Dr Cheryl Bletchly
Dr Cheryl Bletchly BSc(Hons) PhD, MASM, Grad Cert Hlth Mgt (QH)
Supervising Scientist (Molecular Diagnostic Unit/Virology), Pathology Queensland - Central
The Molecular Diagnostic Unit is currently involved in the following research projects:
Dr Belinda Clarke
Dr Belinda Clarke MBBS PhD FRCPA GCEd
Director of Anatomical Pathology, Pathology Queensland - The Prince Charles Hospital
Dr Clarke has been practising as a consultant anatomical pathologist for 25 years, with experience in public hospital, private and academic practice. Prior to being awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 1982, Dr Clarke completed a full-time PhD studying crescent formation in experimental glomerulonephritis, and has since maintained an interest in diagnostic renal pathology.
Dr Clarke's post-doctoral research experience includes several collaborations, the two most notable to date being on the role of hypertension in diabetic glomerular disease with Prof. George Jerums and Assoc. Prof. Mark Cooper at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, and on lung neoplasia and preneoplasia with the group led by Assoc. Prof. Kwun Fong at The Prince Charles Hospital.
Dr Clarke is currently a member of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation Research Committee, and is co-supervisor of a PhD student in the Thoracic Research Laboratory at The Prince Charles Hospital.
Dr Christopher M. Gilpin
Dr Christopher M. Gilpin PhD, B App Sc.
Chief Scientist, Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Pathology Queensland
Major interests involve the molecular characterisation and epidemiology of tuberculosis.
Research activities include the detection of mycobacterial DNA in both fresh and paraffin embedded specimens using realtime PCR, mycobacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis and molecular strain discrimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using of variable numbers of tandem DNA repeat (VNTR) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) typing.
The Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory is a also a reference centre for the identification of Nocardia sp. The Laboratory is designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Tuberculosis bacteriology and is part of a global network of supranational reference laboratories participating in the drug surveillance of M. tuberculosis.
Professor Michael R. Moore
Professor Michael R. Moore PhD, DSc, BSc(Hons)
Director, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology
Professor Moore is a registered toxicologist (BTS & EuroTox) and Past Convener, Toxicology section of ASCEPT. He is:
Professor Moore is a founder member of the NHMRC Group on Toxicology & Risk assessment. His fields of research interest include the toxicology of metals. He has worked on various IPCS EHC Task Groups; Lead , Nitrogen Oxides, Aluminium, Copper Zinc, Arsenic and Essential metals and was Rapporteur to Commission of the European Communities on Biological effects of Lead.
Professor Moore's other areas of research interest include: cyanobacterial toxins, organohalogen compounds (including dioxins); natural toxins; risk assessment, air quality evaluation, alcoholism and disorders of porphyrin metabolism.
Professor Moore has written and edited several books and book chapters and over 450 research publications.
Dr Graeme R. Nimmo
Dr Graeme R. Nimmo MB, BS, MSc, MPH, DLSHTM, FRCPA, FASM
Director of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland
Dr Nimmo's major research interests include surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens, the epidemiology of multiresistant nosocomial pathogens, virulence determinants in Staphylococcus aureus and the epidemiology of community-acquired MRSA.
Dr Nimmo is chairman of the Australian Group for Antimicrobial Resistance, President-Elect of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials, and a member of the editorial board of Pathology. He is also Associate Professor of Pathology in the Southern Clinical Division of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland.
Dr Nimmo heads the Division of Microbiology in the Pathology Queensland - Central laboratory which provides reference and consultative services for laboratories throughout Queensland and beyond.
Dr Robert Norton
Dr Robert Norton MBBCh, MRCP(UK), FAFPHM, FRCPA, MD
Director of Microbiology , Pathology Queensland - Townsville
Major research interests are in melioidosis, rheumatic fever and invasive group A streptococcal disease. These are in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, James Cook University , School of Medicine James Cook University and Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.
In particular, research is being done in determining the ecological niche of Burkholderia pseudomallei the causative agent of melioidosis, determining clinical markers of disease, cytokine and T cell responses, use of an animal model to assess novel therapies, moleculat typing and the virulence factors involved.
In rheumatic fever research, the T cell response to specific peptides from streptococcal M protein is being investigated. Invasive group A streptococcal disease is an important cause of morbidity in North Queensland.
Typing of isolates is currently being carried out looking at emm types, spe profiles and PFGE patterns. In addition, molecular markers relating to internalisation of the organism are being studied.
Dr Norton also holds an adjunct appointment as an Associate Professor with the School of Medicine , James Cook University.
Dr Michael Ray
Dr Michael Ray PhD, BAppSc, DipAppSc(Ag)
Haemostasis Research Laboratory, Pathology Queensland - The Prince Charles Hospital
Dr Ray has been carrying out research work at The Prince Charles Hospital laboratory for over 20 years, culminating in the establishment of The Haemostasis Research Laboratory. The main areas of interest have been the standardisation of prothrombin time testing, causes and prevention of excessive bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and flow cytometric evaluation of platelet activation.
