Our team focuses on the study of host-pathogen interactions to develop improved diagnostics and therapeutics for infectious diseases.  We are based at the CSIRO Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong, Victoria. We have a particular interest in viruses, including dangerous pathogens requiring high levels of containment, such as SARS-CoV-2, Hendra virus and influenza virus.

Many pathogens are obligate pathogens – they cannot survive or replicate without hi-jacking elements within the host cell.  Our group aims to identify critical aspects of the host-pathogen interface to combat infections.  For instance, we are measuring the host response to infection to develop biomarkers for improved detection and prognosis of disease.  Similarly, host molecules that are essential for virus replication or the host immune response, such as fibrillarin, ILRUN and host-encoded microRNAs, are being investigated as next-generation therapeutic targets.

Feel free to browse our recent publications and or drop us a line if you’re interested in chatting further.