wolf and Dr C. Henderson Ninewells Regulatory architecture in the human genome, with Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK application to genetical-genomics The role of Ym1/2 in regulating allergic Dr C. Cotsapas Center for Human Genetic Research, inflammation Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Associate Professor R. Kumar Department of MA, US Pathology, The University of New South Wales, Dr X. Xie University of California, Irvine, CA, US Sydney, NSW Biomedical and biotechnological application of Identification of Ym-homologous human genetical-genomics proteins and their relationship to disease severity Professor P. Little National University of in asthmatics Singapore, Singapore Professor F. Chung Imperial College London, Professor M. Wilkins The School of Biotechnology London, UK and Biomolecular Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Ciliated cell specific expression of GSTP-/- Dr L. Ostrowski University of North Carolina, Professor I.G. Young Chapel Hill, NC, US Role of IL-3 receptor in myeloid leukaemia Expression of Ym1/2 proteins in a mouse Professor Y. Chen Fujian Medical University, arthritis model Fuzhou, China Dr R. Wilson Skeletal Biology, Murdoch Children’s Cytokine receptors Research Institute, Parkville, VIC Dr J. Murphy Molecular Medicine Division, The Professor J.A. Whitworth Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Mechanism(s) by which glucocorticoids induce Melbourne, VIC hypertension in humans Role of IL-3 in allergic inflammation Dr J. Kelly and Dr G. Mangos St George Hospital, Professor P.S. Foster University of Newcastle, Sydney, NSW Newcastle, NSW
50 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Staff & Students
The following section provides a directory of staff and students of The John Curtin School of Medical Research during 2008 by Division.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Staff 2008
Division of Immunology & Genetics
Professor and Head of Division Technical Officers Goodnow, C.C., BVSc(Hons)(USyd), BScVet(Hons)(USyd), Browne A., BA (part-time) PhD (USyd), FAA Glidden M. Divisional Administrator Visiting Technical Officer Weil E.T.F. Lo P-H., BSc (National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan), MBioTech, MPhil (from August) Assistant Divisional Administrator (part-time) Peace C. (from September) Editorial/Administrative Assistant Parish B., BSc (Madras), BSc, MSc, GradDipCompStudies Cancer and Human Immunology Group (UC) (part-time) Associate Professor and Leader Warren H.S., BSc(Hons), PhD (UQ) Diabetes/Transplantation Immunobiology Laboratory Research Assistant Gonzalez Y., BSc (UJaveriana, Colombia), MSc Fellow and Leader (Wollongong) (from July) (on secondment from ANUMS) Simeonovic C.J., BSc(Hons), PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Cancer and Vascular Biology Group Ziolkowski A., BMedSci(Hons), PhD (from April) Professor and Leader Visiting Fellows Parish C.R., BAgrSc (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) McCullagh P., MBBS (UMelb), DPhil (Oxon), MRCP (Lond), Fellow MD (UMelb) Freeman C., BSc(Hons) (Adel), PhD (Adel) Wilson J.D., BSc(Hons), MBBCh, BAO(Hons), MD (Queens, Research Fellows Belfast), MRCP (UK), FRACP Hindmarsh E.J., BSc(Hons) (USyd), PhD Technical Officers Rao S., BSc(Hons) (Keele), PhD (Kings College Lond) Brown D., AssDipAppPath (CIT) (casual) NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellow Hamilton P., Certificate II (Animal Tech) (CIT) (part-time) Quah B., BSc, PhD Popp S.K., BSc, AssDipAppSci (Biol) (CIT) (part-time) Postdoctoral Fellows Cellular Microbiology Group Juelich T., BSc(Hons) (Stuttgaart), PhD Professor and Leader Parish I.A., BSc(Hons), PhD (WEHI) (until June) Hirst T., BSc(Hons) (Kent), DPhil (York) Sutcliffe E., BSc(Hons), PhD (from September) Postdoctoral Fellow Visiting Fellows Johnson-Saliba M., BSc(Hons), MSc (Cape Town), PhD Ada G.L., DSc (USyd), FAA Altin J., BSc, GradDipSci, PhD Research Technician Burch W.M., BSc (UMelb), MSc (UMelb) PhD (Lond) Sharma D., BSc, MSc (India) (part-time) (until October) Chesterman C., MBBS (USyd), DPhil (Oxon), FRACP, FRCPA Immunogenomics Group Chong G., MBBS(Hons), BMedSc (Monash) FRACS, FRCS Professor and Laboratory Head (C), FRCS (E), Diplomate, American Board of Surgery (US) Goodnow C.C., BVSc(Hons) (USyd), BScVet(Hons) (USyd), (from November) PhD (USyd), FAA Li R, M.D. (China Medical University), PhD (Southern Cross) Mims C., BSc, MD (Lond) Laboratory Manager Price J., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Townsend M., PathTech Cert (TAFE), AssDipAppPath Simson L., BSc (UC), PhD (Bruce TAFE) Staykova M., PhD (USofia) Immune Tolerance and School Associates Signalling Laboratory Eschler B., BSc(Hons) (USyd), DipEd (USyd), MSc (USyd), Professor and Leader PhD (Wollongong) (until February) Goodnow C.C., BVSc(Hons) (USyd), BScVet(Hons) (USyd), Senior Technical Officer PhD (USyd), FAA Bezos A., BSc (USyd), MSc (USyd) (part-time) Senior Research Fellow Hoyne G.F., BSc(Hons) (UWA), PhD (UWA)
52 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Divsion of Immunology & Genetics – Staff 2008
Research Fellow Humoral Immunity and Bertram E., BSc(Hons) (Adel), PhD (Adel) Autoimmunity Group CJ Martin Fellow Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellow and Leader Papathanasiou P., BSc(Hons), LLB(Hons), PhD Vinuesa C.G., LMS(MBBS) (Madrid), DRCOG (Lond), MSc, Postdoctoral Fellows PhD (Birmingham) Daley S., BVSc (UQ), DPhil (Oxon) Research Fellow Horikawa K, MD (Chiba), PhD (Tokyo) Silva D., MBBS (Colombia), PhD (until August) Mana P., PharmD, MPharm, PhD (Santiago de CJ Martin Fellow Compostela) (until April) Ellyard J., BAs, BSc(Hons), PhD (from January) Wu Z., MSc (UNSW), BM (ZhongShan) (from August) Postdoctoral Fellow DFG, German Research Foundation Rigby R., BSc (Sheffield Hallam), PhD (Imperial College Lond) Postdoctoral Fellow Enders A., MD, PhD (Freiburg) (until April) Visiting Fellows Silva D., MBBS (Colombia), PhD (from August) NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellow Cook M., MBBS (USyd), FRACP, FRCPA, PhD (USyd) Tze L., BSc (Beloit), PhD (Minnesota) Walter G., BA (Cantab), MBChB (Edinburgh), MRCP (UK), MD Visiting Fellows Yu D., BSc (Wuhan), PhD Athanasopoulos V., PhD (UMelb) Laboratory Technical Staff Cornall R., PhD Hogan J., BMedSci UC), GradDipGenCouns (Newcastle) Fahrer A., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Hu X., BSc (Beijing Institute of Technology) Laboratory Technical Staff Srivastava M., MSc (Rewa) (part-time from August) In charge of pre-immune serology Research Assistant Domaschenz H., PathTechCert (TAFE) Wilson A., BSc(Hons) (UC), RN (part-time) In charge of immune serology Infection and Immunity Group Kucharska E., BSc, MSc (Warsaw) (until April) Associate Professor and Leader Research Technicians Karupiah G., BSc (Hons), MSc (Malaya), PhD Howard D., BSc Koffler J., BAppSc (UC) (until May) Research Fellow Pulsford K., DipAppSci (CIT) (until February) Chaudhri G., BSc(Hons), PhD Roots C., BAppSci (UC) Postdoctoral Fellows Laboratory Assistant Panchanathan V., MBBS, MPhil (Malaya), PhD Hoyne R. (casual) Sakala I., BMedSci (Zambia), PhD (from July) Animal Experimental Project Co-ordinators Visiting Fellows Way D., BSc, BSc(Hons) (JCU) Dip GradDipSecondarySciEd Belz G., BVBiol (UQ), BVSc(Hons) (UQ), PhD (UQ) (UC) (from December) Scalzo A., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Wilson J., AssocDipAnimalSci (CIT) (February-December) Saunders B.M., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Technical Officers Ramaciotti Immunization Genomics Chen J., PhD (USyd) (February-August) Laboratory (from April) Tan A., BBioTech(Hons) Research Fellow and Leader Jian P., BMed (Medical University NingXia) Enders A., MD, PhD (Freiburg) Eldi P., MBBS (India), MSc (UQ) (from November) Laboratory Technical Staff Wei B., BMed (Beijing Medical University) (from February) In charge of immune serology Vaccine Immunology Group Kucharska E., BSc, MSc (Warsaw) Professor and Leader Ramshaw I.A., MSc (Brunel), PhD Research Fellow Ranasinghe C., BSc (Rouen), MPhil (Colombo), PhD (UWA)
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 53 Division of Immunology & Genetics - Staff 2008
Visiting Fellows Budd A.C., BSc (USyd), BSc(Hons), PhD (until February) Enemark C., BA, LLB, PhD Chin J., MSc(Hons) (UQ), PhD (UQ) Jackson R.J., BSc(Hons) (Monash), PhD (Edin) Pardo J., PhD (UZaragoza) (January — March) Kerr P., BVSc (UMelb), GradDipSci, PhD (until February) Waring P., BSc(Hons) (UQ), MSc, PhD Ramsay A.J., BSc, PhD (Otago) Senior Technical Officer Laboratory Manager Koskinen A., AssocDipMedSci Medveczky C.J., AssocDipTechBiol (TAFE) (part-time from Technical Officer November) Pavlinovic L. Technical Officer Tu W.J., BSc (Hubei Uni Technology China), Molecular Virology Group MBioTech(Hons) (from August) Fellow and Leader Lobigs M., BSc(Hons), PhD Visiting Technical Officer Buchanan A., BHealthSci (UC) Research Fellows Bettadapura J., MSc, PhD (Bangalore) Viral Immunology Group Lee E., BSc(Hons), PhD Professor and Leader Visiting Fellows Müllbacher A., BSc, MSc (Auck), PhD Ababneh M., DVM, PhD (May-September) Research Fellow Cooper P.D., DSc, PhD (Lond) Regner M., PhD Galvez E., PhD (UZaragoza) (January-March) Postdoctoral Fellow Senior Technical Officers Alsharifi M., BBioMedSci(Hons) (Monash), PhD (until March) Lobigs P., AssocDipMedSci Pavy M., AssocDipAppSc (CIT), BAppSci (UC) Visiting Fellows Alleva L.M., BSc(Hons), PhD Alsharifi M., BBioMedSci(Hons) (Monash), PhD (from March) Blanden R.V., MDS (Adel), PhD, FAA
54 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 55 Staff 2008
Division of Molecular Bioscience
