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Cater Lab Team
Group Leader
Dr Rosemary Cater
Senior Research Fellow & Group LeaderInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Rosemary Cater was recently recruited to UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience as a Group Leader and ARC DECRA Fellow. She utilizes structural biology, membrane protein biochemistry, and biophysics to understand some of the brain's most elusive yet important proteins. The overarching goal of the Cater Lab is to understand molecular mechanisms of transport at the blood-brain barrier.
Dr. Cater was awarded her PhD in 2017 from the University of Sydney, and from 2017-2023 she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Filippo Mancia at Columbia University, New York, USA. Here she used single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and antigen-binding technology to determine structures of small membrane proteins.
Highlights of her career thus far include:
- She has been awarded an ARC DECRA, an NIH K99/R00 career transition award.
- She received a 2022 Blavatnik Regional Finalist Award in Chemistry – a highly competitive award for outstanding post-doctoral research presented at the New York Academy of Sciences Annual Gala.
- She was selected as one was 1 of 120 young leaders invited from 46 countries to the 2022 Science and Technology in Society Forum (Kyoto) to discuss humanity's global challenges with politicians, CEOs, and Nobel Laureates.
- She was appointed as one of twelve Simons Society Fellows (2018-2022) – one of the USA's most competitive post-doctoral fellowships, founded in New York by billionaire philanthropist Jim Simons.
- She received a Robin Anders Young Investigator Award at the Lorne Protein Structure and Function 2020 Meeting – one of Australia's most competitive awards for early-career protein scientists.
Researchers
Dr Farrah Blades
Postdoctoral Research FellowInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:My research interests are in cell structure, intra-cellular pathways and in protein structure. During my honors I characterised two mouse models of Multiple Sclerosis, looking at T-cell permeability through the blood-brain barrier and the CXCR4/ CXCL12 chemokine axis. During my PhD I found critical roles for the tyrosine kinase receptor, Tyro3, in myelination and retinal ganglion cell function while assessing the neuronal functional outcomes of Tyro3 driven myelin structural deficits. Following my PhD, I moved to the university of Queensland to begin a post doctoral research fellowship under the supervision of Prof. Ben Hankamer, where I focussed on cryogenic electron microscopy and single particle analysis of the photosystem II supercomplex. During this time I also helped establish a virtual desktop which runs from the Bunya supercomputer, making research software accessible and easier to use across UQ.
As of 2024 I have begun as a post doctoral research fellow under the supervision of Dr. Rosemary Cater, I will be assessing the structure and function of membrane transporter proteins such as FLVCR2 and MFSD2A in the context of the blood-brain and blood-retinal barrier. Our goal is twofold: first, to comprehend the fundamental biology of these transporters; second, to discover a mechanism that enables drug access across the blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers. This advancement will facilitate therapeutic treatments for an array of central nervous system diseases.
Body:Dr Farrah Blade's research interests are in cell structure, intra-cellular pathways and in protein structure. During her honours she characterised two mouse models of Multiple Sclerosis, looking at T-cell permeability through the blood-brain barrier and the CXCR4/ CXCL12 chemokine axis.
During her PhD, Farrah found critical roles for the tyrosine kinase receptor, Tyro3, in myelination and retinal ganglion cell function while assessing the neuronal functional outcomes of Tyro3 driven myelin structural deficits.
Following her PhD, Farrah moved to The University of Queensland (UQ) to begin a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship under the supervision of Professor Ben Hankamer, where she focused on cryogenic electron microscopy and single particle analysis of the photosystem II supercomplex. During this time she also helped establish a virtual desktop which runs from the Bunya supercomputer, making research software accessible and easier to use across UQ.As of 2024, Farrah has begun a post doctoral research position under the supervision of Dr Rosemary Cater, assessing the structure and function of membrane transporter proteins such as FLVCR2 and MFSD2A in the context of the blood-brain and blood-retinal barrier. The goal is twofold: first, to comprehend the fundamental biology of these transporters; second, to discover a mechanism that enables drug access across the blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers. This advancement will facilitate therapeutic treatments for an array of central nervous system diseases.
Smith Group
Group Leader
Dr Kelly Smith
Group Leader, Genomics of Development and Disease DivisionCo-DirectorCentre for Cardiac and Vascular BiologyResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Body:Highlights
Dr Kelly Smith is a developmental biologist. She studies how the heart forms in embryo from a few cells of undetermined identity to a 3-dimensional beating organ. During her PhD, she was in the place where surgeons performed Australia’s first split liver transplant, trying to get more out of the organs that they had, and she thought ‘we should be making these.' Given the vital role the heart plays in supporting life, she has focussed her research to try and understand this particular organ.
Dr Smith was involved in the largest forward genetic screen in Australia. Using Zebrafish, the study screened over 400 families of fish and found 30 different genes, nine of which were new. Through this study, she identified a gene responsible for heart arrhythmia and a protein called Tmem2 that degrades the extracellular matrix. Dr Smith had discovered the gene in her post-doctoral research, but the large-scale forward screen helped to describe its role in our body.
During her post-doctoral research, Dr Smith also found a mutation responsible for a congenital condition called ‘atrial septal defect’ where blood flows between the chambers.
Dr Smith conducts her research using Zebrafish. She creates a fish version of a patient (an avatar) with a particular gene mutation and monitors what is happening within the embryo.
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Researchers
Students
Mr Sam Capon
Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Miss Jessica De Angelis
Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Miss Vanessa Raileanu
Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Miss Daniela Grassini
Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:- NHMRC Career Development Fellow
- Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
- Honorary Fellow/LecturerInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
- Higher degree by research (PhD) studentInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
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