Professor Nick West
Professor

Nick West

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 54093

Background

Professor Nick West is a molecular microbiologist working to develop new treatments for tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's leading infectious disease killers. He leads TB Research and serves as Director, Teaching and Learning within the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland.

Nick's research uses modern molecular biology techniques to understand how the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes disease, translating these discoveries into new antibiotics. His work spans four main areas:

  • identifying genes essential for TB infection
  • understanding TB latency
  • developing targeted TB drugs
  • improving TB vaccination

He also contributes to TB vaccine and diagnostic development.

Nick brings this research directly into his teaching, redesigning practical courses to give students hands-on, employment-relevant laboratory experience. This work has been recognised through multiple Faculty of Science teaching excellence commendations.

Before joining UQ in 2012, Nick held postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Institut Pasteur Paris, returning to Australia in 2004 to join Sydney's Centenary Institute.

Availability

Professor Nick West is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Medical microbiology

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wollongong

Search Professor Nick West’s works on UQ eSpace

86 works between 1997 and 2026
All (86) Journal Article (83) Conference Publication (2) Book Chapter (1)

81 - 86 of 86 works

2003

Journal Article

Finding your niche: what has been learnt from STM studies on GI colonization

West, NP, Sansonetti, PJ, Frankel, G and Tang, CM (2003). Finding your niche: what has been learnt from STM studies on GI colonization. Trends in Microbiology, 11 (7), 338-344. doi: 10.1016/S0966-842X(03)00154-9

Finding your niche: what has been learnt from STM studies on GI colonization

2003

Journal Article

An aromatic amino acid auxotrophic mutant of Bordetella bronchiseptica is attenuated and immunogenic in a mouse model of infection

McArthur, JD, West, NP, Cole, JN, Jungnitz, H, Guzman, CA, Chin, J, Lehrbach, PR, Djordjevic, SP and Walker, MJ (2003). An aromatic amino acid auxotrophic mutant of Bordetella bronchiseptica is attenuated and immunogenic in a mouse model of infection. Fems Microbiology Letters, 221 (1), 7-16. doi: 10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00162-9

An aromatic amino acid auxotrophic mutant of Bordetella bronchiseptica is attenuated and immunogenic in a mouse model of infection

2002

Journal Article

High throughput in vivo screens: Signature-tagged mutagenesis

West, N, Sansonetti, P and Tang, CM (2002). High throughput in vivo screens: Signature-tagged mutagenesis. Functional Microbial Genomics, 33, 153-165.

High throughput in vivo screens: Signature-tagged mutagenesis

2000

Journal Article

Role of phosphoglucomutase of Bordetella bronchiseptica in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and virulence

West, Nicholas P., Jungnitz, Heidrun, Fitter, John T., McArthur, Jason D., Guzman, Carlos A. and Walker, Mark J. (2000). Role of phosphoglucomutase of Bordetella bronchiseptica in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and virulence. Infection and Immunity, 68 (8), 4673-4680. doi: 10.1128/IAI.68.8.4673-4680.2000

Role of phosphoglucomutase of Bordetella bronchiseptica in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and virulence

1998

Journal Article

A second two-component regulatory system of Bordetella bronchiseptica required for bacterial resistance to oxidative stress, production of acid phosphatase, and in vivo persistence

Jungnitz, Heidrun, West, Nicholas P., Walker, Mark J., Chhatwal, Gursharan S. and Guzman, Carlos A. (1998). A second two-component regulatory system of Bordetella bronchiseptica required for bacterial resistance to oxidative stress, production of acid phosphatase, and in vivo persistence. Infection and Immunity, 66 (10), 4640-4650. doi: 10.1128/IAI.66.10.4640-4650.1998

A second two-component regulatory system of Bordetella bronchiseptica required for bacterial resistance to oxidative stress, production of acid phosphatase, and in vivo persistence

1997

Journal Article

Non-motile mini-transposon mutants of Bordetella bronchiseptica exhibit altered abilities to invade and survive in eukaryotic cells

West, NP, Fitter, JT, Jakubzik, U, Rodhe, M, Guzman, CA and Walker, MJ (1997). Non-motile mini-transposon mutants of Bordetella bronchiseptica exhibit altered abilities to invade and survive in eukaryotic cells. Fems Microbiology Letters, 146 (2), 263-269. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb10203.x

Non-motile mini-transposon mutants of Bordetella bronchiseptica exhibit altered abilities to invade and survive in eukaryotic cells

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2029
    Nanoparticle-Enhanced Rapid Tuberculosis Diagnostics and Drug Resistance Identification
    NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2026 - 2030
    Communication is Key - Disrupting the Lines of Communications in TB
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    A Faster Cure for Tuberculosis: Revealing Adjunctive Antimicrobial Solutions
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Mycobacterial Cholesterol Degradation: A Unique Metabolic Weakness?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2023
    Blocking TB Latency: The Key to Reducing Therapy Duration
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Epifluorescent and live-cell imaging microscopes for the investigation of host-pathogen interactions and for molecular and cellular biology
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Ketol-acid reductoisomerase: An important antituberculosis drug target
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Killing infected cells as a mechanism to eradicate tuberculosis (NHMRC Project Grant led by The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
    Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI)
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Novel TB Drug Candidates via the Inhibition of Lipid I Biosynthesis (NHMRC Project Grant led by University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2020
    Preventing the evolution of transmissible nitroimidazole resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (NHMRC Project Grant led by Australian National University)
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Instrumentation for the analysis of cellular and metabolic phenotypes
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Uncovering Nutrient Acquisition and Metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Wellcome Trust grant administered by the Francis Crick Institute)
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    A new class of inhibitors for the treatment of tuberculosis (NHMRC Project Grant administered by The University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2015
    A sensitive, high resolution QTOF mass spectrometer with nanoUPLC system for qualitative and quantitative biomolecule analysis.
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Discovery of new tuberculosis drug leads targeting cell wall biosynthesis (NHMRC Project Grant administered by University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Latent Vaccine Development as Directed by in vivo Modeling
    Centenary Institute
    Open grant
  • 2014
    A confocal microscope for investigation of live bacterial and viral pathogens and for molecular cell biology
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Facility of Tuberculosis Research
    NHMRC Equipment Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2016
    Genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis essential for Latent Tuberculosis Infection
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Improving subunit vaccines against tuberculosis for pulmonary delivery (NHMRC Project Grant administered by University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Potent antibiotics against drug-resistant Tuberculosis
    NHMRC Development Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Towards new drugs to treat TB
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Design, development and analysis of new tuberculosis drugs
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (Biomedical Level 2): Determining the bacterial contributions to tuberculosis and identification of drug targets
    NHMRC Career Development Award
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Nick West is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A Multidisciplinary Approach to Identifying Novel Vaccine and Drug Targets of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Emily Strong, Dr Brian Forde

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Nick West directly for media enquiries about:

  • TB Drug Development
  • TB Vaccine Development
  • Tuberculosis (TB)

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