Professor and Head of Division Computational Proteomics and Dulhunty A.F., BSc (USyd), PhD, DSc (UNSW) Therapy Design Group Divisional Administrator Professor and Leader Mastoris R. Gready J.E., BSc(Hons), PhD (USyd), FRACI Research Officer Asthma and Allergy Group Cummins P.L., BSc(Hons), PhD (USyd) Fellow and Leader Postdoctoral Fellow Webb D.C., DipMedLabSc (RMIT), BAppSc (UC), PhD (UC) Kannappan B., BSc (Madras), MSc, PhD (Pune) Postdoctoral Fellow Visiting Fellows Zhou J., BMed (Guangxi Med), MMed (Guangxi Med), PhD Armarego W.L.F., PhD, DSc (ULond), FRSC, FRACI Technical Officer Bliznyuk A., BSc, PhD (Novosibirsk) Cai Y., BMed (Beijing Med) Graves J.A.M., BSc, MSc (Adel), PhD (UC Berkeley) Biomolecular Structure Group Rostov I.V., BSc (Kazan), PhD (Karpov Institute) (part-time) Fellow and Leader Cytokine Molecular Biology and Casarotto M.G., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Signalling Group Postdoctoral Fellow Professor and Leader Cui Y., MA (Central China), PhD (Chinese Academy Young I.G., MSc (UMelb), PhD of Science) Postdoctoral Fellow Technical Officers Chen J., BSc (China), MMed (China), PhD (Flinders) Hekimian L., DipLabTech (CIT) Visiting Fellow Cancer and Molecular Immunology Group Murphy J., BSc, PhD Fellow and Leader Visiting Scholar Hulett M., BSc(Hons) (UMelb), PhD (UMelb) Yong W., MMed (China), MD (China) Senior Technical Officers Technical Officers Hornby J., BSc(Hons) (Queens, Belfast) Olsen J., BSc Pagler E., BSc (Santo Tomas) Dai J., BSc Ewens C. Postdoctoral Fellow Young S., BSc Wood R., BSc(Hons) (JCU), PhD Research Assistant Epigenetics and Genome Stability Group Smith C., BSc(Hons) Leader Chromatin and Transcriptional Rangasamy D., MSc, MTech (India), PhD (UK) Regulation Group Technical Officer Eldi P., MBBS, MSc Professor and Leader Tremethick D.J., BSc(Hons) (USyd), PhD (MacqU) Gene Expression and Epigenomics Group Postdoctoral Fellows Professor and Leader Soboleva T., MSc (MSU), PhD Shannon M.F., BSc(Hons), PhD (National University Nekrasov M., PhD (Heidelberg) of Ireland) Computational Genomics Group Postdoctoral Fellows Bunting K., BSc(Hons) (Adel), PhD (until April) Fellow and Leader Hardy K., BSc(Hons) (USyd), PhD (USyd), Masters(EScience) Huttley G.A., BSc(Hons) (MacqU), PhD (UC Riverside) Greaves I, PhD Research Fellow Fan J., BSc (Fudan), MSc (Fudan), PhD (Auckland) Schranz H., BSc(Hons) (USyd), PhD (USyd) Technical Officer and Laboratory Manager Ma L., MAppSci (Horticulture) (NZ)
55 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 55 Division of Molecular Bioscience – Staff 2008
Stem Cell and Gene Targeting Group Molecular Systems Biology Group Professor and Leader Fellow and Leader Matthaei K.I., BSc(Hons) (UNSW), PhD Williams R., BAppSc, PhD (UNSW) Visiting Fellows Muscle Research Group Abdullah J.A. bin M., PhD Baharvand H., PhD (Tehran) Professor and Leader Hopkinson K., DipAppSc (UC), BSc App (UC), Dip APMA Dulhunty A.F., BSc (USyd), PhD, DSc (UNSW) (Monash) Senior Research Advisor Frese M., BSc (Osnabrück), PhD (Freiburg) Gallant E., PhD (Minnesota) Megirian D., PhD (Rochester) Research Fellow Laboratory Technicians Beard N.A., BAppSci(Hons) (LaTrobe), PhD Damcevski W., AssocDipAppSci (CIT) (until May) Research Fellow Taylor H.I. Pouliquin P., BSc(Hons) (Ferrara) Ward J., BSc(Hons) Visiting Fellow Membrane Physiology and Laver D., BSc(Hons), PhD (UNSW) Biophysics Group Senior Technical Officer Research Fellow and Leader Pace S., BSc (UTS) Tierney M.L., BSc, MSc (Otago), PhD Laboratory Technicians Visiting Fellow Stivala J. Everitt A., PhD Jacunza M. Research Assistant Predictive Medicine Group Curmi J., BOptom(Hons) Professor and Leader Molecular Genetics Group Easteal S., BSc(Hons) (St Andrews), MBA, PhD (Griffith) Professor and Leader Visiting Fellows Board P.G., BSc(Hons), PhD (UNE) Mack H., BSc, PhD (Penn State) Research Fellow Cherbuin N., DipNursing (Lausanne), BA (UNSW), Blackburn A., BSc(Hons) (UNSW), PhD BSc(Hons), PhD Prichard Z., BSc(Hons), PhD Postdoctoral Fellows Scott B., BSc(Hons) (UQ), PhD Liu D., PhD (USyd) Zhou H., MSc (ShenYang Agricultural) PhD (Institute of Senior Technical Officer Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Tan X., BSc (Shandong), MSc (China Pharmaceutical) Theodoratos A., BSc(Hons) (USyd), PhD Visiting Scholar Visiting Fellows Mather K., BSc(Hons) (La Trobe), BSc(Hons), Baker R., BSc(Hons)(UNSW), PhD GradDipPsy (CSU) Dahlstrom J., MBBS(Hons), FPAC, PhD, FRCPA, GradCertEdSt Divisional Visiting Fellows Armarego W.L.F., PhD, DSc (ULond), FRSC, FRACI Shield A., BBiotech(Hons) (Flinders), PhD (Flinders) Barlin G., PhD, DSc (USyd), FRANC Senior Technical Officer Cox G., BSc, PhD (UMelb), FAA Coggan M., BSc(Hons) Denborough M., MD, ChB (Cape Town), MD (UMelb), DPhil Laboratory Technicians (Oxon), DSc (UMelb), FRCP Cappello J., BSc (UC), AD AppSciAnSci (CIT) Gibson F.E.W., BSc, DSc (UMelb), MA, DPhil (Oxon), FAA, Murray T., BSc(Hons), BMedSci (USyd) (until September) FRS (until July) (deceased) Rooke M., BMedSci (Pharm Sci) (CSU) Morrison J.E., BSc (USyd), MSc (UQ), DPhil (Oxon), DSc Peile M., DipAnTech (CIT)
56 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 57 Staff 2008
Division of Neuroscience
Professor and Head of Division Synaptic Transmission Group Stuart G.J., BSc(Hons) (Monash), PhD Synapse and Hearing Laboratory Divisional Administrator Professor and Leader Eluga M. (until October) Walmsley B., BE, PhD (Monash), DSc (UNSW) Senior Technical Officer Postdoctoral Fellows Rodda G.R., PTC Berntson A., BA (Minnesota), PhD (until August) Blood Vessel Group Research Assistant Professor and Leader Webb D., BSc (NTU), MSc(Prelim) (Syd) Hill C.E., BSc(Hons), PhD, DSc (UMelb) Neuronal Network Laboratory Postdoctoral Fellows Associate Professor and Leader Ellis A., BSc (Monash), BApplSc (RMIT), PhD (RMIT) Stricker C., MD (Zurich), PhD (Bern) Navarro-Gonzalez M., BVSc (Caldas), PhD (March-August) Seymour V., BSc(Hons) (Otago), PhD Research Fellow Wolfle S.E., BPharm (Heidelberg), Dr rer nat (Lubeck) Cowan A.I., BSc(Hons), PhD Research Officers Visual Neuroscience Group Chaston D.J., BSc(Hons) Professor and Leader Sibia S., BSc (JCU), MSc (Uppsala) (until July) Lamb T.D., BE (UMelb), ScD (Cambridge), FRS, FAA Baillie B., BSc(Hons) (JCU), PhD (JCU) (from July) Postdoctoral Fellows Cerebral Cortex Group Cameron A.M., BPsych(Hons) (JCU), PhD (UQ) Associate Professor and Leader Ruseckaite R., BSc (Vytautas Magnus), MSc (Vytautas Bekkers J.M., BSc(Hons) (Griffith), MSc (Manchester), PhD Magnus), PhD (Cambridge) Vogalis F., PhD (Monash) Postdoctoral Fellows Visiting Fellows Suzuki N., BSc (Tsukuba), MMedSci (Tsukuba), PhD (Tokyo) Corless R.M., BSc(Hons) (U British Columbia), MMath Ikeda K, BA (UColorado, Boulder), PhD (from July) (UWaterloo), PhD (U British Columbia) Reinholz F, PhD (URostock) Neuronal Signalling Group Divisional Visiting Fellows Neuronal Integration Laboratory Hirst G.D.S., BSc, PhD (Leeds), FAA Professor and Leader Edwards F.R., BE, PhD (Monash) Stuart G.J., BSc(Hons) (Monash), PhD University Fellow and Emeritus Professor Postdoctoral Fellows Curtis D.R., AC, MBBS (UMelb), PhD, FRACP, FAA, FRS Kole M.H.P., MSc, PhD (Groningen) Breton J-D., MSc, PhD (Strasbourg) Divisional Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow Palmer L., BSc (UMelb), BA (UMelb), MSc (Minnesota) PhD Kaasinen S.K., MSc, PhD (Kuopio) (January – October) Brain Development Laboratory Leader Song Z-M., MMSc (Jiamusi), PhD (Flinders) Movement & Memory Laboratory Research Fellow and Leader Raymond C.R., BSc(Hons) (Otago), PhD (Otago) Postdoctoral Fellow Lohmann P., DiplBiol (Ulm), PhD (Berlin)
57 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 57 Staff 2008
High Blood Pressure Research Unit
Professor and Head Technical Officers Whitworth J.A., AC, DSc, MD, PhD, BS (UMelb), MD Vickers J.J., BMedSc (UC), RN, RM, GradCert (UC) (Honoris causa) (USyd), MD (Honoris causa) (UNSW), Sutton M. FRACP, FAICD Visiting Fellows Research Fellow Kelly J.J., MBBS(Hons), MD (UNSW) Zhang Y., BMed (Beijing), PhD (Adel) Mangos G.J., MB BS, MD (UNSW), FRACP Clinical Research Assistant Williamson P.M., SRN (seconded to St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW) Senior Technical Officer Langton L.K., BSc, AssDipAppSci (Path) (CIT)
58 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Programs Linterman M.,BBMEDS (Victoria,Wellington) Lindsay H.,BMathSci (Newcastle),BSc(Hons) Lim P.S., BBiomedSci(Hons) Letzkus J.,DipBiol(Mainz) Leffler M.,BMedSc(Hons)(MacqU) Lee S-H. Lee S. Leao K.,BSc,MSc(Gothenburg) Larena M. Kuo I.,BSc(BioMed)(UWA), BSc(Hons) Ji J.,BSc(Hons)(USyd) Karunasekara Y., MD(USSR) Johnstone V.P.A., BSc(Hons) Ikeda K.,BA(UCBoulder) Horan C.R.,BMedSci(Hons) Hewawasam R.P., BSc(Hons)(Peradeniya), MPhil (Ruhuna) He Y., MSc(SunYat-Sen) Hashem R.,BPharm(Cairo), GradDipBiotech (Alexandria)(until July) Furuya Y., BSc(Hons)(Auck) French H.E.,BSc(Hons)(Otago) Feng J. Farnsworth M.,BSc(Wollongong), BSc(Hons) Ellyard J.,BAs, BSc(Hons) Ellis L.,BAppSci(UC) Day S.,BBioTech(Hons) Coupland L.,BSc(Hons),RN Correcha M.,MBBS(Cauca) Corley S.M.,LLB(UQ),LLM(USyd),BSc(Hons)(USyd) Chua A.,BSc Choy J.,BSc(Hons) Cho E.,BSc(Auck),GradDipSci (Auck) Chen X.,BSc(Hons) Chen G. Chang P.P., BSc(Malaya),MSc(Malaya)(from December) Chakka N.,BDS(Bangalore) MSc(Bioinformatics)(EastAnglia) Brew J.M.,BMedSci(Hons) Altin J.,PhB(Hons),LLB(Hons) Agrawal A.,MSc Addis S.,BMedSci(Hons)(Malaya) Abraham M.J.,BSc(UTas), MPhil PhD Scholars 2008 Students 2008 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Wu Z.,MSc(UNSW), BM(Zhongshan) Wong W., BSc(Hons) Wood R.,BSc(Hons)(JCU) Wen B. Weiss S.,BAppSc(Swinburne),PhD(USyd),MFinMgt,Grad Cert Wei L. Wong W.Y., BSc(Hons)(Adel) Wang Z.,MSc(Wollongong) Vassilieva T., MSc(Russia) Townsend D.,BAppSci(Hons)(UC), BForensicSci (UC) Teh C.,PhB(Hons) Tan E.,BMedSci(Hons) Tahiliani V.,BSc(SUNYAlbany), GradDipBiochem Tae H.S.,BSc(Hons)(Malaysia) Sutherland D.,BMedSci(Hons) Sutcliffe E.,BSc(NTU),BSc(Hons) Sun R.,BTech(Hons) Srivastava M.,MSc Sontani Y., BSc(Murdoch), BSc(Hons) Smith C.L.C.,BSc(Hons) Singhal S.,BSc(Hons)(Delhi),MSc(BioTech) (Punjab) Simpson N.,MBBS(USyd),MPH(UNSW) Silva C.,BSc,MSc Seymour V.,BSc(Hons)(Otago) Sammut R.,BAppSc(Monash),BEc(Hons)(Monash) Sakala I.,BMedSci(Zambia) Rosenberg M.,BSc(Hons)(Canterbury) Randall K.,MBBS(UNSW),BSc(UNSW),FRACP, FRCPA Palmer L.,BSc(UMelb),BAMSc(Minnesota) Poon I.,BBiomedSci(Hons)(Monash) Ong S.,MBBS(UNSW),BScFRACP Ng E.,BMedSci(Hons) Navarro-Gonzalez M.,BVSc(Caldas) Morris M.,BBiomedSci(Hons)(JCU) Mirza S.,BSc(Hons)(Dhaka),MSc(BioTech) (UNSW) Md NorN.,MSc(Nottingham) McNaughton E.,BSc(Hons)(Otago) McCuaig R.,BSc(UC),GradDipSciMolBiol, BSc(Hons)(UTas) Mapp S.,MBBS(UMelb),FRACP, FRCPA Luo J.,BE(Bioinformatics)(Hons),MPhil Commercialisation Annual Review 2008 59 Students 2008
Yee D., BSc(Hons) (Auck) Newman S. Ying H., BBiol (Nanjing), MSc(Nanjing) Pal N. Zafar A., BVSc, MVSc Papatic M. Ziolkowski A., BMedSci(Hons) Penm S. Prasad N. MPhil Scholars 2008 Puri P. Brown K., BSc(Hons) Rapajic M. French H., BSc (UNSW) Rebbeck R. Hu X., BSc (Beijing Institute Tech) Sendall E. Kwok A., BSc(Hons) Shepherd J. Leang S., BSc(Hons) (Monash) (from July) Sum T.C. Mercan S. Wang H. Yabas M. Wium E. Woolcott G. Honours Students 2008 Balakishnan B. Medical Students 2008 Bongi F. Golding S. Chan S.Y. Priest C. Choong F.J. Shimizu A. Gooch H. Vidal M. Hanna A. He Y. Vacation Scholars 2008 Ismail S. Attenborough R. Kim A.R. Depelsenaire A. Li J. Downton T. Neve M. He Y. Newman S. Jones S. Shuang J. Li J. Thida M. Mulchandani, H. Wijesundara D. Nobs S. Wirasinha R. Pearce H. Zevon E. Satchell R. Thida M. Undergraduate Research Tng J. Students 2008 Woolcott G. Bartnick S. Yeung P.K. Brownrigg A. Dolstra T. Visiting Scholars 2008 Ehsan S. Hamady M. Fairweather S. Li L. Kasunic T. Rosi L.
