Overview
Background
Professor Kate Schroder heads the Inflammasome Laboratory and is Director of the Centre for Inflammation and Disease Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), University of Queensland, as an NHMRC Leadership Fellow. Kate’s graduate studies defined novel macrophage activation mechanisms and her subsequent postdoctoral research identified surprising inter-species divergence in the inflammatory programs of human versus mouse macrophages. As an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow in Switzerland, Kate trained with the pioneer of inflammasome biology, Jürg Tschopp. The IMB Inflammasome Laboratory, which Kate heads, investigates the molecular mechanisms governing inflammasome activity and caspase activation, the cellular mediators of inflammasome-dependent inflammation, and mechanisms of inflammasome inhibition by cellular pathways and small molecule inhibitors.
Kate is a co-inventor on patents for small molecule inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome, currently under commercialisation by Inflazome Ltd. Inflazome Ltd was recently acquired by Roche in a landmark deal – one of the largest in Australian and Irish biotech history. The acquisition gives Roche full rights to Inflazome’s portfolio of inflammasome inhibitors. Two of the company’s drug candidates are in clinical trials for the treatment of debilitating conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and motor neuron disease.
Kate has authored more than 100 publications, featuring in journals such as Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Nature Chemical Biology, Journal of Experimental Medicine and PNAS USA, and her work has been cited more than 17,000 times. Kate is an Editorial Board Member for international journals including Science Signaling, Clinical and Translational Immunology and Cell Death Disease. She is the recipient of the 2019 ANZSCDB Emerging Leader Award, 2019 Merck Research Medal, 2014 Milstein Young Investigator Award, 2013 Tall Poppy Award, 2012 Gordon Ada Career Award, 2010 QLD Premier’s Postdoctoral Award, and the 2008 Society for Leukocyte Biology’s Dolph Adams Award.
INFLAMMASOME LABORATORY RESEARCH
During injury or infection, our body’s immune system protects us by launching inflammation. But uncontrolled inflammation drives diseases such as gout, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. The Inflammasome Lab is defining the molecular and cellular processes of inflammation. We seek to unravel the secrets of inflammasomes – protein complexes at the heart of inflammation and disease – to allow for new therapies to fight human diseases.
The Inflammasome Laboratory integrates molecular and cell biology approaches with in vivo studies to gain a holistic understanding of inflammasome function during infection, and inflammasome dysfunction in human inflammatory disease. Current research interests include the molecular mechanisms governing inflammasome activity and caspase activation, the cellular mediators of inflammasome-dependent inflammation, and inflammasome suppression by autophagy and small molecule inhibitors.
Availability
- Professor Kate Schroder is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research impacts
Our research focuses on understanding how immune cells launch healthy inflammation to fight infection and unhealthy inflammation to promote disease. By understanding exactly how the body fights infection, we can help identify new drug targets or vaccines to combat infectious disease, which causes 13 million deaths globally each year. By understanding how unhealthy inflammation is initiated, we may also be able to design new strategies for the treatment of common diseases such as cancer, gout and diabetes.
