Dr. Albornoz is an early career researcher who has training in neuroscience, immunology, and pharmacology. Prior to migrating to Australia, he completed a bachelor's in Biochemistry followed by a master’s degree in Chile, he then gained experience working in Chile as a research assistant in the Millennium Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, focusing on neurodegeneration and the immune response in the context of Multiple Sclerosis. Later, he was awarded a UQ international scholarship to undertake a Ph.D. at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences (IMB), under the supervision of Prof Matt Cooper, his Ph.D. project has assisted in the development of next-generation NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, and to validate NLRP3 as a druggable therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease. He completed his Ph.D. in 2019 and continued his post-doctoral research studies under the supervision of Prof Trent Woodruff. A key focus of his current work is testing novel drugs in preclinical models and understanding the role of the peripheral innate immune response in neurodegenerative diseases including motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
Electrophysiology of synaptic transmission, ion currents and central pattern generation in CNS neurones.
Current research focuses on the electrophysiology of central nervous system neurones using various in vitro slice and in vivo preparations, patch clamp techniques, imaging, molecular biology and computer modelling.
Projects include :
Neurobiology of motor control
Motor neuron disease
Synaptic transmission in the cochlear nucleus
Potassium currents in the brainstem and cerebellum
At the age of 15 I thought that I would like to develop new treatments for diseases where there is a need. After studying Biology in Germany and while working as a post-doctoral fellow with Professor Raymond Dingledine at Emory University, I became passionate about epilepsy. When starting my own laboratory at Texas Tech University, I began to investigate impairments in energy metabolism in epilepsy and potential new treatments to address energetic deficiencies. In 2011, I moved to UQ and have since enjoyed the many opportunities working with many talented students and professionals and within the globally highly respected Australin epilepsy community.
Recent research:
Among many other projects, my lab has characterized several metabolic alterations and impairments in energy metabolism in epilepsy (1, 2) and Motor Neuron Disease (1). In brain areas that can generate seizures, cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolism of glucose is impaired (1), which can lead to energy deficits and may trigger seizures. From a biochemical standpoint, auxiliary fuels such as ketone bodies and medium chain fatty acids derived from medium chain triglyceride (MCTs) are well suited to improve energy levels. We have also shown that different MCTs, including triheptanoin, when added to normal diets can prevent seizure generation in seizure models (reviewed here 1, 2) and prevent motor neuron death in an MND model (1).
Our latest research aims to increase glucose transport into brain cells for glucose transporter 1 deficiency and epilepsy.
Peter Cabot is the Professor and Head of School in the School of Pharmacy. He joined the School staff in this position in 1999 after completing postdoctoral positions at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore USA, The NIH, Baltimore USA and within the School of Pharmacy at UQ.
The primary focus of my research is on the elucidation of the peripheral mechanisms involved in analgesia associated with inflammation. Key discoveries were made in this field that highlighted the importance of the immune system in inflammatory pain. The results of which were published in the notable journals; JBC, PAIN, Nature Medicine and The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Dr Fernanda Cardoso is a Brazil-born Australian researcher interested in venom peptide-based biodiscovery and therapeutics development. Cardoso was awarded an MSc in Molecular Pharmacology and a PhD with an emphasis in Biochemistry and Immunology and is part of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, where she develops novel therapies for complex neurological diseases. Cardoso has interdisciplinary training in the fields of neuropharmacology, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology and a strong background in drug discovery, which provides the skills to identify naturally occurring or synthetic bioactive molecules and to study their effects in human physiology with applications in neurologic disorders such as chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and motor neuron disease (MND). Please see Dr Cardoso’s Grants and Publications list for more details.
Before joining the University of Queensland, Dr Cardoso was part of the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, holding a prestigious CAPES Postdoctoral Fellowship. During this period, Cardoso developed unique high-throughput screen platforms for discovering protein and peptide targets of novel therapies to combat infectious diseases and novel helminth-derived bioactives with anti-inflammatory properties. Please see Dr Cardoso’s Publications list for more details.
Dr Cardoso is currently part of the Centre for Drug Discovery and manages several industry and academic projects studying ion channel modulators derived from natural repertoires, particularly venoms, and developing novel, effective drugs to treat neurological disorders.
Dr Clark is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biomedical Sciences where he is Head of the Peptide Chemical Biology Lab. He completed his PhD in 2000 at the UQ Chemistry Department studying marine natural products chemistry and chemical ecology with Prof. Mary Garson. He then shifted his research focus towards peptide chemistry, structural biology and drug design when he was recruited to the lab of Prof. David Craik at the IMB. His current research focus is the development of technologies to stabilise peptide therapeutics and the elucidation of the structure/function activity of bioactive peptides.