60 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Research Programs Macklin J.A.,PhotCert(casual) Multimedia Officer Edwards K.,PhotCert Senior MultimediaOfficer Nicol M.J.,BSc(Wollongong), BSc(Hons),PhD Public Affairs Manager Public Affairs andCommunicationsUnit Rathbone G.K. Functions Assistant Morales D. Administrative Assistant Vitler L. Executive Assistant toDirector honoris causa(Liege),FRACP, FRCP(ULond) Fenner F., AC,CMG,MBE,FRS,FAA,MD,DTM, HonMd,Dr Emeritus Professor andSchoolVisitor Webb B., BRTC (CIT),AdvDipBusMan (CIT) Business Manager (from June) Easteal S.,BSc(Hons)(StAndrews), MBA,PhD(Griffith) Ireland) (untilJune) Shannon M.F., BSc(Hons),PhD(NationalUniversity of Deputy Director Ireland) (from June) Shannon M.F., BSc(Hons),PhD(NationalUniversity of Director (UNSW),FRACP, FAICD(untilJune) MD(Honoris causa)(USyd),MD(Honoris Whitworth J.A.,AC,DSc,MD,PhD,BS(UMelb), and Director Howard Florey Professor ofMedicalResearch School Administration School Administration &Services Staff 2008 The John Curtin School of Medical Research DNA Sequencing Ohms S.,MBChB,ME,PhD(Auckland) Bioinformatics Analyst Peng K.,PhD(Wuhan) Microarray Coordinator Milburn P., BSc(Hons),PhD(Sheffield) Technical Specialist (Monash) Palmer S.,BSc(Hons),GradDip (Tech Management) Manager Biomolecular Resource Facility(ACRFBRF) Australian CancerResearch Foundation School Services Borrett D. Thileebhan S. Munday K. Gilmartin L.,CertIIILabskills(CIT) Technicians Vet Nursing Metcalfe C.,DipBus, CertIVManagement, CertIV Manager Media andWash-up Section Operations Devoy M.,BSc(Hons)(from May) Dawson S.,BAppSci(UC) Vohra H.,MSc(Hons)(Punjab), PhD(PGIMER) Flow CytometryUnit Prins A.S.,BAppSci(RMIT) Histology Unit Gillespie C.M.,GradCertMicros Head Resource Facility(MCRF) Microscopy andCytometry Moore S. Administrative Assistant Zhang K.,MSc(Fudan),PhD Tetramer Synthesis (from June)(casual) Rosenberg M.,BSc(Hons)(CanterburyNZ) McAndrew K.,AssDipAppSci(UC) Peptide Synthesis McCrae C.,BiolTech Cert(CIT) Annual Review 2008 61 School Services – Staff 2008
Operations Section Technical Services Operations Manager Manager Metcalfe C., DipBus, Cert IV Management, Cert IV McGuinness T., DipBusMan (CIT), DipBusHR (CIT) Vet Nursing CertAsst&Trng (CIT) CertMechEng (Lond) (until July) Administrative Assistant Stewart B., Elec Trades Cert TAFE (North Sydney) (from July) Firth S. (from July) Technical Officers Operations Assistant Best N. Ciuffetelli L. Champion G. Cremer P. Senior Storeperson Gair L. Clements R. Jakubaszek R. Storeperson Jordan T. Talbot A. Kelly D. (until June) Keys B. (on secondment) Safety and Training Advisor Lang P. (until May) McKenzie K., AssDipAppSci (Animal Sci) (CIT), Percival M. IT Cert III (CIT) Pillans J. (until August) Rhall G. Robertson A. Apprentice Kynoch M. Administrative Assistant McGann J. (until March)
62 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Publications, Patents & Presentations
A list of the publications, including peer reviewed journal articles, invited reviews and book chapters authored by JCSMR staff and students in 2008 appears on the following pages.
Also included is a list of patents registered by JCSMR staff and students during the year.
JCSMR Staff and students have made scientific presentations at conferences nationally and internationally, and at other research institutes during 2008. These presentations are listed here.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Publications 2008
Abraham, M.J. and Gready, J.E. (2008) Ensuring mixing Bishop, A.G. and Williams, R. (2008) Screening liver efficiency of replica-exchange molecular dynamics transplant patients for tolerance. Hepatology simulations. Journal of Chemical Theory and 48(6):2082-2084 Computation 4(7):1119-1128 Board, P.G., Coggan, M., Cappello, J., Ada, G. (2008) The enunciation and impact of Zhou, H., Oakley, AJ and Anders, MW (2008) S-(4- Macfarlane Burnet’s clonal selection theory of Nitrophenacyl) glutathione is a specific substrate acquired immunity. Immunology and Cell Biology for glutathione transferase omega 1-1. Analytical 86(2):116-118 Biochemistry 374(1):25-30
Adams, D.H., Strudwick, X..L, Kopecki, Z., Hooper-Jones, Bracken, C.P., Gregory, P.A., Kolesnikoff, N., Bert, A.G., J.A., Matthaei, K.I., Campbell, H.D.., Powell, B.C. and Wang, J., Shannon, M.F. and Goodall, G.J. (2008) A Cowin, A.J. (2008) Gender specific effects on the double-negative feedback loop between actin remodelling protein Flightless I and TGF-Beta1 ZEB1-SIP1 and the microRNA-200 family regulates contribute to impaired wound healing in aged skin. epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Cancer Research International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell 68(19):7846-7854 Biology 40:1555-1569 Brettingham-Moore, K.H., Sprod, O.R., Chen, X., Alsharifi, M., Lobigs, M., Bettadapura, J., Oakford, P., Shannon, M.F. and Holloway, A.F. (2008) Koskinen, A. and Müllbacher, A. (2008) Restricted Determinants of a transcriptionally competent Semliki Forest virus replication in communication environment at the GM-CSF promoter. Nucleic Acids perforin and fas-ligand double-deficient mice. Research 36(8):2639-2653 Journal of General Virology 89:1942-1944 Part 8 Burden, C.J. (2008) Comment on ‘Stationary rotating Alsharifi, M., Müllbacher, A. and Regner, M. (2008) strings as relativistic particle mechanics’. Interferon type I responses in primary and Physical Review D 78(12):128301 secondary infections. Immunology and Cell Biology 86(3):239-245 Burden, C.J. (2008) Understanding the physics of oligonucleotide microarrays: The Affymetrix spike-in Asquith, K.L., Ramshaw, H.S., Hansbro, .PM., Beagley, data reanalysed. Physical Biology 5(1):016004 K.W., Lopez, A.F. and Foster, P.S. (2008) The IL-3/IL-5/ GM-CSF common beta receptor plays a pivotal role Burden, C.J., Kantorovitz, M.R. and Wilson, S.R. (2008) in the regulation of Th2 immunity and allergic Approximate word matches between two random airway inflammation. Journal of Immunology sequences. Annals of Applied Probability 18(1):1-21 180(2):1199-1206 Cameron, A.M., Miao, L., Ruseckaite, R., Pianta, M.J. Barritt, G.J., Chen, J.L. and Rychkov, G.Y. (2008) Ca2+ and Lamb, T.D. (2008) Dark adaptation recovery of -permeable channels in the hepatocyte plasma human rod bipolar cell response kinetics estimated membrane and their roles in hepatocyte physiology. from scotopic b-wave measurements. Journal of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-Molecular Cell Physiology 586(22):5419-5436 Research 1783(5):651-672 Caporaso, J.G., Smit, S., Easton, B., Hunter, L., Beard, N.A., Wei, L., Cheung, S.N., Kimura, T., Huttley, G.A. and Knight, R. (2008) Detecting Varsanyi, M. and Dulhunty, A.F. (2008) coevolution without phylogenetic trees? Tree- Phosphorylation of skeletal muscle calsequestrin ignorant metrics of coevolution perform as well 2+ enhances its Ca binding capacity and promotes its as tree-aware metrics. BMC Evolutionary Biology association with junctin. Cell Calcium 44(4):363-373 8(327):1-25 Berntson, A.K. and Walmsley, B. (2008) Chen, J.Z. (2008) Chronic alcohol consumption Characterization of a potassium-based leak increases the severity of murine influenza virus conductance in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid infections. Journal of Immunology 181(9):5813 body. Hearing Research 244(1-2):98-106
64 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Publications 2008
Cherbuin, N., Anstey, K.J., Sachdev, P.S., Maller, J.J., Day, S.L., Ramshaw, I.A., Ramsay, A.J. and Ranasinghe, Meslin, C., Mack, H.A., Wen, W. and Easteal, S. C .(2008) Differential effects of the type I interferons (2008) Total and regional gray matter volume is not alpha4, beta, and epsilon on antiviral activity related to APOE*E4 status in a community sample and vaccine efficacy. Journal of Immunology of middle-aged individuals. Journals of Gerontology 180(11):7158-7166 Series A-Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 63(5):501-504 Denborough, M.A. (2008) Malignant hyperthermia. Anesthesiology 108(1):156-157 Cheung, A., Zhang, S.W., Stricker, C. and Srinivasan, M.V. (2008) Animal navigation: general properties of Ellis, L., Pan, Y., Smyth, G.K., George, D.J., McCormack, directed walks. Biological Cybernetics 99(3):197-217 C., Williams-Truax, R., Mita, M., Beck, J., Burris, H., Ryan, G., Atadja, P., Butterfoss, D., Dugan, M., Chockalingam, A., Chalmers, J., Whitworth, J.A, Erdine, S., Culver, K., Johnstone, R.W. and Prince, H.M. (2008) Mancia, G., Mendis, S. and Heagerty, A. (2008) Antalya Histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat induces Statement of the International Society of Hypertension clinical responses with associated alterations in gene on the prevention of blood pressure-related diseases. expression profiles in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Journal of Hypertension 26:2255-2258 Clinical Cancer Research 14(14):4500-4510
Christensen, H., Batterham, P.J., Mackinnon, A.J., Jorm, Faunce, T.A., White, J .and Matthael, K.I. (2008) A.F., Mack, H.A, Mather, K.A., Anstey, K.J., Sachdev, Integrated research into the nanoparticle- P.S. and Easteal, S (2008) The association of APOE protein corona: a new focus for safe, sustainable genotype and cognitive decline in interaction with and equitable development of nanomedicines. risk factors in a 65-69 year old community sample. Nanomedicine 3(6):859-866 BMC Geriatrics 8(14):1-10 Feng, W., Tu, J., Pouliquin, P., Cabrales, E., Shen, X., Chung, W.Y., Sack, M., Carter, R., Spiegel, H., Fischer, R., Dulhunty, A.F., Worley, P.F., Allen, P.D. and Hirst, T.R., Williams, N.A. and James, R.F.L. (2008) Pessah, I.N. (2008) Dynamic regulation of ryanodine Phage-display derived single-chain fragment variable receptor type 1 (RyR1) channel activity by Homer 1. (scFv) antibodies recognizing conformational epitopes Cell Calcium 43(3):307-314 of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B-subunit. Journal of Immunological Methods 339(2):115-123 Fenner, F. (2008) The Australian Academy of Science: The first 50 years. Notes and Records of the Royal Clark, I.A., Alleva, L., Budd, A. and Cowden, W. (2008) Society 62(3):321-330 Understanding the role of inflammatory cytokines in malaria and related diseases. Travel Medicine and Forbes, E.E., Groschwitz, K., Abonia, J.P., Brandt, Infectious Disease 6(1):67-81 E.B., Cohen, E., Blanchard, C., Ahrens, R., Seidu, L., McKenzie, A., Strait, R., Finkelman, F.D., Foster, Cocking, L., Double, M., Milburn, P.J. and Brando, P.S., Matthaei, K.I., Rothenberg, M.E. and V.E. (2008) Seabird bycatch mitigation and blue- Hogan, S.P. (2008) IL-9-and mast cell-mediated dyed bait: A spectral and experimental assessment. intestinal permeability predisposes to oral antigen Biological Conservation 141:1354-1364 hypersensitivity. Journal of Experimental Medicine 205(4):897-913 Corley, S.M. and Gready, J.E. (2008) Identification of the RGG box motif in Shadoo: RNA-binding Foret, S., Wilson, S. and Burden, C.J. (2008) Empirical and signaling roles? Bioinformatics and Biology distribution of k-word matches in biological Insights 2:389-406 sequences Pattern Recognition 42:539-548
Daley, S.R., Cobbold, S.P. and Waldmann, H. (2008) Fc- Foster, P.S., Rosenberg, H.F., Asquith, K.L. and disabled anti-mouse CD40L antibodies retain efficacy Kumar, R.K .(2008) Targeting eosinophils in asthma. in promoting transplantation tolerance. American Current Molecular Medicine 8(6):585-590 Journal of Transplantation 8(11):2265-2271
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 65 Franklin, A. and Blanden, R.V. (2008) The strand Hill, C.E. (2008) Inward rectification and vascular bias paradox of somatic hypermutation at function: As it was in the beginning. Journal of immunoglobulin loci. Trends in Immunology Physiology 586(6):1465-1467 29(4):167-172 Hu, J., Vidovic, M., Chen, M-M., Lu, Q-Y. and Song, Garg, H.G., Mrabat, H., Yu, L.Y., Freeman, .C, Li, B.Y.Z., Z-M. (2008) Activation of α2A adrenoceptors alters Zhang, F.M., Linhardt, R.J. and Hales, C.A. (2008) dendritic spine development and the expression Significance of the 2-O-sulfo group of L-iduronic of spinophilin in cultured cortical neurons. Brain acid residues in heparin on the growth inhibition Research 1199:37-45 of bovine pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Carbohydrate Research 343(14):2406-2410 Ikeda, K., Yanagawa, Y. and Bekkers, J.M. (2008) Distinctive quantal properties of neurotransmission Gosling, K.M., Goodnow, C.C., Verma, N.K. and Fahrer, at excitatory and inhibitory autapses revealed using A.M. (2008) Defective T-cell function leading to variance-mean analysis. Journal of Neuroscience reduced antibody production in a kleisin-beta 28(50):13563-13573 mutant mouse. Immunology 125(2):208-217 Irving-Rodgers, H.F., Ziolkowski, A.F., Parish, C.R., Graham, B.P. and Stricker, C. (2008) Short Term Plasticity Sado, Y., Ninomiya, Y., Simeonovic, C.J. and Rodgers, R.J. (2008) Molecular composition of the peri-islet Provides Temporal Filtering at Chemical Synapses. basement membrane in NOD mice: a barrier against In: Artificial Neural Networks - ICANN 2008 Eds. V destructive insulitis. Diabetologia 51(9):1680-1688 Kurkova, V Kurkova-Pohlova and J Koutnik. Springer- Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg pp. 268-276 Ito, K., Herbert, C., Siegle, J.S., Vuppusetty, C., Hansbro, N., Thomas, P.S., Foster, P.S., Barnes, P.J. and Kumar, R.K. Gready, J.E. (2008) Spotlight comment on: Relative (2008) Steroid-resistant neutrophilic inflammation in Binding Affinities of Fructose-1,6-Bisphosphatase a mouse model of an acute exacerbation of asthma. Inhibitors Calculated Using a Quantum Mechanics- American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Based Free Energy Perturbation Method. JACS 2007, Biology 39(5):543-550 129:9296-9298 JACS Select 3 Jalilian, C., Gallant, E.M., Board, P.G. and Dulhunty, Heazlewood, C.K., Cook, M.C., Eri, R., Price, G.R., Tauro, A.F. (2008) Redox potential and the response of S.B., Taupin, D., Thornton, D.J., Png, C.W., Crockford, T.L., cardiac ryanodine receptors to CLIC-2, a member Cornall, R.J., Adams, R., Kato, M., Nelms, K.A., Hong, N.A., of the glutathione S-transferase structural family. Florin, T.H.J., Goodnow, C.C. and McGuckin, M.A. (2008) Antioxidants and Redox Signalling 10(10):1675-1685 Aberrant mucin assembly in mice causes endoplasmic reticulum stress and spontaneous inflammation Kaasinen, S.K., Harvey, L., Reynolds, A.J. and Hendry, I.A. resembling ulcerative colitis. PLOS Medicine 5(3):440-460 (2008) Autophagy generates retrogradely transported organelles: A hypothesis. International Journal of Hegland, M., Burden, C.J. and Santoso, L. (2008) Developmental Neuroscience 26(6):625-634 Modelling gene regulatory networks using Galerkin techniques based on state space aggregation and Kaiko, G.E., Phipps, S., Hickey, D.K., Lam, C.E., Hansbro, sparse grids. Modeling, simulation and optimization P.M., Foster, P.S. and Beagley, K.W. (2008) Chlamydia of complex processes: Proceedings of the Third muridarum infection subverts dendritic cell function International Conference on High Performance to promote Th2 immunity and airways hyperreactivity. Scientific Computing. Ed. HG Bock. Springer, Journal of Immunology 180(4):2225-2232 Heidelberg pp. 259-272 Kannappan, B. and Gready, J.E. (2008) Redefinition Herbert, C., Hettiaratchi, A., Webb, D.C., Thomas, P.S., of rubisco carboxylase reaction reveals origin of Foster, P.S. and Kumar, R.K. (2008) Suppression water for hydration and new roles for active-site of cytokine expression by roflumilast and residues. Journal of the American Chemical Society dexamethasone in a model of chronic asthma. 130(45):15063-15080 Clinical and Experimental Allergy 38(5):847-856
