In an age of growing antibiotic resistance, there is an urgent need to uncover new strategies to treat infectious disease. An emerging area of research (immunotherapy) aims to enhance the bodies’ own immune system to reduce reliance on traditional therapies. My research examines cells of the innate immune system (macrophages) and their interaction with bacteria (such as E. coli).

Bacteria are an important part of our microflora, but they can also cause disease. I study the molecular machines that are responsible for the correct formation of bacterial weapons.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune response to infection damages its own tissues. In severe cases, multiple organ failure can occur. If not treated promptly, the patient will die. Yet, we currently don't have reliable treatments for it. Our solution is to target the immune system itself. My PhD focuses on a machine in our cells that is important for recognising bacterial infection and recruiting immune responders. My goal is to discover how we can switch this machine on and off.

Research into sepsis, a devastating disease that is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly, has caught the imagination of Queenslanders, with a PhD student from The University of Queensland winning the 2018 Women in STEM Prize People’s Choice Award.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in children and it takes the form of recurring seizures. But epilepsy is not a single disease; rather, it is a diverse spectrum of disorders that comprise many types of seizures.

Reaching reproductive age is an important milestone, and for women this is usually marked by their first period. But for some young women, it never comes. In medical terms this is called primary amenorrhea, and one of the major causes is a congenital condition called Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser (MRKH) syndrome.

The potential to produce cheaper medicines on a large scale within edible plants including lettuce and canola has taken a significant step forward with new findings led by researchers from La Trobe University with collaborators at The University of Queensland. 

Researchers have shown why a fragment of a protein from the venom gland of rattlesnakes could be the basis for an alternative to conventional antibiotics.