Jeff Coombes is a Professor in the School of Human Movement Studies. He completed undergraduate degrees in applied science and education and a research Masters at the University of Tasmania before gaining a PhD from the University of Florida. After completing his PhD he returned to Australia to spend two years in an academic position at the University of Tasmania before moving to the University of Queensland in 2000.
Jeff's research interests focus on determining the optimal exercise prescription for improving health. With theoretical backgrounds in biochemistry and physiology he conducts human studies and basic science projects. His findings have emphasised the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness for health benefits and many of his current projects are using high intensity interval to improve fitness and investigate outcomes. The basic science projects are identifying the mechanisms that explain the health benefits of exercise and include work in the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems at cellular and molecular levels. He is also a passionate advocate on the importance of fitness for health and delivers many presentations to impact on public health. His research group comprises doctors, postdoctoral fellows and PhD students and uses the extensive resources of the exercise physiology and exercise biochemistry laboratories in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.
Current research projects of the group include;
High intensity interval training in patients with chronic kidney disease
High intensity interval training in patients with metabolic syndrome
High intensity interval training in overweight and obese children and adolescents
Cardiorespiratory fitness and outcome in patients receiving a liver transplant
Multi-disciplinary lifestyle intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease
Exercise training in patients with diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy
Oxidative stress and antioxidant biomarkers to predict the cardiorespiratory fitness response to exercise
Molecular mechanisms of exercise cardioprotection: relations with oxidative stress
Activation of NRF2 by nutritional supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes
Exercise-training and skeletal muscle O-glycnacylation
Neil joined the School of Pharmacy in September 2001 as a senior lecturer. Prior to his appointment at the University, Neil was a hospital pharmacist with extensive experience managing clinical pharmacy services in teaching hospitals in England. He has experience on general medical, renal, geriatric, cardiac, endocrinology and intensive care wards and also held conjoint appointments with Aston and Manchester Universities. In 1998 Neil moved to Australia where he was appointed as the Assistant Director of Pharmacy at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and as an adjunct appointment as a clinical Senior Lecturer in the School of pharmacy.
Neil teaches cardiovascular disease therapeutics to 3rd year students and is the course coordinator for PHRM4012 Patient Centred Integrated Care, a capstone course for the 4th year students.
Neil has two major research themes within Quality use of Medicines in the School of Pharmacy.
Neil’s first research theme is on better understanding medication non-adherence with a particular focus on how patient’s beliefs and behaviour impact on this. He is interested in exploring how validated adherence scales can be utilised to better understand reasons for non-adherence to medicines in individuals to inform interventions tailored to an individual’s-specific reason for non-adherence. Current projects involve better understanding beliefs about medicines and illness and adherence in patients with a chronic disease and communication with patients and the impact on adherence.
Neil’s second research theme is on developing the evidence to support future roles for pharmacists in the healthcare setting in Australia. He is particularly interested in further developing the evidence for the pharmacist working in a collaborative model in a general practice setting in Australia.
Dr Andrew Dalley is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist within Dr Peter Simpson’s stream of the Molecular Pathology Research Programme at UQCCR. He is currently contributing to a clinician-lead research project that aims to validate diagnostic techniques for mediastinal lymph node dissemination of lung cancer.
Andrew is a practical molecular cell biologist with a strong focus towards clinically translatable research within the hospital setting. His academic experience spans adult and children’s burns research and adult cancer research. He has researched aberrant pharmacokinetics in burnt patients, post-burn hypertrophic scar development, cancer stem cell involvement in Head and Neck cancer development, and diagnostic techniques to define surgical borders for intra-oral cancer excision.
Andrew’s range of practical techniques includes: small molecule tissue sampling and analysis using microdialysis, HPLC and LC/MS; tissue imaging by fluorescence and confocal microscopy; cellular analysis by flow cytometry, live cell imaging, histology and real-time PCR; and patient sample molecular analysis by microarray and Next Generation Sequencing.
Andrew was recently Scientific Support Coordinator for the Cancer Programme at the Diamantina Institute, and prior to this he was Laboratory Studies Coordinator for Professor Camile Farah’s Oral Cancer Research Programme at UQCCR where he investigated the potential involvement of epithelial stem cells in pre-malignant oral dysplasia. Before this Andrew was part of the Burns Trauma & Critical Care Research Centre (BTCCRC) where he evaluated antibiotic distribution in extensively burned patients during surgery.
Formerly based in the UK, Andrew studied BSc Pharmacology and completed his PhD at The University of Sheffield under supervision from Professor Sheila MacNeil. Andrew’s PhD used 3-dimensional cultures to investigate regulation of normal and scar derived fibroblasts by dermal matrix and epithelial cells. Subsequently, he used in-vitro techniques to monitor the uptake of drugs across the gut mucosa and skin.