66 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Publications 2008
Keys, J.R., Tallack, M.R., Zhan, Y., Papathanasiou, P., Lee, E. and Lobigs, M. (2008) E protein domain III Goodnow, C.C., Gaensler, K.M., Crossley, M., Dekker, determinants of yellow fever virus 17D vaccine strain J. and Perkins, A.C. (2008) A mechanism for Ikaros enhance binding to glycosaminoglycans, impede regulation of human globin gene switching. British virus spread, and attenuate virulence. Journal of Journal of Haematology 141(3):398-406 Virology 82(12):6024-6033
Kimple, M.E., Joseph, J.W., Bailey, C.L., Fueger, P.T., Hendry, Letzkus, J.J. and Stuart, G.J. (2008) All asleep - But
I.A., Newgard, C.B. and Casey, P.J. (2008) Gαz negatively inhibition is wide awake. Neuron 57(6):804-806 regulates insulin secretion and glucose clearance. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283(8):4560-4567 Leves, F.P., Tierney, M.L. and Howitt, S.M. (2008) Polar residues in a conserved motif spanning helices 1 and Kole, M.H.P. (2008) Subthalamic firing without an end, 2 are functionally important in the SulP transporter but now with a beginning. Journal of Physiology family. International Journal of Biochemistry and 586(23):5603-5603 Cell Biology 40(11):2596-2605
Kole, M.H.P., Ilschner, S.U., Kampa, B.M., Williams, Li, R.W., Freeman, C., Yu, D., Hindmarsh, E.J., Tymms, S.R., Ruben, P.C. and Stuart, G.J. (2008) Action K.E., Parish, C.R. and Smith P.N. (2008) Dramatic potential generation requires a high sodium regulation of heparanase activity and angiogenesis channel density in the axon initial segment. Nature gene expression in synovium from patients with Neuroscience 11(2):178-186 rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism 58(6):1590-1600 Kole, M.H.P. and Stuart, G.J. (2008) Is action potential threshold lowest in the axon? Nature Neuroscience Lindsay, H., Yap, V.B., Ying, H. and Huttley, G.A. 11(11):1253-1255 (2008) Pitfalls of the most commonly used models of context dependent substitution. Biology Direct 3(52) Krug, S., Zhang, Y., Mori, .TA., Croft, K.D., Vickers, J.J., Langton, L.K. and Whitworth, J.A. (2008) Liston, A., Cowan, A. and Pearson, M. (2008) PhD N-acetylcysteine prevents but does not reverse education in science. Producing the scientific dexamethasone-induced hypertension. Clinical mindset in biomedical sciences. In: Changing and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology Practices of Doctoral Education, Eds. D Bound 35(8):979-981 and A Lee. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, UK pp. 100-112 Kuo, I.Y., Chan-Ling, T., Wojcikiewicz, R.J. and Hill, C.E. (2008) Limited intravascular coupling in the Liston, A., Enders, A. and Siggs, O.M. (2008) rodent brainstem and retina supports a role for Unravelling the association of partial T-cell glia in regional blood flow. Journal of Comparative immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation. Neurology 511(6): 773-787 Nature Reviews Immunology 8(7):545-558
Lamb, T.D., Pugh, EN Jr and Collin, SP (2008) The Liston, A,. Lu, L.F., O’Carroll, D., Tarakhovsky, A. and origin of the vertebrate eye. Evolution: Education & Rudensky, A.Y. (2008) Dicer-dependent microRNA Outreach 8(4): 415-426 pathway safeguards regulatory T cell function. Journal of Experimental Medicine 205(9):1993-2004 Leao, R.N., Leao, R.M., da Costa, L.F., Levinson, S.R. and Walmsley, B. (2008) A novel role for MNTB neuron Liston, A., Nutsch, K.M., Farr, A.G., Lund, J.M., dendrites in regulating action potential amplitude Rasmussen, J.P., Koni, P.A. and Rudensky, A.Y. (2008) and cell excitability during repetitive firing. European Differentiation of regulatory Foxp3+ T cells in the Journal of Neuroscience 27(12):3095-3108 thymic cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(33):11903-11908
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 67 Liu, M., Duke, J.L., Richter, D.J., Vinuesa, C.G., Goodnow, Oseroff, C., Peters, B., Pasquetto, V., Moutaftsi, M., C.C., Kleinstein, S.H. and Schatz, D.G. (2008) Two Sidney, J., Panchanathan, V., Tscharke, D.C., Maillere, levels of protection for the B cell genome during B., Grey, H. and Sette, A. (2008) Dissociation between somatic hypermutation. Nature 451(7180):841-845 epitope hierarchy and immunoprevalence in CD8 responses to vaccinia virus western reserve. Journal Ma, C.S., Chew, G.Y.J., Simpson, N., Priyadarshi, A., of Immunology 180(11):7193-7202 Wong, M., Grimbacher, B., Fulcher, D.A., Tangye, S.G. and Cook, M.C. (2008) Deficiency of Th17 cells Paiva, L., Marcos, R., Creus, A., Coggan, M., Oakley, in hyper IgE syndrome due to mutations in STAT3. A.J. and Board, P.G. (2008) Polymorphism of Journal of Experimental Medicine 205(7):1551-1557 glutathione transferase Omega 1 in a population exposed to a high environmental arsenic burden. Mattes, J., Collison, A. and Foster, P.S. (2008) Emerging Pharmacogenetics and genomics 18(1):1-10 role of microRNAs in disease pathogenesis and strategies for therapeutic modulation. Current Panchanathan, V., Chaudhri, G. and Karupiah, G. Opinion in Molecular Therapeutics 10(2):150-157 (2008) Correlates of protective immunity in poxvirus infection: where does antibody stand? Immunology Mulley, W.R., Li, Y.Q., Wee, J.L., Dodge, N., Christiansen, and Cell Biology 86(1):80-86 D., Simeonovic, C.J., Ierino, F.L. and Sandrin, Pardo, J., Anel, A., , and Froelich, C. (2008) M.S. (2008) Local expression of IDO, either Regner, M. Immunological Cytotoxic Factors. In: Encyclopedia of alone or in combination with CD40Ig, IL10 or Life Sciences. Eds. Y Zheng, C Tickle, R Jansson et al, CTLA4Ig, inhibits indirect xenorejection responses. Chichester: Wiley-Interscience Xenotransplantation 15(3):174-183 Pardo, J., Wallich, R., Martin, P., Urban, C., Rongvaux, Murphy, J.M., Soboleva, T.A., Mirza, S., Ford, S.C., Olsen, A., Flavell, R.A., Müllbacher, A., Borner, C. and J.E., Chen, J.L. and Young, I.G. (2008) Clarification Simon, M.M. (2008) Granzyme B-induced cell death of the role of N-glycans on the common β-subunit exerted by ex vivo CTL: discriminating requirements of the human IL-3, IL-5 and GM-CSF receptors and for cell death and some of its signs. Cell Death and the murine IL-3 β-receptor in ligand-binding and Differentiation 15(3):567-569 receptor activation. Cytokine 42(2):234-242 Prichard, Z., Mackinnon, A., Jorm, A.F. and Easteal, Oakley, A.J., Yamada, T., Liu, D., Coggan, M., Clark, S. (2008) No evidence for interaction between A.G. and Board, P.G. (2008) The identification and MAOA and childhood adversity for antisocial structural characterization of C7orf24 as -glutamyl γ behavior. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part cyclotransferase - An essential enzyme in the B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 147B(2):228-232 γ-glutamyl cycle. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283(32):22031-22042 Quah, B.J.C., Barlow, V.P., McPhun, V., Matthaei, K.I., Hulett, M.D. and Parish, C.R. (2008) Bystander B O’Neill, H.C. and Quah, B.J.C. (2008) Exosomes cells rapidly acquire antigen receptors from activated secreted by bacterially infected macrophages are B cells by membrane transfer. Proceedings of the proinflammatory. Science Signalling 1(6):1-6 National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(11):4259-4264 Ong, S.L.H., Zhang, Y. and Whitworth, J.A. (2008) Reactive oxygen species and glucocorticoid- Rangasamy, D., Tremethick, D.J. and Greaves, I.K. induced hypertension. Clinical and Experimental (2008) Gene knockdown by ecdysone-based inducible Pharmacology and Physiology 35:477-482 RNAi in stable mammalian cell lines. Nature Protocols 3(1):79-88 Oscamou, M., McDonald, D., Yap, V.B., Huttley, G.A., Lladser, M.E. and Knight, R. (2008) Comparison of Raymond, C.R. (2008) Different requirements for methods for estimating the nucleotide substitution action potentials in the induction of different forms matrix. BMC Bioinformatics 9:511 of long-term potentiation. Journal of Physiology 586(7):1859-1865
68 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Publications 2008
Regner, M., Fenner, F. and Müllbacher, A. (2008) Speckmann, C., Enders, A., Woellner, C., Thiel, D., Mousepox and Rabbitpox Viruses. In: Encyclopedia Rensing-Ehl, A., Schlesier, M., Rohr, J., Jakob, T., of Virology. 3rd ed. Eds. BWJ Mahy and MHV van Oswald, E., Kopp, M.V., Sanal, O., Litzman, J., Plebani, Regenmortel. Elsevier, US pp. 342-348 A., Pietrogrande, M.C., Franco, J.L., Espanol, T., Grimbacher, B. and Ehl, S. (2008) Reduced memory Rigby, R.J. and Vinuesa, C.G. (2008) SiLEncing SLE: the B cells in patients with hyper IgE syndrome. Clinical power and promise of small noncoding RNAs. Current Immunology 129(3):448-454 Opinion in Rheumatology 20(5):526-531 Spruston, N., Stuart, G.J. and Hausser, M. (2008) Schmuck, E., Cappello, J., Coggan, M., Brew, J., Dendritic Integration. In: Dendrites. 2nd ed. Eds. Cavanaugh, J.A., Blackburn, A.C., Baker, R.T., Eyre, G.J. Stuart, N. Spruston, and M. Häusser. Oxford H.J., Sutherland, G.R. and Board, P.G. (2008) Deletion University Press, Oxford, UK pp. 351-399 of Glu155 causes a deficiency of glutathione transferase Omega 1-1 but does not alter sensitivity Staykova, M.A., Linares, D., Fordham, S.A., Paridaen, to arsenic trioxide and other cytotoxic drugs. J.T. and Willenborg, D.O. (2008) The innate immune International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell response to adjuvants dictates the adaptive immune Biology 40(11):2553-2559 response to autoantigens. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 67(6):543-554 Schranz H.W., Yap V.B., Easteal S., Knight R. and Huttley G.A. (2008) Pathological rate matrices: from Su, X.C., McAndrew, K., Huber, T. and Otting, G. (2008) primates to pathogens. BMC Bioinformatics 9:550 Lanthanide-binding peptides for NMR measurements of residual dipolar couplings and paramagnetic Scott, B. and Easteal, S. (2008) A single-step assay for effects from multiple angles. Journal of the the Gerbich-negative allele of glycophorin C. Blood American Chemical Society 130(5):1681-1687 Cells, Molecules and Diseases 41(1):1-4 Suzuki, K., Juelich, T., Lim, H., Ishida, T., Watanebe, T., Shcheglovitov, A., Vitko, I., Bidaud, I., Baumgart, J.P., Cooper, D.A., Rao, S. and Kelleher, A.D. (2008) Closed Navarro-Gonzalez, M.F., Grayson, T.H., Lory, P., Hill, chromatin architecture is induced by an RNA duplex C.E. and Perez-Reyes, E. (2008) Alternative splicing targeting the HIV-1 promoter region. Journal of within the I-II loop controls surface expression Biological Chemistry 283(34):23353-23363 of T-type Ca(v)3.1 calcium channels. FEBS Letters Sydnes, M.O., Bezos, A., Burns, C., Kruszelnicki, I., 582(27):3765-3770 Parish, C.R., Su, S., Rae, A.D., Willis, A.C. and Banwell, Shiow, L.R., Roadcap, D.W., Paris, K., Watson, S.R., M.G. (2008) Synthesis and biological evaluation of Grigorova, I.L., Lebet, T., An, J.P., Xu, Y., Jenne, C.N., Foger, some enantiomerically pure C8c-C15 monoseco N., Sorensen, R.U., Goodnow, C.C., Bear, J.E., Puck, J.M. analogues of the phenanthroquinolizidine-type and Cyster, J.G. (2008) The actin regulator coronin 1A is alkaloids cryptopleurine and julandine. Australian mutant in a thymic egress-deficient mouse strain and Journal of Chemistry 61(7):506-520 in a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency. Takenaka, T., Inoue, T., Kanno, Y., Okada, H., Hill, C.E. Nature Immunology 9(11):1307-1315 and Suzuki, H. (2008) Connexins 37 and 40 transduce purinergic signals mediating renal autoregulation. Singhal, S., Taylor, M.A. and Baker, R.T. (2008) Deubiquitylating enzymes and disease. BMC American Journal of Physiology-egulatory Biochemistry 9(Suppl 1):S3 Integrative and Comparative Physiology 294:R1-R11 Takenaka, T., Inoue, T., Kanno, Y., Okada, H., Meaney, Smith, P.N., Leditschke, A., McMahon, D., Sample, R.R., K.R., Hill, C.E. and Suzuki, H. (2008) Expression and Perriman, D., Prins, A., Brussel, T. and Li, R.W. (2008) role of connexins in the rat renal vasculature. Kidney Monitoring and controlling intramedullary International 73(4):415-422 pressure increase in long bone instrumentation: A study on sheep. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 26(10):1327-1333
