Professor Denise Doolan
Professor

Denise Doolan

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 62159

Background

Professor Denise Doolan is Director of Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. She joined IMB in 2022 and was previously Deputy Director of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, and Director of the JCU Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, at James Cook University.

She is a molecular immunologist, working on the development of vaccines, diagnostics and host-directed therapeutics for infectious and chronic diseases that impact global public health, with a particular focus on malaria. Her cross-disciplinary research program spans host-pathogen immunity, antigen discovery, vaccine engineering, and biomarker discovery. A particular interest is the application of state-of-the-art genome-based technologies and human models of disease system to identify novel targets for intervention against disease or that predict risk of disease.

She is a recognized world expert in malaria immunology, vaccinology, and omic-based approaches for therapeutic and diagnostic development. She has been honoured as a Fellow of the International Society for Vaccines (2017) and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Parasitology (2019) in recognition of her leadership and contribution to health and medical science in Australia and internationally.

Professor Doolan serves on a number of Executive Boards and Advisory Boards. Most recently, she has been elected as President of the International Society for Vaccines (2021-2023), and has been appointed to the Federal Government’s Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB; 2021-2026) to provide specialist insights into Australia’s medical research and innovation priorities.

Availability

Professor Denise Doolan is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Immunology Medical microbiology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
  • B Sc Hons (Biochemistry), The University of Queensland
  • M Phil (Life Sciences), Griffith University
  • PhD (Molecular Immunology), The University of Queensland

Search Professor Denise Doolan’s works on UQ eSpace

224 works between 1987 and 2025
All (224) Journal Article (212) Book Chapter (4) Conference Publication (8)

61 - 80 of 224 works

2018

Journal Article

Anomalies in T cell function are associated with individuals at risk of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infection

Lutzky, Viviana P., Ratnatunga, Champa N., Smith, Daniel J., Kupz, Andreas, Doolan, Denise L., Reid, David W., Thomson, Rachel M., Bell, Scott C. and Miles, John J. (2018). Anomalies in T cell function are associated with individuals at risk of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infection. Frontiers in Immunology, 9 (June) 1319, 1319. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01319

Anomalies in T cell function are associated with individuals at risk of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infection

2018

Journal Article

High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection

Dobaño, Carlota, Berthoud, Tamara, Manaca, Maria Nelia, Nhabomba, Augusto, Guinovart, Caterina, Aguilar, Ruth, Barbosa, Arnoldo, Groves, Penny, Rodríguez, Mauricio H, Jimenez, Alfons, Quimice, Lazaro M, Aponte, John J, Ordi, Jaume, Doolan, Denise L, Mayor, Alfredo and Alonso, Pedro L (2018). High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection. Malaria Journal, 17 (1) 177, 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s12936-018-2317-2

High production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by maternal blood mononuclear cells is associated with reduced maternal malaria but increased cord blood infection

2018

Journal Article

The influence of physicochemical properties of lipopeptide adjuvants on immune response: a rationale for engineering a potent vaccine

Eskandari, Sharareh, Pattinson, David, Stephenson, Rachel J., Groves, Penny L., Apte, Simon H., Sedaghat, Bita, Chandurudu, Saranya, Doolan, Denise L. and Toth, Istvan (2018). The influence of physicochemical properties of lipopeptide adjuvants on immune response: a rationale for engineering a potent vaccine. Chemistry: A European Journal, 24 (39), 9892-9902. doi: 10.1002/chem.201801378

The influence of physicochemical properties of lipopeptide adjuvants on immune response: a rationale for engineering a potent vaccine

2018

Journal Article

Identification of a Novel, EBV-based antibody risk stratification signature for early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan

Coghill, Anna E., Pfeiffer, Ruth M., Proietti, Carla, Hsu, Wan-Lun, Chien, Yin-Chu, Lekieffre, Lea, Krause, Lutz, Teng, Andy, Pablo, Jocelyn, Yu, Kelly J., Lou, Pei-Jen, Wang, Cheng-Ping, Liu, Zhiwei, Chen, Chien-Jen, Middeldorp, Jaap, Mulvenna, Jason, Bethony, Jeff, Hildesheim, Allan and Doolan, Denise L. (2018). Identification of a Novel, EBV-based antibody risk stratification signature for early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan. Clinical Cancer Research, 24 (6), 1305-1314. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-1929