Andrew’s research interests include clinical diagnostic techniques, phenotypic and genotypic changes in pre-malignant dysplasia, extracellular matrix biology and its involvement in the pathophysiology of burn wound healing, epithelial / mesenchymal interaction across the basement membrane during the healing of cutaneous wounds, and drug distribution in critical patients.
Keshia is a postdoctoral research fellow at The University of Queensland, School of Pharmacy. She is concurrently a senior research pharmacist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Her research focuses on hospital pharmacy services, digital health applications, and applied economics. Keshia is a registered pharmacist with clinical experience in hospital and community settings, and has educational experience in both hospital and university settings.
Keshia completed her Master of Epidemiology in 2020, and completed her PhD in 2023 at The University of Queensland, Centre for Online Health. Her thesis evaluated the economic factors and clinician drivers influencing telehealth uptake and sustainability in Australian general practice settings. Keshia employs quantitative and qualitative approaches in her research, and has expertise in health economic methods. She strongly advocates for technological innovation in healthcare, and aims to drive research translation into clinical practice.
We are using the genetic model organism, C. elegans, do investigate the genetic basis of both normal and disordered behaviour. Our current interests are identifying the genes responsible for anxiety and depression as well as the genes for eating disoders and addiction. Using C. elegans as a model organism will also allow us to study gene function as it relates to behaviour.
Molecular mechanisms of phosphine resistance (other research)
Genetic mapping of oxidative stress resistance genes. The fumigant phosphine disrupts oxidative metabolism, resulting in the production of reactive oxygen intermediates. This causes the premature ageing and death of targeted pests. Insect pests of stored grain in Australia now exhibit resistance to phosphine at levels more than 200 times the normal lethal dose.
We have genetically mappedf and identified the genes responsible for phosphine resistance in tall major insect pests of stored grain. We are using a systems biology approach in the model organism C. elegans to understand the molecular basis of phosphine action. Our genetic studies have recently shown that resistance to phosphine is associated with an extension of lifespan
ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Centre Director of Institute for Mo
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Group L
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
Professor Fairlie is an NHMRC Research Investigator Fellow (Level 3) (2022-present), a Node Leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide Protein Science, one of four Centre Directors and former Head of the Division of Chemistry of Structural Biology at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (since 2009), and an Affiliate Professor of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. He was previously an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow (2012-2021), a Node Leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging (2014-2021), an ARC Federation Fellow (2006-2011), an ARC Professorial Fellow (2002-2006), and Scientific Director and Chief Scientific Officer of a startup company. He undertook postdoctoral studies at Stanford University and University of Toronto, postgraduate studies at Australian National University and University of New South Wales, and undergraduate studies at University of Adelaide.
His research group works across the disciplines of chemistry (synthesis, structure, reaction mechanisms), biochemistry (enzyme inhibitors, protein-protein interactions, GPCRs, transcription factors), immunology (innate immune cells in health and disease, mucosal T cells), and pharmacology (molecular pharmacology and human cell signalling, experimental pharmacology in rodent models of human diseases). He has published over 450 scientific journal articles in high impact chemistry journals (e.g. Chem Rev, J Am Chem Soc, Angew Chem Int Edit, Chem Sci, J Med Chem, Org Lett, J Org Chem) and biology journals (e.g. Nature, Science, Nature Immunology, Immunity, Science Immunology, Nature Communications, J Exp Med, J Clin Invest, Proc Natl Acad Sci, Diabetes, Cancer Res, Br J Pharmacol). He has been a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate Analytics), with over 37,000 citations and 104 publications with over 100 citations (Google Scholar), and has collaborated with many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Professor Vicki Flenady is the Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE), based at Mater Research – The University of Queensland. She is a nationally and internationally renowned clinical perinatal epidemiologist with specific expertise in stillbirth.
Professor Flenady has over 150 publications (including more than 30 Cochrane systematic reviews) with more than 50 in the last five years. She has also authored four book chapters and numerous state-wide and hospital clinical outcome reports. She led two papers in The Lancet Stillbirths Series in 2011 (one an accompanying research paper) and co-authored all others as a member of the series steering committee overseeing the production and dissemination of the series of six papers, two supplemental papers, and five commentaries. She is a member of the Study Group for The Lancet’s 2016 Ending Preventable Stillbirths series, leading one paper and co-authoring all others (five in total). Other key research publications as lead/senior author include a suite of papers on the development of global indicators for maternity and newborn care and evaluation of classification systems for the development of a new WHO classification system for stillbirth and neonatal death. She has also authored or co-authored books and developed many national and state guidelines pertaining to stillbirth and neonatal death.
