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Honours in Pharmacology 2018 Projects and Program Information
Honours in Pharmacology
2018
Projects and Program Information
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Message from the Head of Discipline and Honours Coordinator
Prof Robert Vandenberg
Head of Discipline
The Discipline of Pharmacology invites you to apply to undertake a research year in the fourth year of your studies (Honours in Pharmacology). This program is designed to give students a greater depth to their studies and to promote research-led inquiry and intellectual endeavour. Students who complete Honours in Pharmacology will be equipped with a skill set that improves their employment prospects in industry or government, and is a requirement for undertaking postgraduate studies in Pharmacology. The Discipline of Pharmacology has a group of dedicated academic staff and affiliates who are conducting cutting-edge research across a variety of fields, including asthma pharmacology, cancer therapeutics, chemical biology, chronic inflammation and pain, clinical pharmacology, drug design and development, drug delivery, neuropharmacology, pain management, pedagogical research, pharmacogenomics, pharmacoinformatics, protein (mis)folding, synaptic (dys)function, therapeutic cannabinoids, toxicology, and transporter biology. This booklet is designed to provide further details about the Honours program and describes the projects on offer to students in 2018. We hope you’ll join us for an enjoyable and rewarding Honours year. For further enquiries, please contact the Honours Coordinator, Prof Rachel Codd: [email protected]
Prof Rachel Codd Honours Coordinator
I’m interested in Honours in Pharmacology – what do I do next? Please join us for our Honours Information session, which is to be held on:
Friday 15 September at 12 noon in the Norman Gregg Lecture Theatre (Edward Ford Blg). At this session, the Honours Coordinator will provide further details on the structure of the program and staff will give an overview of their research areas. After formal proceedings, you are warmly invited to a lunch in the Biochemistry Building precinct from 1 pm, where you can talk with individual staff members about their projects. Over the next 2 months, you should elect your preferred supervisor(s) and projects and submit your Honours Preference Form (end of this booklet) to the Honours Coordinator by Friday 17 Nov 2017. Students can elect to start their Honours year in S1 or S2. To enable academics to plan their group composition, students who wish to begin in S2 should make their supervisor selection at the start of the year.
In addition to lodging your Honours Preference Form with Pharmacology, you must lodge an application for Honours with the Faculty of Science via the Sydney Student portal. Further information is available on the Faculty of Science URL: http://sydney.edu.au/courses/bachelor-of-science-honours Am I eligible for Honours in Pharmacology? All students with a strong record in Pharmacology or related disciplines (neuroscience, medicinal chemistry) are encouraged to apply to the Honours Program. Students are required to have completed a major in the area relevant to Honours (pharmacology, neuroscience, medicinal chemistry) and have a Science Weighted Average Mark (SCIWAM) of ≥ 65. Depending upon demand, the nominal acceptance cut-off for Honours in Pharmacology may be increased to ≥ 68. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, you should arrange to meet with the Honours Coordinator and have your academic transcript available for review. Selecting a Research Group Honours is the beginning of your research career and you should carefully consider the selection of the most suitable research leader to support your research development. Staff members have provided project details and the link to their research profile on the Sydney Medical School website. Measures of research activity include external grants – which may be funding your project – and publications – which reflect the quality, impact and rigour of the research being conducted by the group. It is also wise to talk with current students in the group to gain first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day science and style of supervision. What will I do during my Honours year? You will undertake a research project under the direct supervision of a member of staff, and as part of their research group. You will deliver two oral presentations to the Discipline (April/May (0%), Oct/Nov (20%)), write a 16-page combined literature review and research proposal (June (10%)) and write a 50-page thesis detailing the aims, methods, results and discussion about your project (Oct, 60%). Your supervisor will award you a mark (10%) that reflects your research dedication, competency and aptitude.
