Research Interests

17th September 2010

Anatomy & Human Biology

BHARADWAJ, Avinash

Human Structure and Development

Interests:

•Holistic and functional understanding of overall

structural plan of the human body from gross

anatomical, developmental, microscopic and

comparative perspectives

Associate Professor

BUNT, Stuart

Human Neurobiology

Interests:

•Neuronal basis of functioning nervous system

•Development and regeneration of the nervous system

•Medical imaging techniques

•Cyborgs, integrating nervous tissues with computer

interfaces

•Innovations to teaching methods

•Bio-art

Student Research Projects

•Development of Computer Aided Learning

•Regeneration of the spinal cord in culture

•Development of Medical Diagnostic Software

•Bioengineering/Medical imaging

•Development of a virtual Anatomy School in second life

•Bio-art theory and practice (through SymbioticA)

Professorial Fellow (Teaching & Learning)

CHISHOLM, Jim

Student Research Project

•Evolutionary Biology – the development of

alternative reproductive strategies in humans

Senior Honorary Research Fellow

DHARMARAJAN, Arun

Student Research Projects

Cell Biology

•The role of apoptosis and its signalling

molecules in cancer

•The role of wnt signalling in cancer

•Angiogenesis and cancer

Winthrop Professor

Senior Honorary Research Fellow

EASTWOOD, Peter WALSH, JenniferProfessor Lecturer

Adult Sleep Science

Understanding mechanisms for snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea

Student Research Project

Sleep Science – Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

FILGUEIRA, Luis

Cell and Tissue Organisation

Interests:

•Understanding of cell biology

•Skills for investigative biology

•Techniques for studying cells and tissues

Student Research Projects

Cell Biology

•Bone in Health & Disease

•Metals in Medicine

•What are and what do cells in human breast milk?

•What makes human arterial cells become sick?

•Metal based drugs and cancer

Professor

Hurt the brain – cure the bone! How bone cells are linked to the injured brain.

Factors???

Mechanisms???

The appetite of human osteoclasts for metal implants

Osteoclasts on Glass Osteoclasts on Metal

Metal surface eaten away by osteoclasts Control untreated metal surface

Lactoferrin = epithelial cells

Smooth muscle actin = smooth muscle cells

Stem cells – the healthy ingredient in human breast milk

GAUDIERI, Silvana

Human Adaptation & Variation

Research Area: Anti-viral immunity and host genetics

Research Question: How does the interaction between host and virus

influence Hepatitis C virus and HIV infection out-come and disease

progression?

Project: Host Genetic Determinants of Spontaneous Hepatitis C

Clearance: influence of immune response genes on infection outcome

Associate Professor

GROUNDS, Miranda

Skeletal Muscle Research Group

o Dr Thea Shavlakadze – Research Fellow

o Hannah Crabb – PhD Student

o Jessica Terrill – PhD Student *

o Pearl Tan – PhD Student *

o Ruth Chai – PhD Student

o Tahmina Anwari – PhD Student

o Tinashe Chinzou – PhD Student *

o Hatice Tomah – PhD Student *

o Leigh Pearce – PhD Student *

o Ya Tzu Chang – PhD Student *

* Student Co-Supervised by:

Dr Peter Arthur – Associate Professor

Oxidative Stress Research Group (BBSC)

Hannah Crabb & Miranda Grounds Skeletal Muscle Research Group

Pre-clinical therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Aim: To minimise muscle damage in dystrophic mdx mice (in vivo).

oPharmacological interventions

- Anti-inflammatory drugs

- Antioxidant drugs

oDietary interventions

- Amino acid supplementation

- High energy diets

oCombined therapies

50µm

Necrosis

Regeneration

24 day old mdx -quadriceps.

Tahmina Anwari, Thea Shavlakadze & Miranda Grounds Skeletal Muscle Research Group

Circadian Rhythm of IGF:1 in Heart

Aim: To determine the circadian regulation of IGF:1 and insulin in the heart (in vivo)

o Leading edge research in IGF:1 and insulin regulation in the heart

o Has potential for future pharmacological interventions for insulin resistance in muscle

o Techniques:

•Western Blot•QT-PCR•ELISA

Pearl TanMiranda Grounds, Thea Shavlakadze & Peter Arthur

Skeletal Muscle Research Group

Interaction between Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) Signalling and its Implication in Sarcopenia

Aim: To investigate the interaction between ROS and IGF-1 signalling using both in vitro and in vivo studies.

Method: Intervention with antioxidant catalase to reduce ROS

Experimental model: o C2C12 skeletal muscle cell lineo Primary skeletal muscle cell lineo Transgenic mice with ubiquitous overexpression of mitochondrial catalase

Hypothetical model

Muscle cells in tissue cultureO

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The challenge of oxidative stress• Oxidative stress is caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Research suggests that oxidative stress

exacerbates pathology associated with many chronic diseases and conditions. • Examples include Alzheimer’s disease, Atherosclerosis, Diabetes, Heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Kidney

disease, Liver disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis and aging. Although well recognized as harmful to human health, developing a successful therapy against oxidative stress has proven to be very challenging.

What are we doing?• Our work is focused on establishing how ROS disrupts normal cellular functions. Such insight will be

used in developing effective therapeutic strategies.• Our collaborative team has demonstrated expertise in in the ROS field and offers opportunities to

work on many different aspects of ROS. We are involved in research on ageing, muscular dystrophy, exercise and diabetes.

What do experimental models do we use?

Oxidative Stress

Isolated muscles Human exerciseTransgenic mouse models

Oxidative Stress Student ResearchSupervised by Peter Arthur, Thea Shavlakadze and Miranda Grounds

How could oxidative stress affect muscle wasting?