Identification of a Novel, EBV-based antibody risk stratification signature for early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan

2017

Journal Article

Profiling the targets of protective CD8+ T cell responses to infection

Bruder, Joseph T., Chen, Ping, Ekberg, Greg, Smith, Emily C., Lazarski, Christopher A., Myers, Bennett A., Bolton, Jessica, Sedegah, Martha, Villasante, Eileen, Richie, Thomas L., King, C Richter, Aguiar, Joao C., Doolan, Denise L. and Brough, Douglas E. (2017). Profiling the targets of protective CD8+ T cell responses to infection. Molecular Therapy - Methods & Clinical Development, 7, 20-31. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2017.08.003

Profiling the targets of protective CD8+ T cell responses to infection

2017

Journal Article

Novel Plasmodium antigens identified via genome-based antibody screen induce protection associated with polyfunctional T cell responses

Schussek, Sophie, Trieu, Angela, Apte, Simon H., Sidney, John, Sette, Alessandro and Doolan, Denise L. (2017). Novel Plasmodium antigens identified via genome-based antibody screen induce protection associated with polyfunctional T cell responses. Scientific reports, 7 (1) 15053, 1-18. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-15354-0

Novel Plasmodium antigens identified via genome-based antibody screen induce protection associated with polyfunctional T cell responses

2017

Journal Article

The establishment of a WHO Reference Reagent for anti-malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) human serum

Bryan, Donna, Silva, Nilupa, Rigsby, Peter, Dougall, Thomas, Corran, Patrick, Bowyer, Paul W, Ho, Mei Mei, Collaborative study group and Doolan, Denise L. (2017). The establishment of a WHO Reference Reagent for anti-malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) human serum. Malaria Journal, 16 (1) 314, 10-10. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-1958-x

The establishment of a WHO Reference Reagent for anti-malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) human serum

2017

Journal Article

Dichotomous miR expression and immune responses following primary blood-stage malaria

Burel, Julie G., Apte, Simon H., Groves, Penny L., Boyle, Michelle J., Langer, Christine, Beeson, James G., McCarthy, James S. and Doolan, Denise L. (2017). Dichotomous miR expression and immune responses following primary blood-stage malaria. JCI Insight, 2 (15) e93434. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.93434

Dichotomous miR expression and immune responses following primary blood-stage malaria

2017

Journal Article

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells appear inactive during sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection, yet retain their ability to respond to TLR stimulation

Loughland, Jessica R., Minigo, Gabriela, Sarovich, Derek S., Field, Matt, Tipping, Peta E., Montes de Oca, Marcela, Piera, Kim A., Amante, Fiona H., Barber, Bridget E., Grigg, Matthew J., William, Timothy, Good, Michael F., Doolan, Denise L., Engwerda, Christian R., Anstey, Nicholas M., McCarthy, James S. and Woodberry, Tonia (2017). Plasmacytoid dendritic cells appear inactive during sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection, yet retain their ability to respond to TLR stimulation. Scientific Reports, 7 (1) 2596. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02096-2

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells appear inactive during sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection, yet retain their ability to respond to TLR stimulation

2017

Journal Article

A Plasmodium vivax plasmid DNA- and adenovirus-vectored malaria vaccine encoding blood-stage antigens AMA1 and MSP142 in a prime/boost heterologous immunization regimen partially protects Aotus monkeys against blood-stage challenge

Obaldia, Nicanor, Stockelman, Michael G., Otero, William, Cockrill, Jennifer A., Ganeshan, Harini, Abot, Esteban N., Zhang, Jianfeng, Limbach, Keith, Charoenvit, Yupin, Doolan, Denise L., Tang, De-Chu C and Richie, Thomas L (2017). A Plasmodium vivax plasmid DNA- and adenovirus-vectored malaria vaccine encoding blood-stage antigens AMA1 and MSP142 in a prime/boost heterologous immunization regimen partially protects Aotus monkeys against blood-stage challenge. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 24 (4) e00539, 1-16. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00539-16