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Academic Staff in Pharmacology
Namea Locationb Research Area
A/Prof Jonathon Arnold BMC: 6F Endogenous cannabinoid system, cannabinoid drug development
A/Prof Elena Bagley CPC: TBC Synaptic physiology/plasticity, synaptic function/dysfunction, brain disorders
A/Prof Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich WIMR: 4017 Primary health care research: asthma, inhaler devices
Prof Nicholas Buckley ROSS Clinical pharmacology and toxicology
A/Prof Kellie Charles MBB: 773A Cancer pharmacology, tumour-immune cell interactions
Dr Kate Chitty ROSS Clinical pharmacology and toxicology
Prof Macdonald Christie KOL RNSH Cellular/molecular neuropharmacology, pain pathways and pain therapeutics
Prof Rachel Codd MBB: 778 Chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, metals in biology, radiometal imaging agents
Dr Tina Hinton CPC: 2N12 CNS GABAergic neurotransmission, schizophrenia, pedagogical research
Dr Hilary Lloyd MBB: 473 Neurotransmitter release mechanisms, neuroprotection
Dr Slade Matthews MBB: 479 Machine learning in biomedicine, toxicological QSAR
Dr Brent McParland CPC/MBB Asthma pharmacology, human bronchus, smooth muscle
Dr Sarasa Mohammadi CPC Pain and drug addiction
Prof Michael Murray MFB: L1 Pharmacogenomics, cancer therapeutics
A/Prof Renae Ryan MBB: 509 Biophysics of membrane transport, glycine transport
A/Prof Margaret Sunde MBB: 571 Protein biophysics, protein misfolding, amyloid fibril formation and structure
Prof Daniela Traini WIMR Respiratory drug delivery science, asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis
Prof Robert Vandenberg MBB: 510 Molecular biology, glutamate transport, electrophysiology
Prof Paul Young WIMR Respiratory diseases, medical devices, lung-specific advanced formulations
Affiliates
Namea Locationb Research Area
Dr Karin Aubrey KOL RNSH Models of neuropathic pain
A/Prof Kay Double BMC Parkinson’s disease, metalloneurochemistry
Prof Sarah Hilmer KOL Geriatric medicine and clinical pharmacology
Prof Michael Kassiou CHEM 546 Drug design and medicinal chemistry, CNS active compounds
Dr Chris Vaughan KOL RNSH Chronic pain and endocannabinoids
a Generic format for e-mail: [email protected] (eg, [email protected]). b BMC = Brain & Mind Centre; CHEM = Chemistry; CPC = Charles Perkins Centre; KOL RNSH, Kolling Institute Royal North Shore Hospital; MBB = Molecular Bioscience Building (G08); MFB = Medical Foundation Building; ROSS = Ross Street; WIMR = Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
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Pharmacology is a broad discipline. Where will you fit?
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A/Prof Jonathon ARNOLD Cannabinoid Research Group
Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics Level 6, Building F, Brain & Mind Centre
Cannabis has been used for millennia to treat various medical conditions. In recent times opinion has shifted towards acceptance of the plant’s therapeutic potential, and there is an increasing list of countries, including Australia, that have legalised medicinal cannabis. More than ever there is a strong need to advance our scientific understanding of medicinal cannabis and the naturally occurring cannabinoid system. Please join me and my colleagues at the Lambert Initiative in helping revolutionize the innovative development of medicinal cannabis and cannabinoid therapeutics. Jonathon Arnold is the Associate Director of Preclinical Research, and has a primary focus on strategic direction and execution of the Lambert Initiative’s preclinical research program. He also works closely with the clinical research team to assist in the development and translation of research findings. Jonathon leads various Lambert Initiative projects which examine the efficacy of cannabinoids and full-spectrum cannabis extracts in preclinical models of disease including childhood epilepsy, cancer and PTSD. He is also exploring the role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in various diseases.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/jonathon.arnold.php
Research group (2017): 1 Post-doc, 1 Research Assistant, 4 PhD students, 2 Honours students
PROJECT 1 PRECLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT OF CANNABINOIDS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY
Dravet syndrome is a devastating form of childhood epilepsy that has a mortality rate of 16%. Seizures often commence within the first year of life and significant developmental delays in cognition, speech and motor skills become evident during childhood. Current treatments for Dravet syndrome are grossly inadequate and many families resort to using illegal cannabis extracts out of desperation. This is not without good reason, as there are numerous reports of cannabis dramatically reducing seizures and improving the health of children with Dravet syndrome. While conventional animal models of epilepsy have assisted in the development of anti-epileptic drugs, they have failed to find new agents that treat paediatric epilepsy. This project will utilise Dravet syndrome mice that provide a new platform to discover novel therapeutic agents for childhood epilepsy. Genetic mutations observed in Dravet syndrome have been introduced to mice that faithfully reproduce key features of the disorder, such as early-onset seizures, mortality and developmental delays in cognitive, motor and social function.
Cannabis is a complex mixture containing numerous cannabinoid compounds, therefore the active constituent/s need to be elucidated. Cannabidiol (CBD) is currently being tested in clinical trials for its efficacy in treating childhood epilepsy. CBD lacks psychoactivity and has a favorable toxicity profile. We will also assess the efficacy of other promising phytocannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC). We will assess whether the cannabinoids protect against seizures and mortality in Dravet mice. Our proposed studies will also examine whether cannabinoids halt developmental delays in cognitive, social and motor function.
TECHNIQUES drug administration, transgenic mice, behavioural analysis, EEG measurements, immunohistochemistry, seizure detection, microglial cell and dendritic morphology analysis
Selected publications
• Todd SM, Zhou C, Clarke DJ, Chohan TW, Bahceci D, & Arnold JC (2017). Interactions between cannabidiol and Delta9-THC following acute and repeated dosing: Rebound hyperactivity, sensorimotor gating and epigenetic and neuroadaptive changes in the mesolimbic pathway. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 27: 132-145.