Protein synthesis

MuscleWasting

Transcription

Protein degradation

Receptorcomplexes

Protein kinasecascades

Reactive oxygen species

TranscriptionFactors

Oxidative Stress Student ResearchSupervised by Peter Arthur, Thea Shavlakadze and Miranda Grounds

• Jessica Terrill- The role of oxidative stress in Muscular Dystrophy and treatment with antioxidants

• Leigh Pearce- Determining protein thiol oxidation in skeletal muscle

• Hatice Tomah- Histological evidence for oxidative stress in Muscular Dystrophy and aging muscle

• Tinashe Chinzou- In vitro examination of the role of oxidative stress in cell signalling in skeletal muscle

• Yatzu Chang- The role of oxidative stress in protein turnover in skeletal muscle

HARVEY, Alan

Student Research Project: Neuroscience

Project Outline:

The research by the neuroscience groups in Anatomy & Human

Biology has a particular emphasis on cell and tissue

transplantation, gene therapy and the repair of central nervous

tissue damaged after injury. Ways are being tested for preventing

nerve cells from dying after injury and promoting the regenerative

growth of damaged axons. The specificity of axon/target cell

reconnection after injury is of particular interest. The potential

for replacing compromised cells with new healthy cells, including

stem cells, is also under investigation. Studies are mostly carried

out in the visual system and in the spinal cord.

Project suitable for: Honours/Masters/PhD

Chief Supervisor: Prof A Harvey

Other Supervisors: Dr S Hodgetts/Dr J Muhling

Winthrop Professor

HODGETTS, Stuart

Eileen Bond Spinal Research Centre

SymbioticA Scientific Adviser/Associate

•Spinal Cord Injury Repair

•Cell and Stem Cell-based Transplantation

Therapies

•Immunomodulation

Research Assistant Professor

JUDGE, Debra

Biological Anthropology and Behavioural Ecology

Assistant Professor

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Debra Judge (debra.judge@uwa.edu.au)

(biological anthropology and behavioural ecology; family-living primates -- including human)

Behavioural ecology of family living species

Family characteristics and well-being in Timor Leste

Inter-generational relations and resource transfers

Life history theory

Family environ-ment and health

MARK, Peter WADDELL, Brendan

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Effects of excess glucocorticoid exposure on placental structure and function

Placental oxidative stress as a contributor to fetal growth restriction and

preeclampsia

Effects of a high fat diet on the placental circadian rhythm

Student Research Projects

Reproductive Biology – Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Oxidative Stress and Placental Function

Neuroscience – Fetal Origins of Adult Health and Disease (B Waddell & A van Eekelen)

Research Fellow Winthrop Professor

McGEACHIE, John TENNANT, Marc

Anatomy for Dentistry

Teaching:

•Anatomy head, neck and brain

•Clinical anatomy for dental surgery

•Embryology

•Neuroanatomy

•Histology

Research:

•Muscle regeneration

•Muscular dystrophy

•Experimental microsurgery

Professor Emeritus Winthrop Professor

Anatomy for Dentistry

Interests:

•Remote area health and community

development

•Dental health

•Health system structures and structural reform

•Indigenous oral health

•The rural urban divide

MEYER, GeoffProfessor, ALTC Fellow

Human Organs and Systems

Student Research Projects

•Creating virtual environments and educational animations

for e-learning

•Creating new paradigms for learning and teaching image

intensive disciplines

MEYER, Jan

Biological Anthropology

Interests:

•Understand and define clearly questions about human

evolutionary and behavioural biology and ecology

•Basic techniques and tools of body measurement

as used in forensic science, palaeontology, biomechanics

and monitoring of growth and development

Lecturer

MILNE, NickAssociate Professor

Functional Anatomy Research

Functional anatomy research examines variation in

biological structures and relates differences to function and

evolution

Most projects use 3D Geometric Morphometrics to

examine shape variation: But other projects can use Finite

Element Analysis to relate shape variation to bone stress

and loading

HAYES, Susan MILNE, NickResearch Associate Associate Professor

Facial Anthropology

Facial approximation (facial appearance of the deceased based on published skull soft-tissue correlates)

Police composite images and witness identification

Face shape variation

Manual and computer graphic depiction of the head and face

OXNARD, Charles

Forensic Anthropology Group

•Functional, biomechanical, morphometric,

evolutionary and systematic studies of

primates, especially humans

•Relationships between: structure of muscles &

bones & behaviour, environment & diet:

mechanical stress & anatomical architecture:

molecular & morphological evolution...

Emeritus Professor

SANDERS, Kathy

Human Reproductive Biology

My research brings together theory and techniques

from different disciplines (e.g. epidemiology,

endocrinology, reproductive biology, evolutionary

ecology, psychology) to examine the impact and

interaction of age, lifestyle and psychosocial

factors on human reproduction, and particularly

the outcome of assisted reproductive technology.

Student Research Projects

•The Influence of Age and Reproductive Status

on Stress Perception and Responsivity

•Attitudes to Release of Information in Open-

Identity Donor Programs

Assistant Professor

Using genes to understand evolution and conservation on isolated WA Islands

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Linc Schmitt and Ric How (WA Museum)

ZURR, Ionat

Art in Science

SymbioticA – Centre of Excellence in Biological

Arts

•Artistic inquiry into knowledge and technology in

the life science

•Explore and develop links between arts and a

range of research areas such as: neuroscience,

plant biology, anatomy and human biology, tissue

engineering, physics, bioengineering, museology,

anthropology, molecular biology, microscopy,

animal welfare and ethics

Assistant Professor and Academic

Coordinator, SymbioticA