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 69 Tauro, S., Su, Y.C., Thomas, S., Schwarze, J., Matthaei, Taylor, J., Jones, R.C., Nixon, B., Dacheux, J.L., Niwa, H., K.I., Townsend, D., Simson, L., Tripp, R.A. and Sekita, Y., Huang, X.Q., Stark, A., Kheradpour, P., Kellis, Mahalingam, S. (2008) Molecular and cellular M., Flicek, P., Chen, Y., Webber, C., Hardison, R., Nelson, mechanisms in the viral exacerbation of asthma. J., Hallsworth-Pepin, K., Delehaunty, K., Markovic, Microbes and Infection 10(9):1014-1023 C., Minx, P., Feng, Y.C., Kremitzki, C., Mitreva, M., Glasscock, J., Wylie, T., Wohldmann, P., Thiru, P., Nhan, Thanweer, F., Tahiliani, V., Korresa, H., and Verma, N.K. M.N., Pohl, C.S., Smith, S.M., Hou, S.F., Renfree, M.B., (2008) Topology and identification of critical residues Mardis, E.R. and Wilson, R.K. (2008) Genome analysis of the O-acetyltransferase of serotype-converting of the platypus reveals unique signatures of evolution. bacteriophage, SF6, of Shigella flexneri. Biochemical Nature 453(7192):175-183 and Biophysical Research Communications 375(4):581-585 Wei, L., Abdellatif, Y.A., Liu, D., Kimura, T., Coggan, M., Gallant, E.M., Beard, N.A., Board, P.G. and Dulhunty, Tierney, M.L., Luu, T. and Gage, P.W. (2008) Functional A.F. (2008) Muscle-specific GSTM2-2 on the luminal asymmetry of the conserved cystine loops in alpha side of the sarcoplasmic reticulum modifies RyR beta gamma GABA(A) receptors revealed by the ion channel activity. International Journal of response to GABA activation and drug potentiation. Biochemistry and Cell Biology 40(8):1616-1628 International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 40(5):968-979 Whitworth, J.A. (2008) Power of One. In pursuit of patient care, research and health policy: today’s Vidovic, M., Chen, M.M., Lu, Q.Y., Kalloniatis, K., Martin, B., research is tomorrow’s practice and policy. The Tan, A., Lynch, C., Croaker, G., Cass, D. and Song, Z-M. Medical Journal of Australia 189:646-649 (2008) Deficiency in endothelin receptor B reduces proliferation of neuronal progenitors and increases Wilson, J.M., Cowan, A.I. and Brownstone, R.M. (2008) apoptosis in postnatal rat cerebellum. Cellular and Hb9 interneurons: Reply to Ziskind-Conhaim Molecular Neurobiology 28(8):1129-1138 and Hinckley. Journal of Neurophysiology 99(2):1047-1049 Wagstaff, K.M., Fan, J.Y., De Jesus, M.A., Tremethick, D.J. and Jans, D.A. (2008) Efficient gene delivery Wood, R.J. and Hulett, M.D. (2008) Cell surface- using reconstituted chromatin enhanced for nuclear expressed cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate targeting. FASEB Journal 22(7):2232-2242 receptor (CD222) binds enzymatically active heparanase independently of mannose 6-phosphate Warren, W.C., Hillier, L.W., Graves, J.A.M., Birney, E., to promote extracellular matrix degradation. Journal Ponting, C.P., Grutzner, F., Belov, K., Miller, W., Clarke, of Biological Chemistry 283(7):4165-4176 L., Chinwalla, A.T., Yang, S.P., Heger, A., Locke, D.P., Miethke, P., Waters, P.D., Veyrunes, F., Fulton, L., Fulton, Wu, Z., Jia, X., de la Cruz, L., Su, X., Marzolf, B., B., Graves, T., Wallis, J., Puente, X.S., Lopez-Otin, C., Troisch, P., Zak, D., Hamilton, A., Whittle, B., Ordonez, G.R., Eichler, E.E., Chen, L., Cheng, Z., Deakin, Yu, D., Sheahan, D., Bertram, E., Aderem, A., J.E., Alsop, A., Thompson, K., Kirby, P., Papenfuss, A.T., Otting, G., Goodnow, C.C. and Hoyne, G.F. (2008) Wakefield, M.J., Olender, T., Lancet, D.,Huttley, G.A., Memory T cell RNA rearrangement programmed by Smit, A.F.A., Pask, A., Temple-Smith, P., Batzer, M.A., heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein hnRNPLL. Walker, J.A., Konkel, M.K., Harris, R.S., Whittington, Immunity 29(6):863-875 C.M., Wong, E.S.W., Gemmell, N.J., Buschiazzo, E., Jentzsch, I.M.V., Merkel, A., Schmitz, J., Zemann, A., Youssoufian, M., Couchman, K., Shivdasani, M.N., Churakov, G., Kriegs, J.O., Brosius, J., Murchison, E.P., Paolini, A.G. and Walmsley, B. (2008) Maturation Sachidanandam, R., Smith, C., Hannon, G.J., Tsend- of auditory brainstem projections and calyces in Ayush, E., McMillan, D., Attenborough, R., Rens, W., the congenitally deaf (dn/dn) mouse. Journal of Ferguson-Smith, M., Lefevre, C.M., Sharp, J.A., Nicholas, Comparative Neurology 506(3):442-451 K.R., Ray, D.A., Kube, M., Reinhardt, R., Pringle, T.H.,
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Yu, D., Cook, M.C., Shin, D.M., Silva, D.G., Marshall, J., Zheng, K.Y., Board, P.G., Fei, X.F., Sun, Y., Lv, S., Yan, Toellner, K.M., Havran, W.L., Caroni, P., Cooke, M.P., G.L., Liu, J.Q., Shen, J.C. and Luo, G.M. (2008) A novel Morse, H.C., MacLennan, I.C.M., Goodnow, C.C. and selenium-containing glutathione transferase zeta1- Vinuesa, C.G. (2008) Axon growth and guidance 1, the activity of which surpasses the level of some genes identify T-dependent germinal centre B cells. native glutathione peroxidases. International Journal Immunology and Cell Biology 86(1):3-14 of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 40(10):2090-2097
Zelensky, A.N. and Gready, J.E. (2008) Analysis of whole- Zhou, J., Wolf, C.R., Henderson, C.J., Cai, Y., Board, genome and other data resources to characterize the P.G., Foster, P.S. and Webb, D.C. (2008) Glutathione molecular, structural, and evolutionary diversity of transferase P1: An endogenous inhibitor of allergic C-lectins, and discover new genes. In Animal Lectins: responses in a mouse model of asthma. American A Functional View. Eds. GR Vasta and H Ahmed. CRC Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Press, Taylor and Francis Group, UK. pp. 75-84 178(12):1202-1210
Zhang, Y., Hu, L., Mori, T.A., Barden A., Croft, K.D. and Whitworth, J.A. (2008) Arachidonic acid metabolism in glucocorticoid-induced hypertension. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 35(5- 6):557-562
Patents 2008
Gready, J.E. and Kannappan, B. (2008) Process Weiss, S.M. (2008) Reducing myocardial damage for generation of protein and uses thereof: re- and the incidence of arrhythmia arising from loss, engineering of more efficient Rubiscos. PCT published reduction or interruption in coronary blood flow. as International publication No. WO2008/043147 European Patent No. EP1924326(A1).
Gready, J.E. and Kannappan, B. (2008) Process Weiss, S.M. (2008) Reducing myocardial damage for generation of protein and uses thereof: and the incidence of arrhythmia arising from re-engineering of more efficient Rubiscos. US loss, reduction or interruption in coronary Provisional Patent Application No. 61/045552 blood flow. Australian Patent Application No. AU2006284513(A1). Weiss, S.M. (2008) Reducing myocardial damage and the incidence of arrhythmia arising from loss, reduction or interruption in coronary blood flow. US Patent Application No. US20080234339(A1)
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 71 Presentations 2008
Dr N.A. Beard Analysis of inherited and somatic mutations in cancer Unique actions of junctin and triadin on skeletal muscle and autoimmunity: new tools from mouse genomics ryanodine receptor calcium release channels The Children’s Medical Research Institute, Westmead, NSW Australian Physiology Society, Melbourne, VIC Autoimmunity and hyper-IgE syndromes caused by Dissecting part of the luminal calcium transduction quantitative defects in tcr signalling machine of skeletal muscle 12th Autoimmunity Workshop, The Garvan Institute, Australian Society for Biophysics Conference, Canberra, ACT Sydney, NSW Isoform dependent properties of CSQ Connecting genome with phenome through multiplex Biophysics Society (US), Long Beach, CA, US libraries of nucleotide variants in the mouse genome sequence: examples from the immune system Associate Professor J.M. Bekkers The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA Circuits for odour processing in the primary olfactory cortex Connecting genome with phenome through multiplex University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW libraries of nucleotide variants in the mouse genome Dr E. Bertram sequence: examples from the immune system Jian Zhou Oration, Diamantina Institute, The University Screening ENU gene variant mouse pedigrees for of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD genes involved in CD8 T cell activation, memory, immunodominance hierarchies and CTL activity to Connecting genome with phenome through multiplex influenza virus libraries of nucleotide variants in the mouse genome Annual Meeting: ‘Systems Approach to Immunity and sequence: examples from the immune system Inflammation’, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Derrick-Mackerras Memorial Lecture, Queensland MD, US Institute of Medical Research, Herston, QLD Genes and the environment: Statistics means never Dr M.G. Casarotto being able to say that you are sure The skeletal Dihydropyridine Receptor II-III loop: learning Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank on Preventative to love a disordered protein Health ‘Science and the prevention and early detection Australian Society for Biophysics Conference, Canberra, ACT of disease’, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Professor A.F. Dulhunty Genetic analysis of autoimmunity and Calsequestrin regulation of the ryanodine receptor is immunological memory isoform specific 2nd International Symposium on Infection and Immunity, Biophysics Society (US), Long Beach, CA, US Beijing, China Genetic analysis of autoimmunity and Dr A. Ellis immunological memory Gap junction-dependent and independent mechanisms Chinese Society for Immunology Meeting, Xian, China underlie EDHF dilatation in mesenteric arteries from normotensive and hypertensive rats Professor C.E. Hill 9th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, Vasomotion: Role of voltage dependent mechanisms Hamilton Island, QLD Symposium Speaker: ‘Rythmicity – Vascular cell clocks’, 9th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries, Dr C. Freeman Hamilton Island, QLD Roles of heparanase and heparan sulfate in type 1 diabetes Professor T. Hirst 17th Symposium on Glycosaminoglycans, Villa Vigoni, From basic research to industrial application Loveno di Menaggio, Italy SITH Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia Professor C.C. Goodnow Dr G.F. Hoyne SNPs and genetic pleiotropy Role of cbl-b in the control of peripheral T cell tolerance Workshop: ‘Genetically modified mouse models of human to organ-specific antigens disease’, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 12th Autoimmunity Workshop, The Garvan Institute, Sydney, NSW
72 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Presentations 2008
Role of alternative splicing in the control of T cell homeostasis Dr M. Lobigs Department of Immunology, The University of Sydney, A general mechanism for virulence attenuation of Sydney, NSW flavivirus live vaccines Memory T cell RNA rearrangement programmed by 5th Indo-Australia Medical Biotechnology Conference, heterogeneous nuclear ribonuclear protein L-like National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India Workshop on ‘Immune Regulation’, 38th Annual A general mechanism for virulence attenuation of Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for flavivirus live vaccines Immunology, Canberra, ACT 3rd AREVA-Pasteur Forum on Mosquito- and Tick-borne viruses, Shanghai, China Dr G.A. Huttley Insights into the mammal radiation from weird Professor K.I. Matthaei Australian mammals Genetically manipulated mice: Providing all the answers, Department of Applied Statistics, National University of or just more problems? Singapore, Singapore Brisbane Developmental Biology Seminar Series, UQ The weird mammal exposé: corrupt statistics and Faculty of Biological and Chemical Sciences & Institute crippled tools of Molecular Bioscience, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD Boden Research Conference ‘Beyond the platypus Genetically manipulated mice: A powerful tool with genome’, Adelaide, SA unsuspected caveats Context and Codons: standard models are biased by Australian Health and Medical Research Congress, sequence composition Brisbane, QLD Genetics Society of Australia, Adelaide, SA Genetically manipulated mice: A powerful tool with unsuspected caveats Dr T. Juelich The Endocrine Society of Australia & Society of Role of chromatin in acquisition of lineage-specific Reproductive Biology Annual Scientific Meeting, effector function Melbourne, VIC National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Genetically manipulated mice: A powerful tool with Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW unsuspected caveats Associate Professor G. Karupiah Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Genetic resistance to viral infections: lessons from Association Conference, Sydney NSW smallpox and mousepox 5th Indo-Australian Conference on Medical Biotechnology, Dr P. Papathanasiou Self-renewal of the long-term reconstituting subset of National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India hematopoietic stem cells is regulated by Ikaros Professor T.D. Lamb ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT The cellular origin of different components of the ERG Stem cells and mutants Plenary Lecture: Neuro-Ophthalmology Society of Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Australia, Neurovision Training Weekend, Canberra, ACT Perth, WA Evolution of the vertebrate eye Tempo and Mode seminar, Botany and Zoology, Research Professor C.R. Parish Medical research in the 21st century School of Biology, The Australian National University, Order of Australia National Conference, Canberra, ACT Canberra, ACT Novel approaches to targeting vaccine antigens to Evolution of the vertebrate eye dendritic cells Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK 2nd Australasian Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Evolution of the vertebrate eye Development Conference, Gold Coast, QLD University College London, London, UK Cancer immunosurveillance and immunotherapy by Evolution of the vertebrate eye Th2 immunity University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 2nd International AllergoOncology Symposium, Vienna, Austria
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 73 Heparan sulfate mimetics as novel inhibitors in cancer Dr C.R. Raymond 15th International Vascular Biology Meeting, Sydney, NSW Location, location: calcium signals underlying different Heparanase as a mechanism and as a target forms of long-term potentiation XXII International Congress of the Transplantation School of Medicine Research Colloquia, University of Society, Sydney, NSW Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW Role of heparanase and heparan sulfate in type 1 diabetes Dr M. Regner Inaugural Australian Islet Study Group Meeting, Sydney, NSW Cytotoxicity, Cell Death and the Immune System Heparanase, heparan sulfate and platelets: Key EMBO Symposium, Zaragoza, Spain regulators of tumour metastasis and angiogenesis Scientific Research Meeting, Royal North Shore Hospital, Dr C.J. Simeonovic Sydney, NSW Preservation of islet heparan sulfate (HS) is essential for beta cell survival and protects NOD/Lt mice from Dr C. Ranasinghe autoimmune diabetes Mucosal immunisation generates high avidity CTL 12th Australasian Autoimmunity Workshop, The Garvan compared to systemic immunisation and expression of Institute, Sydney, NSW IL-4-/IL-13 by CTL can modulate T cell avidity Modern Mucosal Vaccines, Adjuvants and Microbicides Professor G.J. Stuart Conference, Porto, Portugal The action potential Immunization route modulates the quality of HIV- School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, specific cytolytic T cell responses Sydney, NSW Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, CSIC, Campus Cortical Function Universidad Autonoma, Madrid, Spain Advanced Neuroscience Lecture Series, Queensland Brain Immunization route modulates the quality of HIV- Institute, Brisbane, QLD specific cytolytic T cell responses Local interactions in the cortex Louisiana Vaccine Centre, Louisiana State University Recent advances in neural circuit analysis symposium, Health Sciences Centre, New Orleans, LA, US RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Tokyo, Japan Dr D. Rangasamy Analogue signaling between local cortical circuits Japanese Neuroscience Society meeting, Tokyo, Japan Partitioning of LINE-1 retrotransposons into silent heterochromatin Imaging electrical activity in dendritic spines 10th Asia-Pacific Transcription & Transcriptional Federation of European Neuroscience meeting, Assembly, Bangalore, India Geneva, Switzerland Retrotransposable elements as regulators of The action potential gene expression Plenary lecture: Scandinavian Physiological Society Lorne Genome Conference, Lorne, VIC meeting, Oulu, Finland Spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity in the cortex Dr S. Rao Systems Plasticity and Neuronal Circuitries meeting, Histone variants H2A.Z and H3.3 differentially modulate Brisbane, QLD chromatin structure of inducible mammalian genes The action potential Lorne Genome Conference, Lorne, VIC Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, US A signal transduction kinase physically associates with chromatin structure of inducible genes in T cells Dr E. Sutcliffe Agilent Technologies, The University of Sydney, PhD: to be or not to be? Sydney, NSW National Youth Science Forum, Biochemistry and A signal transduction kinase physically associates with Molecular Biology, ANU, Canberra, ACT chromatin structure of inducible genes in T cells The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD
74 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Presentations 2008
Professor D.J. Tremethick Professor J.A. Whitworth Epigenetics and chromatin Executive Board Meeting The Gordon Conference on Chromatin Structure and World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Function, Barga, Italy 49th Session of the Advisory Committee on Health Epigenetics and chromatin Research (ACHR) Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting, Queenstown, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland New Zealand Global Forum for Health Research World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Dr C.G. Vinuesa Canberra is the Heart & Soul of the Nation Follicular T cells: new insights 2008 Rotary Club of Canberra Great Debate, Canberra, ACT Annual Meeting of the International Lymphoma Study Group (ILSG), San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid, Spain Found in Translation 2008 Canberra Regional Annual Scientific Meeting, A Follicular helper T cell pathway to systemic Canberra, Australia autoimmunity 12th Annual Australasian Autoimmunity Workshop, 2008 Voice Series Sydney, NSW National Museum of Australia, Canberra, ACT Follicular T cells: Role in the regulation of B-cell survival WHO External Reference Group Meeting for the Annual Meeting of the National Lymphoma Network, Development of Research Strategy CNIO, Madrid, Spain World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland New mouse models to understand autoimmunity and Research for Health lymphoma ASMR (NSW) XVth Scientific Meeting, Sydney, NSW Australian Society for Medical Research, Canberra Region John Reid Festschrift Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, ACT 2nd International Cardiovascular Symposium, Glasgow, Controlling the controllers: How TFH cells regulate Scotland, UK antibody and autoantibody production Hypertension During Pregnancy Plenary Lecture, 38th Australasian Society for European Society of Hypertension & ISH Joint Congress, Immunology Conference, Canberra, ACT Berlin, Germany Quality control of antibody production: Why, Where, Health Policy: Ideology or Evidence How, by Whom? Michael Quinlan Oration, Perth, WA Workshop: 38th Australasian Society for Immunology 50th Session of the Advisory Committee on Health Conference, Canberra, ACT Research (ACHR) World Health Organization, Geneva Switzerland Dr D.C. Webb The ability of Glutathione transferase Pi to suppress Dr R. Williams eosinophilia, mucus production, remodelling and airways Expression genetics and the search for biomarkers hyperresponsiveness correlates with inhibition of c-Jun Bertinoro Systems Biology Workshop, Bertinoro (Emilia- phosphorylation and IL-5 in a mouse model of allergic Romagna), Italy airways disease. Uncovering regulatory architecture in the human genome American Thoracic Society International Conference, Joint Wellcome Trust/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Toronto, Canada Conference on Network Biology, Hinxton, UK Ym1/2 promotes Th2 cytokine production by inhibiting 12/15-lipoxygenase Professor I.G. Young International Congress in Immune Regulation and Keynote speaker ‘International Forum on Biomedicine Disease, Florence, Italy and Pharmacy’ Fuzhou, China
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 75 Student Presentations 2008
Coupland L. Endothelial P-selectin vs platelet Lindsay, H. and Huttley, G.A. Estimating the P-selectin in tumour cell metastasis. 15th contribution of sequence context to substitution International Vascular Biology Meeting, Sydney, NSW rate variation Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Barcelona, Spain French H. Normalisation of one-colour chip-chip epigenome data. AMATA, Dunedin, New Zealand Lindsay, H. and Huttley, G.A. Estimating the contribution of sequence context to nucleotide substitution rate Furuya, Y. Gamma-ray inactivated influenza A vaccine heterogeneity. Mathematics and Informatics in for cross-protective T cell immunity. 4th Congress Evolution and Phylogeny, Hameau de l’Etoile, France of the Federation of Immunology Societies of Asia- Oceania, FIMSA 2008, Taipei, Taiwan Luo, O. Uncovering regulatory architecture in the human genome. ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT Hewawasam R., Liu, D., Board, P.G. and Dulhunty A.F. Effect of mutations on the modulation of the Mather, K., Milburn, P., Easteal, S., Parslow, R., Anstey, K., activity of ryanodine receptor by GSTM2-2. The Jorm, A. and Christensen, H. Telomeres and cognitive 32nd Annual Meeting of the Australian Society for performance. International College of Geriatric Biophysics, Canberra, ACT Neuropsychopharmacology Conference, Sydney, NSW
Hewawasam R., Liu, D., Board, P.G. and Dulhunty A.F. McNaughton, E. The role of multivalency in the F157A and Y160A substitutions in the helix 6 region efficiency of antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells. of GSTM2-2 C terminus reduces the inhibitory action 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian of helix 6 on ryR2 channels. Australian Physiological Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT Society Meeting, Melbourne, VIC McNaughton, E. The role of multivalency in the Karunasekara, Y., Gallant, E., Dulhunty, A.F., Board P.G. efficiency of antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells. and Casarotto M.G. Biophysical Interactions of the Australian Society for Medical Research, Canberra skeletal dihydropyridine receptor Ca2+ channel beta- Region Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, ACT subunit. ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT Poon, I. Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) – a novel Karunasekara, Y., Gallant, E., Dulhunty, A.F., Board P.G. pattern recognition molecule that senses danger. and Casarotto M.G. Functional Interactions of the 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian skeletal dihydropyridine receptor Ca2+ channel beta- Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT subunit. The 32nd Annual Meeting of the Australian Society for Biophysics, Canberra, ACT Tae, H-S., Casarotto, M.G., Board, P.G. and Dulhunty, A.F. The RyR1 SPRY2 Domain Binds to the DHPR α1s II- Lim, P.S., Chen, X., Hardy, K., Bunting, K., Ma, L., III Loop and to the RyR1 Binding Site for the DHPR Shannon, M.F. The epigenomic marks that tag β1a Subunit. Joint Biophysical Society 52nd Annual inducible genes in T cells. 29th Lorne Genome Meeting and 16th IUPAB International Biophysics Conference, Lorne, VIC Congress, Long Beach, CA, US
Lim, P.S., Chen, X., Hardy, K., Bunting, K., Ma, L., Tae, H-S., Casarotto, M.G., Board, P.G. and Shannon, M.F. The chromatin state of inducible Dulhunty, A.F. Biophysical Investigations of the genes determines their expression kinetics in Cyclised Dihydropyridine Receptor (DHPR) II-III loop. immune cells. ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT
Lindsay, H., Ying, H. and Huttley, G.A. Evidence that Tae, H-S., Casarotto, M.G., Board, P.G. and differences in DNA repair are responsible for Dulhunty, A.F. Biophysical Investigations of the heterogeneous CpG variation across mammalian Cyclised Dihydropyridine Receptor (DHPR) II-III loop. genomes. Lorne Genome Conference, Lorne, VIC The 32nd Annual Meeting of the Australian Society for Biophysics, Canberra, ACT
76 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Student Presentations 2008
Lucy Coupland Chloe Lim Ruwani Hewawasam Euan McNaughton
Tae, H-S., Casarotto, M.G., Board, P.G. and Weiss, S. Invited speaker. The Cardiac Society of Dulhunty, A.F. Biophysical investigations of the cyclised Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) II-III loop. Australian Meeting, Adelaide, SA Physiological Society Meeting, Melbourne, VIC Weiss, S. Invited speaker. The Beijing Joint Conference Tahiliani, V., Panchanathan, V., Chaudhri, G. and of Physiological Sciences, Beijing China Karupiah, G. Are neutrophils, pDCs and NK cells required for recovery from a secondary poxvirus Ying, H., Williams, R., Epps, J. and Huttley, G.A. Evidence infection? 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the that chromatin structure influences evolutionary Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT divergence. ComBio2008, Canberra, ACT
Tan, E.J. Role of co-stimulation in the generation of Ying, H., Williams, R. and Huttley, G.A. Evidence that CD8 TCR Vb diversity during influenza virus infection. nucleosome positioning influences evolutionary 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian divergence. Lorne Genome Conference, Lorne, VIC Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT
Michelle Linterman and Ivan Poon both won prizes at Dr Steven Weiss received the major prize at the the ASMR Young Investigator’s Forum in Canberra. inaugural ANU Business Development Program Awards
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 77 78 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Our Community
The John Curtin School of Medical Research is committed to maintaining contact with our past staff and students through our Alumni and Friends network. We strive to strengthen our ties with our local Canberra community through visits and speaking engagements.
For information about joining this growing network of friends and supporters, please contact our Public Affairs Manager:
Dr Madeleine Nicol E: [email protected] T: +61 2 6125 2577 F: +61 2 6125 2337
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Our Community 2008
Haemophilia Indian Rotary Friendship Group JCSMR hosted visitors from the ACT Branch of The Haemophilia A group of Indian clinicians visited JCSMR as part of the Foundation as part of World Haemophilia Day. Worldwide Rotary Friendship Exchange.
Brain Bee Year 10 students from ACT High Schools participated in the ACT Final of the Australian Brain Bee Challenge at JCSMR in June. Questions related to brain anatomy and physiology, with the students participating in both individual and team competition rounds. Burgmann Anglican School took out the Team Challenge, and won a Primostar Microscope from Zeiss for their school science laboratories.
NYSF NYSF brings together year 11 students who plan careers in science, engineering and technology, and introduces them to researchers, encouraging them to achieve excellence in all their undertakings, and helping to Senator Kate Lundy develop their Senator Kate Lundy toured the Stage 2 building site with communication and (l-r) Mr Medy Hassan, JCSMR Director Professor Judith interpersonal skills. Whitworth and Mr Bob Wells. Staff and Students will move into the new Stage 2 laboratories early in 2009.
80 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Cystic Fribrosis Film Launch Walter van Praag (pictured with his entourage) launched his documentary Coughing the Distance: Paris to Istanbul with Cystic Fibrosis in the The Finkel Lecture Theatre JCSMR as a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis research.
Community Contact 2008
Swiss Visitors Professor Denis Monard, President of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, and His Excellency Mr Christian Muhletahler, Swiss Ambassador visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research in February. They are pictured here with the portrait of Nobel Laureate Professor Rolf Zinkernagel.
Town & Gown Each year JCSMR celebrates successful research and endeavour in the ACT by bringing together members of the University, Government and Business communities from Canberra and the surrounding region. Top: Mr Rolfe Hartley with Ms Carla Huetter and Ms Leslie Francis (Canberra Convention Bureau) and JCSMR Director Professor Frances Shannon. Bottom: Mr Doug Flynn, Mrs Phoebe Bischoff, Mrs TADACT Margaret Flett and Mr David Boughton Technical Aid to the Disabled Volunteers visited the JCSMR Technical Services workshop to discuss equipment and techniques in March.
Probus The Combined Canberra Central Probus Club visited JCSMR in June as part of our ongoing guest program. If Uni Third Age your Club would like to arrange a tour, please contact Dr The Yass University of the Third Age (U3A) group came Madeleine Nicol on 02 6125 2577, or email to JCSMR to discuss issues in medical research with [email protected] to arrange a time. scientists in August.
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 81 Open Day 2008
Every year, JCSMR holds an Open Day as part of the Australian Science Festival. • Open Day provides an opportunity for you to speak with working scientists in their laboratories.
Next Open Day Friday 13 August 2010 10am–3pm
On Open Day, the School is open to all members of the public.
We encourage all members of the general public, and students with an interest in medical research to visit JCSMR on Open Day.
Scientists carrying out research in fields such as cancer, diabetes, hearing, asthma and high blood pressure are available to speak with you about your work and answer your questions on Open Day.
82 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Commitment to Serving our Community
Staff and students of the JCSMR are involved in many activities which extend beyond their laboratory work. JCSMR staff and students speak with community groups and interested members of the public through such activities as National Youth Science Forum and JCSMR Open Day, act as referees for many scientific publications and act as expert assessors for a wide range of national and international granting bodies. Some of the activities undertaken by JCSMR researchers are listed below.