• Clarke DJ, Stuart J, McGregor IS, & Arnold JC (2017). Endocannabinoid dysregulation in cognitive and stress-related brain regions in the Nrg1 mouse model of schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 72: 9-15.
• Brzozowska NI, Smith KL, Zhou C, Waters PM, Cavalcante LM, Abelev SV, Arnold JC. (2017). Genetic deletion of P-glycoprotein alters stress responsivity and increases depression-like behavior, social withdrawal and microglial activation in the hippocampus of female mice. Brain Behav Immun.
• Brzozowska NI, de Tonnerre EJ, Li KM, Wang XS, Boucher AA, Callaghan PD, Arnold JC. (2017). The Differential Binding of Antipsychotic Drugs to the ABC Transporter P-Glycoprotein Predicts Cannabinoid-Antipsychotic Drug Interactions. Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Bennett MR, Arnold J, Hatton SN, & Lagopoulos J (2017). Regulation of fear extinction by long-term depression: The roles of endocannabinoids and brain derived neurotrophic factor. Behav Brain Res 319: 148-164.
• Bakas T, van Nieuwenhuijzen PS, Devenish SO, McGregor IS, Arnold JC, & Chebib M (2017). The direct actions of cannabidiol and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol at GABAA receptors. Pharmacol Res 119: 358-370.
• Todd SM, & Arnold JC (2016). Neural correlates of interactions between cannabidiol and Delta(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol in mice: implications for medical cannabis. Br J Pharmacol 173: 53-65.
• Silveira MM, Arnold JC, Laviolette SR, Hillard CJ, Celorrio M, Aymerich MS, et al. (2016). Seeing through the smoke: human and animal studies of cannabis use and endocannabinoid signalling in corticolimbic networks. Neurosci Biobehav Rev.
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A/Prof Elena BAGLEY Synaptic Physiology and Plasticity
Charles Perkins Centre [email protected]
Our research group is interested in normal synaptic function and synapse dysfunction. Synaptic dysfunction is emerging as a key player in many brain disorders. We use patch-clamp electrophysiology in brain slices, immunohistochemistry and biochemical assays to study synaptic properties and synaptic plasticity that may participate in physiological or pathophysiological processes. These honours projects focus on how endogenously released opioid peptides alter synaptic function and plasticity in the amygdala. Fear and anxiety are adaptive responses that allow animals to defend themselves against harm. Neural circuits in the amygdala are key for fear memory acquisition and storage but also for reducing the fear response (extinction). Extinction of the fear response relies on a special group of GABAergic interneurons in the amygdala, the intercalated cells.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/bagleye.php
Research group (2017): Sarah Kissiwaa (Research associate), Gabbi Gregoriou (PhD student), Sahil Patel (PhD student), Sebastian Pyne (Honours Student)
PUBLICATIONS. Arico C, Bagley EE, Carrive P, Assareh N, McNally G. (2017) Effects of chemogenetic excitation or inhibition of the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray on the acquisition and extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Accepted 14th July 2017 (IF 4.1) Winters BL, Gregoriou G.G., Kissiwaa SA, Wells OA, Hermes SM, Burford NT, Alt A, Aicher SA, Bagley EE (2017) Endogenous Opioids Regulate Moment-to-Moment Neuronal Communication and Excitability. Nature Communications, 8, 14611. (IF 11.5) Sengupta A, Winters B, Bagley EE, McNally GP. (2015) Disrupted Prediction Error Links Excessive Amygdala Activation to Excessive Fear. J Neurosci. 2016 Jan 13;36(2):385-95. Connor M, Bagley EE, Chieng BC, Christie MJ. β-arrestin-2 knockout prevents development of cellular μ-opioid receptor tolerance but does not affect opioid-withdrawal-related adaptations in single PAG neurons. (2014) Br J Pharmacol. Bagley EE, Westbrook GL. (2012) Short-term field stimulation mimics synaptic maturation of hippocampal synapses. Journal of Physiology 2012 Apr 1;590 (Pt 7):1641-54. Bagley EE, Hacker J, Chefer V.I., Chieng B.C. Mcnally G.P., Shippenberg T.S. & Christie M.J. GAT-1 transporter currents excite GABAergic neurons to produce opioid withdrawal behaviour. Accepted Aug 17th 2011 Nature Neuroscience, Bagley EE, Gerke MB, Vaughan CW, Hack SP, Christie MJ. (2005) GABA transporter currents activated by protein kinase A excite midbrain neurons during opioid withdrawal. Neuron. 45:433-45.
PROJECT 1 Does fear change endogenous opioid expression in the amygdala?
