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Meet the team
Professor Thomas Preiss
Department of Genome Sciences
Thomas Preiss is a world-leading expert in mRNA biology
Thomas' 30 years of RNA research has led to insights that are key features of today's successful mRNA therapeutics. His current work focuses on alternative mRNA 3’ end formation and mRNA-binding proteomes for cardiac diseases. Thomas’ lab is continuing its research on mRNA translation and epitranscriptomics for potential anti-cancer therapies, and additionally, Thomas and his team are investigating the potential use of circRNAs for diagnostics and therapeutics.
Dr Amee George
Department of Cancer Biology & Therapeutics
An expert in high-throughput screening and drug discovery
Amee and her team in the ANU Centre for Therapeutic Discovery (ACTD) facility provide highly specialised services in assay development and high-throughput screening to test small and large-scale libraries to identify biomarkers and therapeutics for the treatment of disease. The facility provides services to clients including consultancy, service provision and project management across a wide range of different screening assays, including biologics (RNA/CRISPR) through to compound screening. The ACTD is equipped with fully automated state-of-the-art technologies which enable screens to be conducted with biochemical and phenotypic readouts, including high-content screening and high-throughput flow cytometry. The ACTD client base extends to researchers from universities (both domestic and international), as well as commercial enterprises.
Professor Ross Hannan
Department of Cancer Biology & Therapeutics
Targeting rRNA to treat disease
Despite the advent of personalised cancer medicine, drug resistance to therapies invariably develop as cancer cells adapt their signalling circuitry, to maintain cellular function, Prof Hannan’s group has developed novel therapies targeting dysregulated ribosome synthesis in diseases including ribosomopathies and cancer. These tools will help us understand how ribosome biogenesis and mRNA translation is dysregulated in pathology and identify novel therapies to treat it.
Associate Professor Riccardo Natoli
Eccles Institute of Neuroscience
Exploring miRNA in retinal degeneration
Riccardo and his team have developed a unique rodent model of dry AMD which finds application in miRNA therapeutics/diagnostics research. Riccardo’s lab was the first group to isolate retinal extracellular vesicles (EV). His team has identified miRNA as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for AMD, and is investigating miRNA therapeutics/diagnostics for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Ms Stephanie Palmer
Biomolecular Resource Facility
Over 30 years of core facility experience
Stephanie and her team in the Biomolecular Resource Facility (BRF) have over 30 years of core facility experience providing consultancy, project management and service provision in cutting edge equipment and techniques for nucleic acid sequencing. The team operate a fleet of short and long read sequencing platforms and utilise standard and innovative library preparation methods for RNA sequencing. The BRF is a certified ONT long read sequencing facility with a BRF client base including researchers from universities, clinical and commercial organisations.
Professor Eduardo Eyras
Department of Genome Sciences
An expert in developing computational tools to study RNA biology
Eduardo’s group has a long-standing experience in developing computational tools to address a broad range of RNA-biology problems. The team uses Nanopore long-read sequencing to investigate the nucleotide and chemical variations of genomes and transcriptomes, develops novel computational tools and experimental protocols to enable new biological discoveries. Eduardo’s previous tools have found wide adoption in basic biology research and in biomedical applications.
Dr Tatiana Soboleva
Department of Genome sciences
Understanding the interplay between histones and RNA splicing
Tatiana's group investigates how testis-specific epigenetic regulators, such as histone variants, control pre-mRNA splicing, gene expression and genome compaction in their normal physiological environment of the testis. The group use these findings to understand how these testis-specific regulators alter the abovementioned processes when they become abnormally upregulated during carcinogenesis.
Dr Gaetan Burgio
Department of Immunology
A CRISPR expert exploring new systems
Gaétan is exploring CRISPR systems’ diversity for novel genome engineering tools – from big data to bench. He is investigating multiple strategies in the use of CRISPR for DNA/RNA detection for diagnostic purposes and for gene therapy. More specifically Gaétan is using novel CRISPR enzymes discovered in his laboratory and optimised CRISPR effectors using protein chemistry.