Works
Search Professor Kate Schroder’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Apical extrusion prevents apoptosis from activating an acute inflammatory program in epithelia
Duszyc, Kinga, von Pein, Jessica B., Ramnath, Divya, Currin-Ross, Denni, Verma, Suzie, Lim, Fayth, Sweet, Matthew J., Schroder, Kate and Yap, Alpha S. (2023). Apical extrusion prevents apoptosis from activating an acute inflammatory program in epithelia. Developmental Cell, 58 (21), 2235-2248.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.009
2023
Journal Article
Caspase-4 dimerisation and D289 auto-processing elicit an interleukin-1β-converting enzyme
Chan, Amy H., Burgener, Sabrina S., Vezyrgiannis, Kassandra, Wang, Xiaohui, Acklam, Jadie, Von Pein, Jessica B., Pizzuto, Malvina, Labzin, Larisa I., Boucher, Dave and Schroder, Kate (2023). Caspase-4 dimerisation and D289 auto-processing elicit an interleukin-1β-converting enzyme. Life Science Alliance, 6 (10) e202301908, 1-11. doi: 10.26508/lsa.202301908
2023
Book Chapter
Live Imaging of pyroptosis in primary murine macrophages
Holley, Caroline L. and Schroder, Kate (2023). Live Imaging of pyroptosis in primary murine macrophages. Inflammation and cancer: methods and protocols. (pp. 139-153) New York, NY USA: Humana New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3331-1_11
2023
Journal Article
Reversing the mitochondrial hex that bewitches NLRP3
Mellacheruvu, Manasa, Lawrence, Grace M. E. P., Emming, Stefan and Schroder, Kate (2023). Reversing the mitochondrial hex that bewitches NLRP3. Science Immunology, 8 (84) eadh2967, 1-4. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adh2967
2023
Journal Article
Response to comment on “Inflammasome inhibition prevents α-synuclein pathology and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in mice”
Albornoz, Eduardo A., Gordon, Richard, Kumar, Vinod, Robertson, Avril A. B., Schroder, Kate and Woodruff, Trent M. (2023). Response to comment on “Inflammasome inhibition prevents α-synuclein pathology and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in mice”. Science Translational Medicine, 15 (696) adh0604, 1-4. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh0604
2023
Journal Article
Apoptotic cell death in disease—Current understanding of the NCCD 2023
Vitale, Ilio, Pietrocola, Federico, Guilbaud, Emma, Aaronson, Stuart A., Abrams, John M., Adam, Dieter, Agostini, Massimiliano, Agostinis, Patrizia, Alnemri, Emad S., Altucci, Lucia, Amelio, Ivano, Andrews, David W., Aqeilan, Rami I., Arama, Eli, Baehrecke, Eric H., Balachandran, Siddharth, Bano, Daniele, Barlev, Nickolai A., Bartek, Jiri, Bazan, Nicolas G., Becker, Christoph, Bernassola, Francesca, Bertrand, Mathieu J. M., Bianchi, Marco E., Blagosklonny, Mikhail V., Blander, J. Magarian, Blandino, Giovanni, Blomgren, Klas, Borner, Christoph ... Galluzzi, Lorenzo (2023). Apoptotic cell death in disease—Current understanding of the NCCD 2023. Cell Death and Differentiation, 30 (5), 1097-1154. doi: 10.1038/s41418-023-01153-w
2023
Journal Article
Macrophage ACE2 is necessary for SARS-CoV-2 replication and subsequent cytokine responses that restrict continued virion release
Labzin, Larisa I., Chew, Keng Yih, Eschke, Kathrin, Wang, Xiaohui, Esposito, Tyron, Stocks, Claudia J., Rae, James, Patrick, Ralph, Mostafavi, Helen, Hill, Brittany, Yordanov, Teodor E., Holley, Caroline L., Emming, Stefan, Fritzlar, Svenja, Mordant, Francesca L., Steinfort, Daniel P., Subbarao, Kanta, Nefzger, Christian M., Lagendijk, Anne K., Gordon, Emma J., Parton, Robert G., Short, Kirsty R., Londrigan, Sarah L. and Schroder, Kate (2023). Macrophage ACE2 is necessary for SARS-CoV-2 replication and subsequent cytokine responses that restrict continued virion release. Science Signaling, 16 (782) eabq1366, eabq1366. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.abq1366
2023
Journal Article
Mitochondrial dynamics in macrophages: divide to conquer or unite to survive?