Enkephalins are endogenous opioids that are strongly expressed in the amygdala and are thought to be involved in several aspects of fear. Mice deficient in the enkephalin precursor, preproenkephalin, are highly anxious and aggressive. Intercalated neurons (IA in figure) express very high levels of the μ-opiate receptor (MOR) and the endogenous opioid ligand enkephalin. Stress or anxiety may change opioid receptor or metabolizing enzyme expression in the amygala. This project will determine whether a fearful experience alters the expression of elements of the endogenous opioid system in the intercalated cells.
TECHNIQUES Immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, FRET
PROJECT 2 Does fear change endogenous opioid function in the amygdala?
Endogenous opioids are significant regulators of synaptic glutamate and GABA release in the intercalated region of the amygdala. Mice deficient in the enkephalin precursor, preproenkephalin, are highly anxious and aggressive. Intercalated neurons (IA in figure) express very high levels of the μ-opiate receptor (MOR) and the endogenous opioid ligand enkephalin. In this project we ask whether fear learning alters endogenous opioid regulation of neurotransmitter release in the intercalated region of the amygdala.
TECHNIQUES Patch-clamp electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, optogenetics
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A/Prof Sinthia BOSNIC-ANTICEVICH Quality Use of Respiratory Medicines Group/
Clinical Management Room 4017, Woolcock K26
Our group focuses on innovative and effective ways to better manage chronic respiratory illness. This involves. Research students are important members of our research group and we promote a culture of learning through sharing and collegial support.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/sinthia.bosnic-anticevich.php
Research group (2017): Dr Vicky Kritikos, Dr Sharon David, Amanda Elaro, Biljana Cvetovski, Pamela Srour, Rachel Tan, Marima Toumas, Sarah Barbara, Elizabeth Azzi, Samantha Khuu.
PROJECT 1 KNOWING YOUR NOSE AND HOW TO TREAT IT
Will suit a student who is interested in health outcomes Allergic rhinitis is a highly prevalent condition. It is known to cause significant impact on an individual’s quality of life and is a common trigger for poor asthma control. In fact, approximately 90% of people with asthma have allergic rhinitis yet our recent data indicates that approximately half of these people have never had allergic rhinitis diagnosed by a doctor and less than one third of them are taking appropriate treatment, despite experience moderate to severe symptoms. We are testing a new innovative clinical intervention to be delivered in the community pharmacy setting.
TECHNIQUES Students will learn to develop evidence based interventions and pilot test them.
PROJECT 2 HEALTH CARE DELIVERY NETWORKS IN PRIMARY CARE
Will suit a student interested in developing clinical process to support better care delivery A key component of effective respiratory disease management is the regular review of patient disease status in order to ensure that diagnosis of illness is early, accurate and directed towards the most effective care pathway. In respiratory illness, there is a lack of regular review of illness and consequently patients with respiratory illness often receive a late diagnosis and medication management is suboptimal. This research explores the UK-based effective evidence-based programs Optimum Patient Care (OPC), with the aim of implementing and evaluating it into the Australian primary health care setting. As a result a novel model of care delivery, will be evaluated. This research has implications for the management of respiratory illness in the future.
TECHNIQUES Implementation science and translational research methodologies.
PROJECT 3 INHALER DEVICES AND INTUITION Will suit a student who is interested in understanding the way in which GPs use and learn to use inhaler devices
Inhaler devices are the corner-stone of medication delivery in the treatment of chronic obstructive lung diseases. Poor inhaler technique has been a major problem in managing respiratory illness for decades; it compromises disease control and is associated with an increase in the economic burden of disease management. The majority of inhaler technique research focuses on the patient, with a paucity of real-life data, especially recent data, relating to inhaler technique and HCPs. Further, there is no data investigating the real-life scenario, that is, when GPs are faced with the decision to switch medication or inhaler devices, how do they learn how to use them? How effective are standard training tools? Are some inhalers more intuitive to use than others? This research project explores the use of inhalers by GPs with regards to skill mastery and maintenance.
TECHNIQUES Students will be exposed to a mixed methods research approach.
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Prof Nicholas BUCKLEY Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology Group
Rooms 470/474A/301, Blackburn Building [email protected]
We are a multi-disciplinary collaboration of researchers, our goal is to integrate the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory research in human toxicology in order to investigate a range of human toxicology problems. Honours projects carried out within the group offer an excellent introduction to the emerging and exciting field of “big data” – using large datasets to reveal trends, patterns and associations that can have big public health impact. Projects are well-suited to students interested in moving into research areas of epidemiology, public health, or clinical medicine. Below are some examples, but with the resources and datasets available to the group many other research possibilities are also available.