Professor Flenady's successful bid to establish Australia's first Stillbirth CRE has formally brought together parents, parent advocates, health care professionals, researchers, professional colleges, and policy makers, to reduce stillbirths and improve the quality care for women and families after stillbirth. A collaboration of academic institutions and not-for-profit organisation, The Stillbirth CRE is an Australia-wide initiative aiming to reduce the rate of stillbirthin Australia and ensure quality, respectful care for all families who experience the tragedy of stillbirth.
Professor Flenady is currently leading two NHMRC funded studies; a large-scale cluster randomised controlled trial testing the role of a mobile phone app for women on decreased fetal movements in reducing stillbirth, and a multisite study to identify causes of stillbirth and the value of recommended investigations for stillbirth. Through the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ), Vicki leads a collaboration promoting best practice in perinatal mortality through bi-national guidelines and clinician education with a major focus on investigation into the causes of stillbirth and bereavement care.
Professor Flenady has won a number of awards including: the 2008 National Institute of Clinical Studies evidence into practice award for implementing the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Perinatal Mortality Audit Guidelines; the 2011 Eileen Potter Award for Translating Research Into Practice; the 2016 Excellence in Research Award Mater Medical Research institute; the 2013 the Medal of Distinction Women’s Healthcare Australasia honouring her outstanding contribution at a national level to improving health of women through service provision, leadership and advocacy; and the 2018 Distinguished researcher award from the International Stillbirth Alliance.
Dr Jenny Fung is a senior postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer of pharmacology course at the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS), UQ. She is an emerging researcher in the reproductive disease field with experience in molecular biology techniques, genetics, functional genomics, statistical and high-throughput computational skills, ex-vivo and in-vivo models of diseases, as well as industry engagement. In 2013, she was awarded a PhD at UQ and continued post-doctoral research in Professor Grant Montgomery's laboratory at QIMRB and IMB, in the field of genetics and genomics with a focus on functional genomics studies in complex diseases and a special interest in endometriosis. Her research has led to the seminal publication identifying the genetics of gene expression in endometrium and the role of gene regulation underlying endometriosis-related pathogenesis. In 2019, she joined Professor Trent Woodruff’s laboratory at SBMS, UQ to work on immunotherapy development for cancer through funding from Pfizer, where she performed immune cell functional assays and genomics analyses. Dr Fung is in a unique position to perform both the wet and dry lab components of multi-disciplinary research. She is currently co-leading multiple projects, where she is contributing her expertise on genetics and functional genomics on immunology to discover target genes and putative pathways underlying disease progression, with an ultimate goal to develop potential effective drugs for reproductive and brain disorders.
Sebastian is an expert on molecular pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs - the largest class of cell surface recpetors and major drug targets). His lab has a particular interest in those involved in communication between the gastrointestinal tract and brain (the so-called gut-brain axis). Current foccusses include ghrelin, melanocortin 4, dopamine D2, and cholecystokinin receptors and the lab has also worked on the calcitonin, glucagon-like peptide 1 and other receptors. His lab is interested in answering complelling biological questions relating to physiology and pathophysiology of the gut-brain axis all the way down to the level of the receptor.
Sebastian is from Adelaide and received his BSc(Hons) and PhD. from the University of Adelaide, where he worked on the Aryl Hydrocarbon receptor in the lab of Murray Whitelaw. He then did postdoctoral research on haematopoitic stem cell differentiation in Kelly McNagny’s lab at the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of British Columbia before joining Patrick Sexton to work on G protein-coupled receptors at Monash University .
Sebastian is now an ARC Future Fellow with his own research program in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland. He remains an adjunct member of MIPS DDB as well as CCeMMP.
Sebastian has honours and PhD positions for motivated students who have a strong desire to assume ownership of a project and work independently.
Professor Gabrielli completed his undergraduate education at James Cook University in Townsville and PhD at La Trobe University in Melbourne. After two postdoctoral positions in the USA in the emerging field of cell cycle regulation, he was recruited to establish his own independent research at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and then recruited to the Diamantina Institute in 2002, and Mater Research Institute in 2016. He is head of the Smiling for Smiddy Cell Cycle Group.
Research Interests
Mechanisms that regulate cell division, particularly progression into mitosis. These mechanisms are often mutated in cancers and are likely to be major contributors to cancer development. Identifying the genetic mutations that disrupt normal progression and particularly mechanisms, known as checkpoints, provides diagnostic and prognostic opportunities. It also provides potential new targets for chemotherapeutics as drugs targeting defective checkpoints have tumour selective cytotoxic potential.
Research Projects
Identifying the molecular basis for defective checkpoints in melanoma.
Targeting defective cell cycle responses to ultraviolet radiation, replication stress and TopoII inhibitors in melanoma, and investigating whether the same defects in other cancer types respond to similar targeting.
Investigating means of identify very early changes in moles that drive progression to melanoma