A Plasmodium vivax plasmid DNA- and adenovirus-vectored malaria vaccine encoding blood-stage antigens AMA1 and MSP142 in a prime/boost heterologous immunization regimen partially protects Aotus monkeys against blood-stage challenge

2017

Journal Article

Polyfunctional and IFN- monofunctional human CD4 T cell populations are molecularly distinct

Burel, Julie G., Apte, Simon H., Groves, Penny L., McCarthy, James S. and Doolan, Denise L. (2017). Polyfunctional and IFN- monofunctional human CD4 T cell populations are molecularly distinct. JCI Insight, 2 (3) e87499, e87499. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.87499

Polyfunctional and IFN- monofunctional human CD4 T cell populations are molecularly distinct

2017

Journal Article

Recent advances in proteomic applications for schistosomiasis research: potential clinical impact

Sotillo, Javier, Doolan, Denise and Loukas, Alex (2017). Recent advances in proteomic applications for schistosomiasis research: potential clinical impact. Expert Review of Proteomics, 14 (2), 171-183. doi: 10.1080/14789450.2017.1271327

Recent advances in proteomic applications for schistosomiasis research: potential clinical impact

2016

Journal Article

Plasmodium vivax but not Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection in humans is associated with the expansion of a CD8+T cell population with cytotoxic potential

Burel, Julie G., Apte, Simon H., McCarthy, James S. and Doolan, Denise L. (2016). Plasmodium vivax but not Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection in humans is associated with the expansion of a CD8+T cell population with cytotoxic potential. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10 (12) e0005031, e0005031. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005031

Plasmodium vivax but not Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection in humans is associated with the expansion of a CD8+T cell population with cytotoxic potential

2016

Journal Article

Mining, visualizing and comparing multidimensional biomolecular data using the Genomics Data Miner (GMine) web-server

Proietti, Carla, Zakrzewski, Martha, Watkins, Thomas S., Berger, Bernard, Hasan, Shihab, Ratnatunga, Champa N., Brion, Marie-Jo, Crompton, Peter D., Miles, John J., Doolan, Denise L. and Krause, Lutz (2016). Mining, visualizing and comparing multidimensional biomolecular data using the Genomics Data Miner (GMine) web-server. Scientific Reports, 6 (1) 38178. doi: 10.1038/srep38178

Mining, visualizing and comparing multidimensional biomolecular data using the Genomics Data Miner (GMine) web-server

2016

Journal Article

Type I interferons regulate immune responses in humans with blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infection

de Oca, Marcela Montes, Kumar, Rajiv, Rivera, Fabian de Labastida, Amante, Fiona H., Sheel, Meru, Faleiro, Rebecca J., Bunn, Patrick T., Best, Shannon E., Beattie, Lynette, Ng, Susanna S., Edwards, Chelsea L., Boyle, Glen M., Price, Ric N., Anstey, Nicholas M., Loughland, Jessica R., Burel, Julie, Doolan, Denise L., Haque, Ashraful, McCarthy, James S. and Engwerda, Christian R. (2016). Type I interferons regulate immune responses in humans with blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infection. Cell Reports, 17 (2), 399-412. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.09.015

Type I interferons regulate immune responses in humans with blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infection

2016

Journal Article

Reduced Plasmodium parasite burden associates with CD38+ CD4+ T cells displaying cytolytic potential and impaired IFN-γ production

Burel, Julie G., Apte, Simon H., Groves, Penny L., Klein, Kerenaftali, McCarthy, James S. and Doolan, Denise L. (2016). Reduced Plasmodium parasite burden associates with CD38+ CD4+ T cells displaying cytolytic potential and impaired IFN-γ production. PLoS Pathogens, 12 (9) e1005839, e1005839. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005839

Reduced Plasmodium parasite burden associates with CD38+ CD4+ T cells displaying cytolytic potential and impaired IFN-γ production

2016

Journal Article

Chemically attenuated blood-stage Plasmodium yoelii parasites induce long-lived and strain-transcending protection