Research interests & pubs: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/nicholas.buckley.php http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/pharmacology/research/clinical-pharmacology-and-toxicology/index.php
Research group (2017): Kate Chitty, Rose Cairns, Kat Kirby, Jacques Raubenheimer, Andrew Dawson, Claire Wylie, Oluwaseun Egunsola, Angela Chiew
PROJECT 1 Epidemiology of antidepressant use & poisoning in elderly & youth in Australia
involves joint supervision with Dr Rose Cairns This project will extract data from the Poisons Information centre database and the national coronial information system (from 2000 to 2015) and compare this to publically available data on Australian use of antidepressants in those aged over 65 and under 18 years in different locations in Australia. Students will review the evidence for efficacy in these age groups, explore trends over time in the use of antidepressants in the elderly, the impact on non-fatal and fatal poisoning and suicide, and relationship to geographic location and guidelines. This project may also utilise routinely collected Australian prescription data to explore doctor’s prescribing in these age groups (dose, co-prescription, etc)
TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, Pharmacoepidemiology, statistics, database analysis
PROJECT 2 Predictors of hepatotoxicity, death and recovery after paracetamol poisoning
involves joint supervision with Dr Kat Kirby and Dr Angela Chiew This project will examine will focus on data from patients who get hepatotoxicity from paracetamol poisoning. Can we use standard clinical biochemistry tests to predict who will become severely ill or die earlier?; can we predict who is going to recover earlier? Current strategies often ignore the key factor of the time lapsed since overdose, and also approach each test in isolation. There is considerable scope for seeing if trajectories and ratios could lead to better prediction methods. This project will involve merging and cleaning of multiple currently existing data sets and then focus on analysis of the merged data. TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, statistics, biomarkers, database analysis, clinical research
PROJECT 3 Diurnal and seasonal variation of poisonings in Newcastle, Australia
involves joint supervision with Kat Kirby Investigating diurnal variation in the timing of poisonings by various substances offers opportunity to understand its risk factors. The aim of this project is to determine the diurnal and seasonal variation in poisonings. This project involves using data from the Hunter Area Toxicology Service (HATS) database. Since 1987, there have been approximately 25000 admissions to HATS for poisonings. Students will group all poisonings according the substance(s) used in the poisoning episode and explore patterns in the time of the day and the month of year that the poisoning occurred.
TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, statistics, database analysis
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Dr Kate CHITTY Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology Group
Room 301, Blackburn Building [email protected]
Research interests & pubs: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/kate.chitty.php
PROJECT 4 Circumstances surrounding death from suicide
involves joint supervision with Dr Rose Cairns Commonly, suicide is conceptualised as a symptom of a psychiatric disorder, rather than a heterogeneous action resulting from a complex interplay of a number of psychical, psychiatric and lifestyle factors. The aim of this project is to highlight the various “types” of suicide death by identifying similar clusters of characteristics. This project involves coding data from police and coroners reports of suicides in Australia from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Variables examined will include: age, sex, SES, immigration/recent immigration, living circumstances, physical/psychiatric comorbidities and recent stressors. Using cluster analysis, students will identify patterns across different “types” of suicide.
TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, statistics, database analysis
PROJECT 5 Investigating trends in drug use chatter using social media
involves joint supervision with Dr Jacques Raubenheimer Both the internet and the use of social media have become pervasive elements of modern Australian society, with upwards of 85% of Australians using the internet, and with higher usage patterns amongst younger Australians. Social media spheres have become common discussion areas on all manner of topics, and drug use, from routine use of medication to use of stimulants and recreational drugs being discussed on social media platforms. This project aims to examine ways in which Australians are searching for, purchasing, and discussing the usage of, a wide variety of drugs on the internet, with a specific focus on publicly available social media data, using a proprietary platform. Trends will be established (time, and, if possible, geographic), and the nature of the online conversation will be described.
TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, statistics, database analysis
PROJECT 6 Reported adverse drug events in Australia (2007 – 2017)
involves joint supervision with Dr Oluwaseun Egunsola Psychotropic medicines and antibiotics are common causes of adverse drug reaction. Information on adverse events in Australia is publicly available on the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) website. This project involves extracting drug safety information from the TGA in order to identify the most commonly reported adverse drug events associated with these drug classes, determine the characteristics of the patients who experienced the adverse events and to determine the proportion of fatal drug events for each drug and group. For adequate comparison, all reports will be standardised to the number of prescriptions in Australia during the period under review.
TECHNIQUES Epidemiology, statistics, database analysis
Other opportunities There are other ongoing studies and data sources that can support other research interests. For example: • Comparing average prescribed doses to recommended doses in children and the elderly • Comparing medicines data to coronial data to determine drugs that are over-represented in suicides • Examine liver and alcohol biomarkers from clinical studies/trials of paracetamol poisoning. • Seasonal, diurnal, circadian, weather influences on patterns of poisoning. Have other ideas? Come talk to us and we can help you design your own project around a specific area of interest!