Afroz, Syeda Farhana, Raven, Karoline D, Lawrence, Grace M. E. P., Kapetanovic, Ronan, Schroder, Kate and Sweet, Matthew J. (2023). Mitochondrial dynamics in macrophages: divide to conquer or unite to survive?. Biochemical Society. Transactions, 51 (1), 41-56. doi: 10.1042/bst20220014
2023
Journal Article
Stoking inflammasome fires in the COVID-19 neighborhood
Labzin, Larisa I. and Schroder, Kate (2023). Stoking inflammasome fires in the COVID-19 neighborhood. Cell Host and Microbe, 31 (2), 168-170. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.01.008
2023
Journal Article
HDAC7 is an immunometabolic switch triaging danger signals for engagement of antimicrobial versus inflammatory responses in macrophages
Das Gupta, Kaustav, Ramnath, Divya, von Pein, Jessica B., Curson, James E. B., Wang, Yizhuo, Abrol, Rishika, Kakkanat, Asha, Moradi, Shayli Varasteh, Gunther, Kimberley S., Murthy, Ambika M. V., Stocks, Claudia J., Kapetanovic, Ronan, Reid, Robert C., Iyer, Abishek, Ilka, Zoe C., Nauseef, William M., Plan, Manuel, Luo, Lin, Stow, Jennifer L., Schroder, Kate, Karunakaran, Denuja, Alexandrov, Kirill, Shakespear, Melanie R., Schembri, Mark A., Fairlie, David P. and Sweet, Matthew J. (2023). HDAC7 is an immunometabolic switch triaging danger signals for engagement of antimicrobial versus inflammatory responses in macrophages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (4) e2212813120, 1-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2212813120
2023
Book Chapter
Quantifying Cell Death Induced by the NLRC4 Inflammasome
Emming, Stefan, Monteleone, Mercedes M., Kambara, Hiroto, Starchenko, Alina, Alley, Jennifer, Nolan, Michael A., Li, Wei, Kilty, Iain and Schroder, Kate (2023). Quantifying Cell Death Induced by the NLRC4 Inflammasome. NLR Proteins: Methods and Protocols. (pp. 199-210) New York, NY United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3350-2_13
2022
Journal Article
Parkinson's disease: connecting mitochondria to inflammasomes
Lawrence, Grace M.E.P., Holley, Caroline L. and Schroder, Kate (2022). Parkinson's disease: connecting mitochondria to inflammasomes. Trends in Immunology, 43 (11), 877-885. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2022.09.010
2022
Journal Article
Come on mtDNA, light my fire
Lawrence, Grace M.E.P., Holley, Caroline L. and Schroder, Kate (2022). Come on mtDNA, light my fire. Immunity, 55 (8), 1331-1333. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.07.011
2022
Journal Article
Isolation and culture of pure adult mouse microglia and astrocytes for in vitro characterization and analyses
Milner, Mark T., Lawrence, Grace M. E. P., Holley, Caroline L., Bodea, Liviu-Gabriel, Götz, Jürgen, Burgener, Sabrina S. and Schroder, Kate (2022). Isolation and culture of pure adult mouse microglia and astrocytes for in vitro characterization and analyses. STAR Protocols, 3 (2) 101295, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101295
2022
Journal Article
Inflammasomes and the IL-1 family in bone homeostasis and disease
Tseng, Hsu-Wen, Samuel, Selwin Gabriel, Schroder, Kate, Lévesque, Jean-Pierre and Alexander, Kylie A (2022). Inflammasomes and the IL-1 family in bone homeostasis and disease. Current Osteoporosis Reports, 20 (3), 170-185. doi: 10.1007/s11914-022-00729-8
2022
Journal Article
NLRP3 and pyroptosis blockers for treating inflammatory diseases
Coll, Rebecca C., Schroder, Kate and Pelegrín, Pablo (2022). NLRP3 and pyroptosis blockers for treating inflammatory diseases. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 43 (8), 653-668. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2022.04.003
2022
Journal Article
Inflammatory caspases: toward a unified model for caspase activation by inflammasomes
Ross, Connie, Chan, Amy H., von Pein, Jessica B., Maddugoda, Madhavi P., Boucher, Dave and Schroder, Kate (2022). Inflammatory caspases: toward a unified model for caspase activation by inflammasomes. Annual Review of Immunology, 40 (1), 249-269. doi: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-101220-030653
2022
Journal Article
Interleukin‐1 is overexpressed in injured muscles following spinal cord injury and promotes neurogenic heterotopic ossification
Tseng, Hsu‐Wen, Kulina, Irina, Girard, Dorothée, Gueguen, Jules, Vaquette, Cedryck, Salga, Marjorie, Fleming, Whitney, Jose, Beulah, Millard, Susan M., Pettit, Allison R., Schroder, Kate, Thomas, Gethin, Wheeler, Lawrie, Genêt, François, Banzet, Sébastien, Alexander, Kylie A. and Levesque, Jean‐Pierre (2022). Interleukin‐1 is overexpressed in injured muscles following spinal cord injury and promotes neurogenic heterotopic ossification. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 37 (3), 531-546. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.4482
2022
Journal Article
Rapid lamellipodial responses by neighbor cells drive epithelial sealing in response to pyroptotic cell death
Bonfim-Melo, Alexis, Noordstra, Ivar, Gupta, Shafali, Chan, Amy H., Jones, Mathew J.K., Schroder, Kate and Yap, Alpha S. (2022). Rapid lamellipodial responses by neighbor cells drive epithelial sealing in response to pyroptotic cell death. Cell Reports, 38 (5) 110316, 110316. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110316
2022
Journal Article
Aim2 suppresses cigarette smoke-induced neutrophil recruitment, neutrophil caspase-1 activation and anti-Ly6G-mediated neutrophil depletion