Professor G.L. Ada Member: Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee Scientific Patron: Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum: The Importance of Vaccination, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT
Associate Professor J.M. Bekkers Director: Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN), Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, QLD Member: NHMRC Grant Review Panel 4a – Molecular Neuroscience Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT Expert interview: ‘Understanding the sense of smell’, ABC Local Radio
Dr E.M. Bertram Member: Australasian Society of Immunology Treasurer: Australasian Society of Immunology - ACT Branch
Dr J. Bettadapura Member Human Ethics Research Committee, ANU
Dr A. Blackburn Coordinator and Chair: Cancer Biology Workshop, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Professor R.V. Blanden Editorial Board Member: Immunology and Cell Biology Editorial Board Member: Asia-Pacific Journal of Biotechnology
Professor P.G. Board Member: Pharmaceutical subcommittee of Australian Drug Evaluation Committee Member: ACT Gene Technology Advisory Council Member: Promotions panel for the University Putra Malaysia Editorial Board Member: The Biochemical Journal Editorial Board Member: The Open Drug Metabolism Journal
Dr M.G. Casarotto Grant Assessor: National Science Foundation (US) Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Dr G. Chaudhri Member: Organizing Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT Member: Australian Society of Immunology Member: Australian Society for Medical Research Member: International Society for Cytokine and Interferon Research
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 83 Professor A.F. Dulhunty President: Australian Society for Biophysics Editorial Board Member: Calcium Binding Proteins Editorial Board Member: Ion Channels Editorial Board Member: Biochemical Journal AusReader for ARC
Professor S. Easteal Advisory Board Member: ARC Bioinformatics Centre of Excellence, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD Member: National Selection Committee, Australian-American Fulbright Commission Consultant: Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Dr C. Freeman ACT representative: Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand Advisor for ACT cancer website: http://www.hotkey.net.au/~string/listing
Professor C.C. Goodnow Member: Australian Academy of Science Special Elections Committee Medical Science Review Board Member: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Member: Infection and Immunity Strategic Advisory Committee, The Wellcome Trust, UK Editorial Board Member: Immunity, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Mammalian Genome, Journal of Autoimmunity, BMC Biology Communicating Editor: International Immunology Member: Australasian Society for Immunology Member: American Association for the Advancement of Science Member: American Association of Immunologists Co-Chair: Scientific Program Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT Member: Organizing Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT
Professor J.E. Gready Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT Editorial Board Member: Computer Physics Communications (Biophysics) and Bioinformatics and Biology Insights Convenor: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Special Interest Group Member: Selection Panel for Director National Facility of the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) Member: Royal Australian Chemical Institute Member: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Member: Australian Society for Medical Research Member: American Chemical Society
84 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Service to our Community 2008
Professor C.E. Hill ACT Representative: ANZ Microcirculation Society Editor: Journal of Physiology (London) Editor: Journal of Vascular Research Committee Member: Representation of cardiovascular interests for Australian Physiological and Pharmacological Society meetings
Professor T. Hirst Editorial Board Member: International Journal of Medical Microbiology Editorial Board Advisor: Molecular Membrane Biology Board Director: Cryptopharma Pty Ltd Board Director: Warm Contact Pty Ltd Board Director: Dosimetry & Imaging Pty Ltd Board Director: Savine Therapeutics Pty Ltd Board Director: Synergetic Services Pty Ltd Board Director: Mylexa Pty Ltd
Dr G.F. Hoyne Co-Chair: Symposium on Immune Regulation, Australasian Society for Immunology Conference, Canberra , ACT Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Dr G.A. Huttley Organising Committee Member: Lorne Genome Conference 2008 Organising Committee Member: COMBIO 2008 Chair: JCSMR IT committee Member: CMHS IT committee CMHS Research representative: Academic Systems Assurance and Advisory committee Committee Member: High Throughput Sequence Steering Committee Assessor: PhD Theses: University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD and University of Canterbury, NZ Assessor: Professorial Promotion Committee, Columbia University, New York, NY, US Participant: Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank on Preventative Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Editorial Board Member: The Open Genomics Journal
Associate Professor G. Karupiah Councillor: The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania Australian Delegate: International Union of Immunological Societies Chair: Organizing Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology Member: Australasian Society for Immunology Member: Australian Society for Medical Research Member: American Society for Microbiology Member: American Society Virology Member: International Society for Cytokine and Interferon Research
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 85 Professor T.D. Lamb Research Director: ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science Editorial Board Member: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Journal of General Physiology Finance Committee Member: Australian Academy of Science Member: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Physiological Society
Professor K.I. Matthaei Deputy Chair: ANU Institutional Recombinant DNA Biosafety Committee Affiliate member: Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development Member: ARC Centre for Network in Genes and Environment in Development Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Professor C.R. Parish Editor-in-Chief: Immunology and Cell Biology Medical Research Advisory Committee Member: The Australian Cancer Research Foundation Council Member: The International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) Co-Chair: Scientific Program Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT Co-ordinator: Tumour Immunology Workshop, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT Member: Organizing Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT
Ms A. Prins Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum, ANU, Canberra, ACT Coordinator and Instructor: Surgical Cut Up Workshop: Upskilling Histological technique and practice for current practicing histologists Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Professor I.A. Ramshaw Scientific Advisory Panel Member: Westmead Institute for Cancer Research Editorial Board Member: Viral Immunology Editorial Board Member: Microbes and Infection
Dr C. Ranasinghe Volunteer Assistant: Holy Family Care Centre for HIV/AIDS orphans, Ofcolaco, Limpopo, South Africa
Dr D. Rangasamy Editorial Board: Biotechnology Letters Member: ANU Human Research Ethics committee
86 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Service to our Community 2008
Dr C.R. Raymond ACT Council Representative: Australian Neuroscience Society Master of Ceremonies ACT regional finals: Australian Brain Bee Challenge, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT Co-Organiser: Kioloa Neuroscience Colloquium, Kioloa, NSW Instructor and presenter: Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN), Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, QLD Local Organising Committee Member: The 29th Annual Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society, 2009 Reviewing Editor: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Dr M. Regner Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT
Dr R. Rigby Participant: “Fast talk your career”, an Australian Science Festival event facilitating discussion of science careers between scientists and high school pupils
Professor M.F. Shannon Editorial Board member: FEBS Letters (The Journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies) Management Committee Member: Centre for Vascular Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW President: Lorne Genome Inc ACT Council Representative: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Organizing Committee Chair: COMBIO 2008 Assessor: First Yr PhD student (Rubicon), School of Molecular Bioscience, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA Chair: NHMRC Grant Review Panel 1a - Biochemistry
Dr C.J. Simeonovic Member: Organizing Committee, 38th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Canberra, ACT
Associate Professor C. Stricker Instructor and presenter: Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN), Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, QLD
Professor G.J. Stuart State Coordinator: ACT Brain Bee Challenge, JCSMR, Canberra, ACT Instructor and presenter: Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN), Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, QLD Associate Editor: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Dr M.L. Tierney Instructor and presenter: Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN), Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, QLD
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 87 Professor D.J. Tremethick ACT Representative: Organising Committee for the Australian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ComBio 2008 Editorial Board: Chromosome Research, Epigenetics, Chemtracts for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Chair: Organising Committee - Lorne Genome
Dr C.G. Vinuesa Member: EC Scientific Advisory Council: SYBILLA European Community Program Editor: News & Commentary, Immunology and Cell Biology Permanent Member: ANU Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (AEEC) Panellist: Australia Unlimited 2008 Roundtable, The Global Foundation Member: Australasian Society for Immunology Member: American Association of Immunologists Associate Treasurer: ACT Branch of the Australasian Society of Immunology JCSMR Representative: ANU Medical School Faculty
Professor B. Walmsley Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT
Associate Professor H.S. Warren Editorial Board Member: Immunology and Cell Biology
Dr D.C. Webb Presenter and Host: JCSMR Outreach Program, Canberra, ACT Member: Ruth Gani Travelling Fellowship Committee Assessor: PhD Thesis, School of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of WA, Perth, WA Presenter and Participant: National Youth Science Forum, ANU, Canberra, ACT
Professor J.A. Whitworth Patron: TADACT, Technical Aid to the Disabled, Canberra, ACT Patron: Wesley Institute, QLD Honorary Ambassador for Women (Commonwealth) Ambassador for Canberra Trustee: High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia Director: Research Australia (until June) Board Member: Menzies Research Institute, Hobart, TAS Co-Chair: NSW Health Care Advisory Council Chair: Research and Development Advisory Committee, The George Institute, Sydney, NSW Chair: Global Advisory Committee on Health Research, WHO Member: WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Health Science and Technology Policy Member: WHO/ISH Liaison Committee Writing Committee Co-Chair: WHO/ISH Guidelines Member: Selection Panel for the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research
88 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Service to our Community 2008
Director: Australian Science Festival Ltd (ASF) (until June) Ambassador: Heart Foundation (ACT Division) Associate Director: Menzies Centre for Health Policy, ANU, Canberra, ACT Member: Scientific Advisory Board, Ear Science Institute Australia (ESIA) Committee Member: Australian Academy of Science National Committee for Medicine Selector: 2008 National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant Review Assessor: Queensland Clinical Research Fellowships Assessment Panel
Professor I.G. Young Awards Committee Member: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Assessor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 89 90 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Support to the School 2008
• Grants • Statistics • Donors
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Grants 2008
Australian Capital Territory Health and Australian Research Council Centre of Medical Research Council Large Project Excellence in Vision Science Development Grants Professor T.D. Lamb Dr M. Cook and Dr E. Bertram Research Director Regulation of cutaneous mast cell-mediated $2,200,000 inflammation $50,000 Australian Research Council Professor K.I. Matthaei and Dr M. Frese Federation Fellowships New mouse model for interferon action in human Professor C.C. Goodnow viral diseases Discovering genes and mechanisms regulating $36,000 immune responses Professor I.A. Ramshaw $316,222 The development of a cross-strain and cross-subtype Professor T.D. Lamb pre pandemic influenza vaccine The first stage of vision: transduction and adaptation $185,983 in retinal photoreceptors $300,000 ANU Major Equipment Committee Awards Australian Research Council Professor C.R. Parish, Professor P.G. Board, Discovery Grants Professor K.I. Matthaei, Professor A.F. Dulhunty, Dr Professor P.G. Board M. Hulett, Professor D.J. Tremethick, Professor C.E. The role of gamma glutamyl cyclotransferase in Hill, Dr D. Rangasamy, Dr M.G. Casarotto, Dr C.J. glutathione homeostasis Simeonovic, Dr J. Altin and Dr R. Li $50,000 Confocal Microscope System Professor A.F. Dulhunty and Professor R Dirksen $482,000 Structural determinants of an intracellular Professor G.J. Stuart, Professor B. Walmsley, Dr calcium store J.M. Bekkers, Dr C.R. Raymond, Associate Professor $83,000 C. Stricker, Professor S. Redman and Dr V. Daria Professor J.E. Gready and Dr P.L. Cummins Two-photon microscope for ‘in vivo’ imaging Importance of conformational and electrostatic $30,000 contributions in simulations of enzyme reaction Dr G. Allison, Professor M. Spriggs, Dr A. Blackburn, mechanisms Dr B.J.K. Evans, Dr R. Arkell, Dr M. Cook, Professor S. $85,000 Easteal, Professor W. Foley, Dr J.S. Keogh, Professor Professor C.E. Hill J. Graves, Dr G.F. Hoyne, Dr G.A. Huttley, Professor Involvement of cell coupling in vascular function: S. Broer, D.J. Cavanaugh, Dr A. Millar, Dr S. Rao, Development of a computational model Professor R. Saint, Dr R. Williams, Professor M.F. $85,000 Shannon, Professor M. Badger, Dr C. Cazzonelli, Professor D.J. Tremethick Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr D. Gordon, Professor R. The dynamic control of chromatin structure Peakall, Dr B. Pogson, Dr E. Ball, Dr S. Bedford, Dr C. $88,000 Behm, Dr M. Djordjevic, , Dr C.G. Vinuesa Professor Professor T Pogge and Professor J.A. Whitworth J.E. Gready, Dr D. Hayward, Dr I. Nijat, Dr U. Just rules for incentivizing pharmaceutical research Mathesius, Professor C.R. Parish, Dr D. Rangasamy, and for disseminating its benefits Professor B.G. Rolfe, Professor D.J. Tremethick, Dr G. $106,000 Weiller, Dr G. Collins, Professor E. Dennis, Dr D. Lovell, Dr T. Agostino, Dr G. Kennedy and Dr A. Young Next generation high throughput DNA sequencer $175,000
92 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Grants 2008