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A/Prof Kellie CHARLES Cancer Pharmacology Laboratory
Room 306, Blackburn Building [email protected]
Our research group is primarily focused on the interactions between chemotherapy and the local and systemic inflammatory response. Our group has shown that inflammation impacts the pharmacological response to chemotherapy in terms of response and toxicity. We have also developed novel methods to study the immune profiles of patients during chemotherapy to monitor treatment response. By understanding these interactions we may be able to identify new immune cell-specific drug targets and modify chemotherapy protocols to improve the treatment of patients with cancer.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/kellie.charles.php
Research group (2017): 3 PhD Students, 1 TSP student, 1 project officer (Sydney 1000 Bowel Cancer Study)
PROJECT 1 IDENTIFYING NEW B CELL IMMUNOTHERAPY DRUG TARGETS IN COLORECTAL CANCER
This exciting, new project is designed for an honours student with an interest and background knowledge in pharmacology, cancer and immunology. Previous clinical studies have shown that colorectal cancer patients with high tumour T cells have better response to chemotherapy and longer overall survival (20% of the CRC patient population). To further enhance the activity of the T cells present in these tumours, antibodies directed at inhibiting critical T cell checkpoints have been designed and are being investigated clinically in this sub-population of CRC patients. However, most colorectal tumours do not have T cell present and these new drugs do not work. In these patients, the tumours have higher numbers of antigen-presenting cells, particularly B cells. Our data from circulating immune cells from CRC patients confirm this profile. The phenotype and key regulatory pathways of the B cells in the circulation and tumour of patients with CRC remain unknown. Understanding the phenotype and key transcriptional signalling pathways will assist in identifying a novel therapeutic strategy to reprogramme and differentiate the B cells into the effector cells needed to enhance anti-tumour immunity. This project will be the first step towards developing new B cell-targeted immunotherapies in advanced CRC patients. This honours project will characterise the phenotype and transcriptional regulators of B cells collected from the blood and tumours of colorectal cancer using mass cytometry. Experience with flow cytometry methodology and analysis would be helpful in this project.
TECHNIQUES Clinical sample handling, mass cytometry, data analysis and bioinformatics.
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Dr Arsalan YOUSUF & Prof Mac CHRISTIE Neuropharmacology of Pain and Addiction
Kolling Institute RNSH [email protected]
Major areas of study in pain and addiction mechanisms aim to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of opioid tolerance and physical dependence with the goal of improving opioid therapeutics. We use patch clamp electrophysiology in mammalian cells and spinal cord slices integrated with behavioural models of chronic pain.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/macc.php
Research group (2017): 4 postdoctoral fellows, 2 RAs, 5 PhD students, 1 MPhil student, 1 Honours student
PROJECT BIASED SIGNALING OF NOVEL OPIOID RECEPTOR AGONISTS
Will suit a student with interests in cellular physiology/ molecular pharmacology We have developed a novel series of opioid receptor agonists based on a new tetra-peptide structure. We have introduced functional groups into the peptides to facilitate blood brain barrier penetration. This project will determine whether these agonists show a similar signaling bias to the parent peptide compounds, which would suggest they have novel capcity to produce analgesia versus adverse effects such as tolerance. You will learn to culture mammalian cells expressing µ-opioid receptors, measure receptor endocytosis and phosphorylation with immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, and receptor function with patch clamp electrophysiology.
TECHNIQUES Cell culture, immunochemistry, patch clamp electrophysiology, simple kinetic analyses Selected publication Dang VC, Chieng BC, Christie MJ (2012). Prolonged stimulation of µ-opioid receptors produces ß-arrestin-2 mediated heterologous desensitization of α2-adrenoceptor function in locus coeruleus neurons. Mol. Pharmacol. 82, 473-480.