Raja, Amber I., Cai, Yeping, Reiman, Jennifer M., Groves, Penny, Chakravarty, Sumana, McPhun, Virginia, Doolan, Denise L., Cockburn, Ian, Hoffman, Stephen L., Stanisic, Danielle I. and Good, Michael F. (2016). Chemically attenuated blood-stage Plasmodium yoelii parasites induce long-lived and strain-transcending protection. Infection and Immunity, 84 (8), 2274-2288. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00157-16

Chemically attenuated blood-stage Plasmodium yoelii parasites induce long-lived and strain-transcending protection

2016

Journal Article

Mosquito bite immunization with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites: safety, tolerability, protective efficacy and humoral immunogenicity

Hickey, Bradley W, Lumsden, Joanne M, Reyes, Sharina, Sedegah, Martha, Hollingdale, Michael R, Freilich, Daniel A, Luke, Thomas C, Charoenvit, Yupin, Goh, Lucy M, Berzins, Mara P, Bebris, Lolita, Sacci, John B, De La Vega, Patricia, Wang, Ruobing, Ganeshan, Harini, Abot, Esteban N, Carucci, Daniel J, Doolan, Denise L, Brice, Gary T, Kumar, Anita, Aguiar, Joao, Nutman, Thomas B, Leitman, Susan F, Hoffman, Stephen L, Epstein, Judith E and Richie, Thomas L (2016). Mosquito bite immunization with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites: safety, tolerability, protective efficacy and humoral immunogenicity. Malaria Journal, 15 (1) 377, 1-18. doi: 10.1186/s12936-016-1435-y

Mosquito bite immunization with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites: safety, tolerability, protective efficacy and humoral immunogenicity

2016

Journal Article

Profoundly reduced CD1c+ myeloid dendritic cell HLA-DR and CD86 expression and increased tumor necrosis factor production in experimental human blood-stage malaria infection

Loughland, Jessica R., Minigo, Gabriela, Burel, Julie, Tipping, Peta E., Piera, Kim A., Amante, Fiona H., Engwerda, Christian R., Good, Michael F., Doolan, Denise L., Anstey, Nicholas M., McCarthy, James S. and Woodberry, Tonia (2016). Profoundly reduced CD1c+ myeloid dendritic cell HLA-DR and CD86 expression and increased tumor necrosis factor production in experimental human blood-stage malaria infection. Infection and Immunity, 84 (5), 1403-1412. doi: 10.1128/IAI.01522-15

Profoundly reduced CD1c+ myeloid dendritic cell HLA-DR and CD86 expression and increased tumor necrosis factor production in experimental human blood-stage malaria infection

2016

Journal Article

Defining the targets of antiparasitic compounds

Skinner-Adams, Tina S., Sumanadasa, Subathdrage D.M., Fisher, Gillian M., Davis, Rohan A., Doolan, Denise L. and Andrews, Katherine T. (2016). Defining the targets of antiparasitic compounds. Drug Discovery Today, 21 (5), 725-39. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.01.002

Defining the targets of antiparasitic compounds

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2030
    Next-generation therapeutics for malaria designed using systems-based approaches
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2026
    An mRNA T-cell Vaccine Against Malaria
    UQ - Sanofi Translational Science Hub Partnership Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2026
    A Facility for Accelerated Microbial Phenotyping in Southeast Queensland
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Development of a multi-antigen T-cell malaria vaccine (NFMRI grant administered by James Cook University)
    James Cook University
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Effective Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis based on EBV proteome screening
    MS Research Australia Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    Human-informed data-driven development of next-generation T cell vaccine against malaria
    United States National Institutes of Health
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2013 - 2017
    Tropical disease - immunity, pathogenesis and vaccine development: global translation (NHMRC Program Grant administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    ResTeach Funding 2012 0.1 FTE School of Medicine/School of Chemisty and Molecular Biosciences
    UQ ResTeach
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Denise Doolan is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the link between EBV and Multiple Sclerosis

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Systems immunology and multi-omics approaches to understand protective immunity to human malaria

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Quan Nguyen

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Utilising high throughout spatial Transcriptomics to personlise treatment approaches for endometriosis patients

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Quan Nguyen, Associate Professor Akwasi Amoako, Dr Brett McKinnon

Completed supervision

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Professor Denise Doolan's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au