Professor David Tremethick
Department of Genome Sciences
International leader in the field of chromatin biology
Tremethick has been viewed as an international leader in the field of chromatin biology for nearly 30 years. His focus has been to understand how chromatin, and its epigenetic modifications, selectively utilise genomic information to direct cell-type specific patterns of gene transcription and splicing. His laboratory has revealed that specific types of epigenetic modifications (the replacement of core histones with their variant forms) have evolved to bind RNA and connect transcription with pre-mRNA splicing outcomes, thus adding another complex layer to the control of gene expression. The importance of this new mechanism with brain function and disease is currently being investigated
Professor Leonie Quinn
Department of Cancer Biology & Therapeutics
RNA systems in control of Development and Disease
Leonie's lab uses Drosophila Genetics to elucidate molecular mechanisms controlling development which, when defective, drive disease. The team provide insight into the interconnected RNA-dependent systems that pattern multicellular organs and tissues in response to developmental signalling networks. Thus, are uncovering mechanisms regulating transcription, RNA splicing, ribosome biogenesis and mRNA translation of relevance to human diseases, including Cancer and Ribosomopathies.
Dr Rippei Hayashi
Department of Genome Sciences
An expert in transposon defence pathway
Transposons are relics of past viral infections that became part of the eukaryotic genomes. Some transposons are still active today, erratic action of which causes havoc in genome organisation and impairs normal embryogenesis and reproduction. The Hayashi group studies the mechanism by which a class of small RNA called piRNA specifically suppresses the expression of transposons. The group is interested in understanding how self (protein-coding RNA) and non-self (transposon RNA) are distinguished in the cell; the concept that is analogous to viral-and-host distinction. The strength lies in fruit fly genetics and the computational analysis of small RNA populations using high-throughput sequencing techniques.
Associate Professor Tamas Fischer
Department of Genome Sciences
An expert in nuclear non-coding RNAs with a focus on R-loops and RNA-DNA hybrids
Tamás’ 20 years of RNA research has led to novel insights into RNA export & surveillance. The Tamás’ group focuses on nuclear non-coding RNA and chromatin associated RNAs, including the development of RNase H inhibitors. Tamás’ lab utilizes synthetic biology approaches to create a molecular tool to detect DNA or RNA targets for personalized cancer treatment. His molecular tool in development is highly differentiated from current cancer treatment options.
Dr Jean (Jiayu) Wen
Department of Genome Sciences
RNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation and computational biology
Jean’s computational RNA biology group explores diverse modes of gene regulation through RNAs, including endogenous small interfering RNAs, highly conserved structural RNAs, microRNAs, RNA binding protein interactions, and RNA 3’ end processing. The team integrates advanced machine learning techniques such as deep learning and state-of-the-art high-throughput genome-wide data analysis including single-cell and spatial transcriptome analysis, to quantitively model RNA-mediated gene regulatory interactions. We aim to deduce their role in regulating gene expression and cellular identity and their potential use for RNA-based biotechnologies and therapeutics.
Dr Nikolay Shirokikh
Department of Genome Sciences
Translational control in aged and cancer cells
Nikolay is a molecular biologist working to understand and use homeostatically active and evolutionarily important RNA. New RNA function in longevity-specific control and stress adaptation can be utilised to alter resilience of the cells, extend the lifespan of critical cell types such as neurons, immune cells and cardiomyocytes, and suppress drug-resistant response of malignant cells, for better health outcomes.
Anna Maria Benc
Project Coordinator - The Shine-Dalgarno Centre
Anna has over a decade of experience providing Marketing and Communications, Project Management, and Administrative and Executive support within the University and Hospital sectors on both the local and national levels.
She has maintained roles with the Centre for Personalised Immunology, an NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence based at the Australian National University; Australian Genomics Health Alliance, an NHMRC-funded national research collaboration; Canberra Clinical Genomics, a diagnostic genomic service based at the Canberra Hospital; and eWater CRC, a Co-operative Research Centre at the University of Canberra.
Anna is currently working to support the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation, a newly established Centre within the College of Health and Medicine at the Australian National University, to implement and realise the Centre’s initiatives and make preparations for a formal launch of the Centre this June 2023.