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Prof Rachel CODD Chemical Biology in Drug Design Laboratory
Room 778, Molecular Bioscience Building, G08 [email protected]
Projects in my group blend aspects of chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and biotechnology. We study bacterial compounds called ‘siderophores’ used to treat conditions arising from iron dyshomeostasis, with broader applications as anti-infective and anti-cancer agents. Some projects use traditional chemical synthesis as part of the drug design approach. Other projects use bacterial fermentation and precursor-directed biosynthesis to produce known and new compounds, which we purify using a specialist technique developed in our group. We use the siderophore metal binding motif to design new Zr-89 PET imaging agents.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/rcodd.php
Research group (2017): 2 Postdoctoral Research Associates, 4 PhD students, 1 Honours student
PROJECT 1 NEW CHELATORS FOR ZIRCONIUM-89 POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING
Will suit a student with interests in synthetic/coordination chemistry (metals in biology) The high-definition images of cancer from positron emission tomography (PET) imaging allows good clinical decision making. New radionuclides with favourable emission and decay properties could advance PET imaging. The 3.3-d half-life of Zr-89 matches the circulation half-life of antibodies, allowing the antibody to accumulate with Zr-89 at the tumour site for high quality imaging. New high affinity/high selectivity Zr(IV) ligands are needed. The hydroxamic acid functional group [1] has a high affinity towards Zr(IV). We have prepared new linear [2] and macrocyclic [3] ligands for Zr(IV). In this project, you will use a simple, yet innovative, approach to prepare a group of new multi-dentate hydroxamic acid ligands with different architectures for Zr-89. You will prepare and characterise these ligands and characterise metal binding using natZr(IV). These compounds are predicted to be readily prepared on a large scale – with easy access enabling accelerated pre-clinical development and uptake. TECHNIQUES Synthetic chemistry, Characterisation (Structural, Coordination Chemistry)
PROJECT 2 IN-TANDEM BIOSYNTHESIS/SEMI-SYNTHESIS TO ACCESS NEW SIDEROPHORES
Will suit a student with interests in microbiology/biochemistry (a little chemistry optional) Our group has recently discovered [4] that new analogues of desferrioxamine B (DFOB) (used currently to treat secondary iron overload disease) can be generated by culturing Streptomyces pilosus in medium supplemented with non-native diamine substrates (red box). These diamines compete against the native substrate during DFOB assembly. It is fun to engineer new siderophores using the native bacterial machinery, rather than having to make new derivatives in the lab. In this project, you will use this precursor-directed biosynthesis approach to produce a new class of DFOB derivatives, which have been designed for further diversification using downstream chemistry. These analogues could have potential as new drugs and/or imaging agents. TECHNIQUES Microbiology, LC-MS, Coordination chemistry, Analytical biochemistry
Selected publications
[1] Codd, R. (2008). Traversing the coordination chemistry and chemical biology of hydroxamic acids, Coord. Chem. Rev., 252, 1387-1408.
[2] Richardson-Sanchez, T.; Tieu, W.; Gotsbacher, M. P.; Telfer, T. J.; Codd, R. (2017) Exploiting the biosynthetic machinery of Streptomyces pilosus to engineer a water-soluble zirconium(IV) chelator, Org. Biomol. Chem., 15, 5719-5730.
[3] Tieu, W.; Lifa, T.; Katsifis, A.; Codd, R. (2017). Octadentate zirconium(IV)-loaded macrocycles with varied stoichiometry assembled from hydroxamic acid monomers using metal-templated synthesis, Inorg. Chem., 56, 3719-3728.
[4] Telfer, T. J.; Gotsbacher, M. P.; Soe, C. Z.; Codd, R. (2016). Mixing up the pieces of the desferrioxamine B jigsaw defines the biosynthetic sequence catalyzed by DesD, ACS Chem. Biol., 11, 1452-1462.
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Dr Tina HINTON Biomedical Sciences Education
Rm 2N12, Charles Perkins Centre [email protected]
Pharmacology is a biomedical science taught to numerous cohorts (science, medicine, pharmacy, nursing) requiring different applications of the discipline skills and knowledge. Research projects to date have included national and multidisciplinary teams evaluating pharmacology curriculum across degree programs, student experience of specific learning activities, student engagement and student learning, and impact of changes to curriculum on skills development and learning outcomes. A number of projects are currently underway in the area of innovative learning spaces. This research forms part of the Centre for Research in Learning and Innovation and the Charles Perkins Centre Science of Learning Science Research Node. Co-supervisors: Professor Philip Poronnik (Physiology), Professor Peter Goodyear (Education)
Research interests & publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/tinah.php
Research group (2017): http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/publications/tinah.php
PROJECT 1 IMPACT OF LEARNING SPACE ON BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES LEARNING AND TEACHING
Will suit a student with interests in field research methods, education and translation of pharmacology skills and knowledge into education
The Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) encourages a new model for multi- and transdisciplinary education and research. The new learning spaces within the CPC building include large collaborative learning spaces, flexible learning spaces and a learning studio, and custom-built learning spaces such as an exercise laboratory. These spaces were designed to provide opportunities for teaching large groups, with cohorts from different disciplines, years of candidature, units of study and degree programs working side by side. This is a major departure from traditional learning spaces and provides an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the impact of learning space on what and how we teach and learn in pharmacology and other biomedical sciences. This project will form part of an investigation into student and staff experiences of physical and social factors that influence learning and teaching, as well as changes in learning and teaching practices and curriculum and pedagogical design in new learning spaces. This project involves learning the skills associated with qualitative and quantitative education research – designing and analysing interviews and surveys as well as ethics and recruitment. The project occurs in collaboration with Professor Philip Poronnik (Physiology) and Professor Peter Goodyear (Education).