Donovan, Chantal, Kim, Richard Y, Galvao, Izabela, Jarnicki, Andrew G, Brown, Alexandra C, Jones-Freeman, Bernadette, Gomez, Henry M, Wadhwa, Ridhima, Hortle, Elinor, Jayaraman, Ranjith, Khan, Haroon, Pickles, Sophie, Sahu, Priyanka, Chimankar, Vrushali, Tu, Xiaofan, Ali, Md Khadem, Mayall, Jemma R, Nguyen, Duc H, Budden, Kurtis F, Kumar, Vinod, Schroder, Kate, Robertson, Avril AB, Cooper, Matthew A, Wark, Peter AB, Oliver, Brian G, Horvat, Jay C and Hansbro, Philip M (2022). Aim2 suppresses cigarette smoke-induced neutrophil recruitment, neutrophil caspase-1 activation and anti-Ly6G-mediated neutrophil depletion. Immunology and Cell Biology, 100 (4), 235-249. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12537
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Kate Schroder is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Student projects
Expressions of interest from prospective postgraduate students are welcome at any time. For information on future research higher degree projects, please email K.Schroder@imb.uq.edu.au with the following: (1) CV, including a summary of academic qualifications, work and research experience, and publication list; (2) studies report for undergraduate and honours degree(s); and (3) a letter of motivation outlining your research interests.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Inflammasomes in tissue homeostasis and wound healing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener
-
Doctor Philosophy
Mechanisms of virus-induced NLRP1 Inflammasome Signalling
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Larisa Labzin, Dr Stefan Emming
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Doctor Philosophy
Mechanisms of Inflammasome Assembly and Signalling
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stefan Emming
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Doctor Philosophy
Inflammasome inhibition by molecular and cellular processes in fibrosis (e.g. systemic sclerosis)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener
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Doctor Philosophy
Molecular pathways by which human epithelia and macrophages sense and respond to Influenza A virus infection.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Kirsty Short, Dr Larisa Labzin
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Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel Analgesics for the Relief of Ross River Virus Induced Chronic Pain
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andy Kuo, Emeritus Professor Maree Smith, Dr Mohammad Zafar Imam
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Doctor Philosophy
Inflammasome inhibitors in disease: Is there a therapeutic trade-off of compromised host defence?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Avril Robertson, Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener
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Doctor Philosophy
Studying the synergistic effects of streptococcal SLO and NADase on toxification of the host redox metabolism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stephan Brouwer, Professor Mark Walker
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigating how antibodies against Influenza A Virus modulate macrophage sensing and signalling pathways and outputs.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Kirsty Short, Dr Larisa Labzin
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Mitochondrial Dynamics and the NLRP3 Inflammasome
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt Sweet
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular mechanisms of inflammasome-driven Alzheimer's disease
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jürgen Götz, Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular Mechanisms of Non-canonical Inflammasome Activity
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ian Ross
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Human-specific inflammasome signalling pathways in macrophages
Principal Advisor
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Inflammasome function in neutrophils
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt Sweet
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of the interaction of M1 Group A Streptococcus with the inflammasome pathway
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Walker
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of vincristine induced peripheral neuropathy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Inflammasomes and Autoimmunity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Kate Stacey
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of Human Macrophage Functions in Innate Immunity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt Sweet, Professor David Fairlie
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Kate Schroder directly for media enquiries about:
- Alzheimer's disease
- arthritis
- cancer
- candida
- caspase
- cell biology
- cytokine
- diabetes
- gout
- hereditary disease
- immune system
- inerluekin
- infection
- infectious disease
- inflammasome
- inflammation
- inflammatory disease
- innate immunity
- macrophage
- myeloid
- neutrophil
- nod-like receptor
- pyroptosis
- salmonella
- toll-like receptor
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