Other research includes the mechanism and prevention of excessive bleeding after orthopaedic surgery, mechanisms of platelet inhibition by GPIIb/IIIa antagonists during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and the evaluation of point of care instrumentation used during PCI.
Recent research includes the use of double bolus tirofiban and low molecular weight heparin during PCI. Future research will include the investigation of heparin induced thrombocytopenia in cardiac transplant patients and.
In 2005-6 Dr Ray researched the effect on platelets of the direct thrombin inhibitor Bivalirudin during its use in PCI. In addition Dr Ray will be investigating the relative efficiency of two GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors in inhibiting platelets during PCI. These are tirofiban at a new high dose in comparison to the standard dose of abciximab.
In 2007-8 Dr Ray will investigate predictors of adverse cardiac events after total hip arthroplasty
Dr Theo Sloots
Dr Theo Sloots PhD, BSc, GCM, MASM.
Unit Head, Clinical Virology Research Unit, Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre, Royal Children's Hospital and Health Service District
The interests of Dr Sloots and the Clinical Virology Research Unit (CVRU) are focussed on the molecular diagnosis and epidemiology of infectious disease, particularly in paediatric patients.
Central to the success of the research and development programmes conducted at the CVRU is the partnership that the laboratory has formed with the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and with the Molecular Diagnostic Unit, Microbiology, Pathology Queensland.
Together with these two organisations, the CVRU plays a central role in Queensland Health to identify serious infections in children, enabling appropriate clinical management, resulting in significant improvements in patient care.
Currently the CVRU is conducting research on a newly identified respiratory pathogen, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) (media release ). This programme is conducted in collaboration with Dr Michael Nissen of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and Dr David Siebert, Pathology Queensland.
Early results show that hMPV appears to be responsible for a significant proportion of respiratory tract disease, including bronchiolitis, in both children and adults. Further research into the characteristics and clinical significance of this virus is currently underway at the CVRU, in collaboration with other groups in Australia, the USA and the Netherlands.
Dr Greg Smith
Dr Greg Smith PhD, MSc, BA
Scientific Manager (Virology), Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services
The laboratory has an interest in negative-sense RNA viruses, in particular those zoonotic viruses of public health concern in Queensland such as the bat-borne viruses, Australian Bat Lyssavirus and Hendra virus. Research is focused on investigating the molecular determinants of virulence through a reverse-genetics approach.
This research program commenced in late 2000 and is expected to significantly add to our relatively limited knowledge of the virulence and host range determinants of these two recently emerged viruses.
A particular focus of the research will be on the development of improved diagnostic tests and a novel approach to developing efficacious vaccines for these and related viruses. The laboratory also has an interest in investigating whether the rodent borne disease; hantavirus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus are present in Australia and if so whether these viruses are responsible for undiagnosed disease in Australia.
Dr Ina L. Smith
Dr Ina L. Smith PhD, BAppSc(Hons), BAppSc
Research and Development Coordinator, Public Health Virology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services
Major interests lie with emerging viruses, particularly Hendra virus and Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV). Both viruses are bat-borne negative sense RNA viruses.
The major focus of research has been the development of an infectious clone of Hendra virus and the engineering of this virus to render it replication deficient. The production of the replication deficient virus that is complemented in vivo will allow for utilisation of the non-infectious virus in diagnostic assays and as possible vaccine vectors.
The other focus has included the production of a replication deficient cell complemented ABLV for use as antigens, and also for the investigation of molecular mechanisms involved in ABLV infections.
The continual introduction of new assays and techniques to further extend our capabilities to diagnose emerging viral diseases continues to be a primary interest. The main areas of research and development have been development of TaqMan based nucleic acid diagnostic assays for the detection of emerging viruses such as Hendra and Australian Bat Lyssavirus and the detection of arboviruses such as Kunjin, Ross River, Barmah Forest and Chikungunya viruses.
The development of rapid serological assays to improve diagnosis in humans and sentinel animals has also been an interest.
Lee Smythe
Lee Smythe BAppSc, MASM
Supervising Scientist, WHO/FAO/OIE Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Australia and Western Pacific Region, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services
Lee's role is the supervision of the WHO/FAO/OIE Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, Australia and Western Pacific Region to ensure that it meets its designated WHO and OIE terms of reference.
The laboratory's purpose is to provide specialised services pertaining to Leptospirosis as requested by the World Health Organisation, Office of International Epizooties and Queensland Health and to monitor state, national and international trends and issues relating to Leptospirosis.
Lee is currently an executive member of International Leptospirosis Society and Chair of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Leptospiraceae.
Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy | Feedback
|
Other languages
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 2008.