Australian Research Council Linkage Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation Grant Menzies Research Centre Grant Professor A.F. Dulhunty, Professor C.J. Easton and Dr A. Liston Dr M.G. Casarotto RG Menzies Fellowship Refinement and delivery of synthetic compounds that $5,000 specifically alter muscle contraction $46,250 National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia Novel Concept Award Commonwealth Department of Dr A.C. Blackburn and Professor P.G. Board Education, Science and Training/National Chemoprevention of breast cancer with a Collaborative Research nonhormonal, non-toxic anticancer agent Infrastructure Strategy $90,046 Professor M.F. Shannon and Dr E. Dennis Establishment of an epigenomics node of Genomics National Health & Medical Research Australia in the ACT Council CJ Martin Fellowship $270,000 Dr A. Cook The role of the histone NSAP in regulating histone Commonwealth Department of dynamics Innovation Industry Science and $115,013 Research (DIISR) International Science Mr A. Sutherland Linkages Program Mechanisms of metabolic and immunological Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr E. Bertram, Mr G. regulation by the novel transcription factor DPZF Sjollema, Dr S. Winslade, Professor P. Doherty, $83,905 Professor D.J. Hilton, Professor S. Turner, Dr P. Hertzog, Dr H. Tang, Dr G. Gao and Dr S. Wang National Health & Medical Research Genetically resistant mouse strains of avian influenza Council Capacity Building Grant in $475,000 Population Health Research Professor S. Easteal, Professor H. Christensen, Dr K. European Commission Grant Anstey, Dr K. Griffiths, Professor A. Mackinnon and Dr Professor C.C. Goodnow P. Butterworth EURAPS: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome Translating population-based mental health and type 1 – a rare disorder of childhood as a model for ageing research into evidence-based prevention and autoimmunity policy EUR 15,000 (Combined grant with National Health & $354,050 Medical Research Council) National Health & Medical Research Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Council Enabling Grant Professor C.C. Goodnow and Dr G.F. Hoyne Professor C.C. Goodnow Identifying genes and pathways opposing type 1 diabetes Australian Phenome Bank USD$500,000 $300,000
The Menzies Foundation National Health & Medical Research Professor S. Leeder, Mr R. Wells and Professor J.A. Council Equipment Grant Whitworth Dr D.C. Webb The Menzies Centre for Health Policy Ergonomic light microscope $62,000 $6,439
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 93 National Health & Medical Research Professor P.G. Board, Dr R.T. Baker and Dr A. Oakley Council Peter Doherty (Biomedical) Pharmacogenetic and structural analysis of Omega class glutathione transferases Fellowships $160,000 Dr B. Quah Professor P.G. Board, Professor K.I. Matthaei, Dr A. Intercellular communication of antigen receptors Blackburn, Dr A. Shield, and Dr J Dahlstrom during immune response development Glutathione transferase deficient mice to probe for $67,250 adverse drug reactions $180,500 National Health & Medical Research Council Program Grants Professor P.G. Board, Professor K.I. Matthaei, Dr A. Blackburn, Dr A. Shield, Dr J. Dahlstrom and Professor C. MacKay, Professor J. Sprent, Professor Professor C.C. Goodnow C.C. Goodnow, Dr F. MacKay, Dr C.G. Vinuesa, EURAPS: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome Professor A. Basten, Professor B. Fazekas de St Groth, type 1– a rare disorder of childhood as a model for Dr S. Tangye and Dr R. Brink autoimmunity Molecular and cellular studies of the adaptive $168,981 (Combined Grant with European immune response in health and disease Commission) $707,000 Dr G. Chaudri and Associate Professor G. Karupiah Dr M. Berndt, Professor C. Chesterman, Professor Regulation of antiviral and anti-inflammatory B. Chong, Professor P. Hogg, Associate Professor L. responses by mTNF: Key role of reverse signalling by Khachigian, Professor C.R. Parish and Dr R. Stocker host and viral TNFR Vascular biology $183,500 $467,588 Professor S. Easteal, Dr K. Anstey, Professor H. Professor P. Doherty, Professor I.A. Ramshaw, Christensen, Dr K. Griffiths, Professor A. Mackinnon Professor D. Cooper and Associate Professor S. Kent and Dr P. Butterworth HIV infection: Immunobiology and vaccine design A longitudinal study of depression, anxiety, substance $295,911 use and cognitive change: PATH Through Life Wave 3 $544,200 National Health & Medical Research Professor S. Easteal and Dr G.A. Huttley Council Project Grants Exploiting sexual differences in germline biology to Dr N.A. Beard resolve the causes of germline mutation Identification of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum: $124,500 Targets for cardiotoxic drugs Professor C.C. Goodnow $88,500 Genetic and biochemical mechanisms dysregulating Dr J.M. Bekkers CD4 T-cell tolerance in organ-specific autoimmunity Synaptic inhibition and the control of excitability in $205,000 the rodent piriform cortex Professor C.C. Goodnow $147,000 Mechanisms controlling antibody production by Professor P.G. Board, Professor A.F. Dulhunty and modulating B Cell antigen receptor signalling Dr M.G. Casarotto $191,250 Communication between calcium ion channels in Professor C.E. Hill and Dr S. Sandow skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling Voltage dependent calcium channels and vascular $192,938 function: Do microdomains determine function? Professor P.G. Board, Professor A.F. Dulhunty and $173,500 Dr M.G. Casarotto Professor C.E. Hill and Professor K.I. Matthaei Glutathione transferase-derived compounds as The role of connexins in blood pressure regulation: therapeutic agents Use of a conditional gene expression system $133,875 $193,500
94 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Grants 2008
Professor T. Hirst Professor G.J. Stuart Cholera toxin co-receptor interaction in the Cellular mechanisms underlying absence epilepsy prevention of inflammatory autoimmune disorders $93,750 $115,875 Professor G.J. Stuart and Dr J-D. Breton Dr M. Lobigs Brain plasticity following changes in sensory input Viral factors involved in flavivirus replication and $100,000 host-pathogen interactions Dr M.L. Tierney $72,250 Structural determinants underlying high conductance Dr M. Lobigs and Dr E. Lee GABA–A channels Role of cell surface glycosaminoglycans in flavivirus $120,000 biology Professor D.J. Tremethick $161,250 Regulation of the histone code by histone variants Professor A. Müllbacher and Dr M. Regner $188,500 Role of granzymes in innate immunity Professor D.J. Tremethick and Dr D. Rangasamy $157,000 Mechanisms that underpin chromosome stability Professor C.R. Parish and Dr B. Quah $166,250 Antigen receptor sharing by lymphocytes during an Professor B. Walmsley immune response Plasticity in central auditory pathways $91,750 $90,750 Dr S. Rao Dr D.C. Webb, Professor R Kumar and Transcriptional regulation and the role of key histone Dr M.G. Casarotto variants in defining gene-specific chromatin states Functional analysis of the Ym2 chitinase-like lectins $147,800 in allergic airways disease Dr S. Turner, Dr S. Rao and Professor D.J. Tremethick $92,250 Chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation Dr D.C. Webb, Professor P.G. Board and Dr M.G. of CD8 T-cell effector function gene expression Casarotto $87,600 The role of glutathione transferase P1 in regulating Dr C.R. Raymond allergic airways disease The role of action potentials in local calcium $139,750 signalling and induction of different forms of LTP Professor I.G. Young and Professor P.S. Foster $104,250 Role of IL-3 in allergic inflammation: modulation of Dr R. Rigby, Dr C.G Vinuesa, Dr G.A. Huttley and basophils mast cells eosinophils and remodelling in Professor C.C. Goodnow asthma Genetic pathology of Roquin in human autoimmune $158,500 disease Dr Y. Zhang and Professor J.A. Whitworth $158,500 Nitroso-redox imbalance in glucocorticoid-induced Professor M.F. Shannon hypertension The role of c-Rel in controlling chromatin architecture $109,250 and transcription networks in T lymphocytes $170,500 National Health & Medical Research Professor M.F. Shannon, Dr K. Hardy and Council RD Wright Biomedical Career Dr A. Holloway Development Awards Epigenomic marks as indicators of the kinetics of Dr A. Blackburn gene expression in immune cells $87,250 $218,500 Dr D. Rangasamy $90,500
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 95 Grants 2008
National Health & Medical Research National Institutes of Health (US) Council Research Fellowships Project Grants Dr P. Papathanasiou Professor A.F. Dulhunty and Professor R. Dirksen An investigation of reprogramming and lineage Control of calcium movements in muscle switching/selection in somatic mouse stem cells through $19,278 (in conjunction with The University of the manipulation of critical nuclear regulatory factors $68,500 Rochester, NY, US) Dr R. Williams Professor R.E.W. Fyffe and Professor B. Walmsley Knowledge discovery in the human liver Mechanisms of mammalian neuronal integration transcriptome $USD80,000 (in conjunction with Wright State $17,438 University, OH, US)
National Health & Medical Research Perpetual Trustees Council Senior Research Fellowships Professor C.C. Goodnow Associate Professor G. Karupiah Identification of genetic mutations in systemic lupus $119,000 erythematosus Associate Professor H.S. Warren $50,000 $116,750 Roche Organ Transplantation Research National Health & Medical Research Foundation (ROTRF)/ Juvenile Diabetes Council Special Program in Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) (Switzerland) Professor C.R. Parish, Dr G.F. Hoyne, Dr C. Freeman Dr C.J. Simeonovic and Professor C.R. Parish and Dr C.J. Simeonovic Roles of heparanase and its inhibitor PI-88 in the Role of heparan sulfate heparanase and heparanase inhibitors in the development and prevention of Type destruction and protection of islet grafts I Diabetes $120,000 $600,000 Vaxine Pty Ltd Research Grant National Health & Medical Research Dr M. Lobigs Council Training (Postgraduate) Award Flavivirus vaccines based on inulin adjuvants Dr J. Ellyard $25,000 The effect of follicular helper T cells on AID regulation and selection of high affinity germinal centre B cells Sylvia and Charles Viertel Senior Medical $105,181 Research Fellowship National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Dr C.G. Vinuesa Disease, National Institutes of Health, US The Roquin tolerance pathway: biology, pathology, Professor R. Ulevitch, Dr A. Aderem, Dr B. Beutler, and therapeutic strategies Professor L. Teyton, Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr $195,000 G. Nolan, Dr E. Bertram, Dr D. Tscharke, Associate Professor G. Karupiah and Dr I. Schmulevitch The Wellcome Trust Strategic Systems approach to immunity and inflammation Programme Grant $956,863 Professor R.J. Cornall, Professor J.I. Bell, Professor C.C. Goodnow, Dr M. Lathrop, National Institutes of Health (US) Professor W. Britton and Dr C.G. Vinuesa Program Grant Immunity and Infection Genomics Consortium Associate Professor G. Karupiah $797,911 CD8+ T cell specificity in mouse models of small pox vaccination and challenge $311,808
96 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Statistics 2008
Staff Numbers 2008 2007 2006 Academic staff 93 92 91 General Staff — administration, technical & support 110 203 195 Postgraduate students 69 81 88
In 2008, all members of the JCSMR Animal Services Division moved into the ANU Bioscience Services Division, administered under the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment
Income Base Allocation $12,911,000 Special Purpose Funds (SPF) $10,215,000 IGS, RTS, RIBG $4,462,000 Other Income $2,250,000 Adjustments -$13,000 TOTAL INCOME $29,825,000
Expenditure Staff Costs $9,560,000 Special Purpose Funds (SPF) $10,215,000 Other $2,917,000 Expendable Research Material (ERM) $1,399,000 Scholarships $816,000 Equipment $1,385,000 Travel $456,000 Transfers to Other (ABS) $2,611,00 TOTAL EXPENDITURE $29,359,000
Special Purpose Funds Government Grants $9,285,000 Other $930,000 TOTAL $10,215,000
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 97 Donors 2008
The Director, staff and students of The John Curtin School of Medical Research are extremely grateful for the continued generosity of our friends and donors.
We would like to thank the following donors for their generous support in 2008
Professor Gordon Ada Mrs Florence D. Curtis
Mr James A.G. Barratt Ms Elizabeth Dangerfield
Ms Raelee Barrett Mr Robert P. Davies
Ms Janine Baumhammer Mr Witold B. De Waldorf
Friends and Family of Ms Joanne Duffy Mr Kenneth Bendall Ms Helen Favelle Mr Ernest Bernau Professor Frank Fenner Mr Paul and Mrs Kim E. Biddlestone Dr Joyce Fildes Mrs Sandra Bradley Dr Alan and Dr Elizabeth Finkel Mrs Nora Brickhill and Family Mr Brian Fish Mr J. and Mrs R. Brown Mr Eric J. Fitzsimons Mr Phil and Mrs Sue Bunyan Professor Joe Gani Ms Pat Burbidge Christian Women’s Fellowship Mrs Karen Byrne Ainslie Church 0f Christ
Ms Margaret Cameron Mr Neil F. Gentle
Ms Betty Cain Mrs Margaret V. Gibb
Friends and Family of Friends and Family of Mr Leo Carkagis Professor Frank Gibson
Mr Peter Carkagis Mrs Robin M. Gibson
Mr Jack Carters Mr Shane Godbold
Comsuper Mr Duncan Grylls
Ms Pam Cooper H&R Block Limited
Mr Luigi and Mrs Assunta Corbo Mr Graham H. Hart
I.E. Cox Mr William Harte
Mr Bob and Mrs Melda Crawford Mr John Hudson
98 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 Donors 2008
Mr Eric S. Hummer Mr David B. Nott
Mr Phillip and Mrs Patricia Hunt M O’Connor
Ms Kerryn Hunter Ms Elizabeth Owen
Mr Phil Hunter Mr Keith F. Owen
D. Keefer Mr Michael J. Owen
Mr John and Mrs Joan Kellett Ms Ruth D. Owen
Mr Kevin Kirk Friends and Family of Mr Peter Owen Mr Paul H. Kitney Mr Denis R. Page Mr John B.H. Lee Mr John Partridge Mrs Edna A. Levy Ms Leonie Paterson Mr Maurie Linden Mr Raymond R. Pelham-Thorman Mrs Jovanka Lozanovski Probills Australia Pty Ltd Friends and Family of Mr Mile Lozanovski The Combined Probus Club of Cooleman Inc Friends and Family of Mrs Miriam Matthews Ms Lesley Roberts
Mr B.M. and Mrs G.E. McCallum Mr H. & Mrs J. Robertson
Mr Ian Morison Ms Marie Robertson
Friends and Family of Dr Jonathan M. Rosalky Mr Robert I. Morison Mr Joseph A. Ruhland Ms Anne Mouton Mr and Mrs P. Russell Ms Janet Mulgrue Mr Chad Ryan Mrs June M. Nash Mr Rob and Mrs Ann Sayer Mrs Betty Nathan and Family
Nikias Property Group Mr R.W. and Mrs R.M. Shorney
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008 99 Donors 2008
Friends and Family of Mr Eric Timm Mr Dieter Slavik Mr D. and Mrs L. Tompkins Mr David Smith Mr Ken J. Tuckwell Friends and Family of Mr Michael Smith Mr Robert M. Tupper
Mrs Margaret K. Sneddon Ms Deirdre Lynette Turner
Mr Doug and Mrs Mavis Stevens Mr H.M. Van Den Broucke and Family Friends and Family of Mr Darcy Walsh Mrs Janice Stevenson Ms Margaret Webber Chung Lin Stock
Family and Friends of Mrs Jenny West Ms Ewa Targ Ms Deborah Whitfield Family and Friends of Ms Suzanne Thomson Ms Julie Wilson
Mr Paul Threlfall Dr Gwen Woodroofe
Mr Allan and Mrs Patricia Timm Mrs Margaret A. Yeung
The John Curtin School of Medical Research Needs Your Support
Gifts and bequests to the School are used to fund vital research projects in areas such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, hearing loss and vision, as well as providing scholarships and purchasing specialised equipment. Your support can be provided in a number of ways including a gift or bequest that may assist in funding a particular area of research, or a scholarship or prize.
If you would like to discuss options for supporting The John Curtin School of Medical Research, please contact:
Dr Madeleine Nicol T: +61 2 6125 2577 F: +61 2 6125 2337 M: 0407 278 913 E: [email protected]
100 The John Curtin School of Medical Research Annual Review 2008