TECHNIQUES Field research methods – questionnaire, interview, data analysis and statistics
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Dr Slade MATTHEWS PharmacoInformatics Laboratory
Room 479, Molecular Bioscience Building G08 [email protected]
The PharmacoInformatics Laboratory uses computer technologies to uncover new relationships in biomedical data. PharmacoInformatics incorporates the principles of computerised data management, machine learning techniques and complexity analysis in a pharmacology context. These techniques as well as applied statistics are used on a range of problems in this lab including clinical observational studies and laboratory based data driven studies.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/sladem.php
Research group (2017) Davy Guan (PhD student), Yuhanif Yusof (Post Doc), Zuriyat Iqbal (MD student), Peter Wang (MD student), Dargos Stefanescu (MD student), Hamish Carmichael (MD student)
PROJECT 1 IN SILICO TOXICOLOGY MODELLING The prediction of toxicity is an important part of the assessment of drugs in development. The cost associated with detection of drug toxicity late in drug development is enormous so it has become important to develop in silico models to detect toxic effects early. In silico toxicology is essentially similar to QSAR but considers combinations of a greater number of parameters for making toxicity predictions. This project aims to generate a models of toxic effects using physicochemical data and experimental results gleaned from literature.
TECHNIQUES The techniques employed include: use of computational toxicology softwares; searching and researching databases including PubChem, TGA, PubMed, interpretation In Silico toxicological relationships.
PROJECT 2 Hand cream interference with Blood glucose monitoring Blood glucose monitoring is essential for patient care in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients. The importance of accurate blood glucose (Bgl) measurement is paramount but there are several conditions which affect the accuracy of these devices including temperature, altitude, and substances on the skin. There are several types of monitors that contain different enzyme systems and the substances that interfere with the results may vary. In this project you will investigate the level of interference caused by dermally applied substances including cosmetics and medicines. The results will inform correct use of the monitors and lead to higher quality diabetic patient care. Students will be co-supervised by Professor Nick Buckley
TECHNIQUES BGl monitoring, Experiments with humans, Consenting Participants, Experimental design RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
1. Ebach, M., Michael, M., Shaw, W., Goff, J., Murphy, D., Matthews, S. (2016). Big data and the historical sciences: A critique. Geoforum, 71, 1-4
2. Lai, K., Killingsworth, M., Yong, J., Matthews, S., Ebrahimi, A., McGuinness, J., . . . Lee, C. S. (2017). Specific localization of LC3B in autophagosome: A correlative labelling study with nanoparticle in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Exp Mol Pathol, 102(3), 422-427.
3. Lai, K., Killingsworth, M., Matthews, S., Caixeiro, N., Evangelista, C., Wu, X., . . . Lee, C. S. (2016). Differences in survival outcome between oropharyngeal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma in relation to HPV status. J Oral Pathol Med.
4. Marzbanrad, F., Khandoker, A., Hambly, B., Ng, E., Tamayo, M., Lu, Y., Matthews, S., Karmakar, C., Palaniswami, M., Jelinek, H., et al (2016). Methodological Comparisons of Heart Rate Variability Analysis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Polymorphism. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 20(1), 55-63.
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Dr Brent McPARLAND & Dr Ann MITROVIC
Molecular Bioscience Building G08 [email protected]
Our research group investigates mechanisms behind increased airway responsiveness in asthma and COPD and tick-borne infections such as the idiopathic Lyme-like illness in Australia
Research interests/publications:
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/brent.mcparland.php
Research group (2017): Farid Sanai (post doc), Brooke Storey-Lewis and Oliver Creagh
PROJECT 1 Bronchial segment model to assess beta2-adrenoceptor desensitisation This project will be co-supervised by Paul Young and Daniela Traini from the Woolcock. People with asthma have airways that are too sensitive and narrow too much. The epithelium provides a barrier between the outside and the inside of the body and this may be impaired in asthma. This project is to investigate whether the epithelial barrier alters beta2-adrenoceptor desensitisation and whether there are differences between the following agonists: isoprenaline, salbutamol, fenoterol, salmeterol and formoterol. Bronchial airway segments will be obtained from pig lungs picked up from a local abattoir.
TECHNIQUES Organ bath pharmacology, Tissue dissection, Histology/Morphometry, Radio-ligand binding assays (possibility)
PROJECT 2 Discovery of tick-borne pathogens in the human systemic biome This project will be supervised by Ann Mitrovic and Brent McParland. The project involves the discovery of potential pathogens that could be transmitted from Australian ticks. Next generation sequencing provides insight into the diversity profile of pathogens in blood from patients who have been diagnosed with an idiopathic Lyme-like illness in Australia. The diversity profile can be compared with healthy controls. Based on the differences and also with what is found in the biome of Australian ticks, primers can be designed to speciate the bacteria. Upon discovery of the likely candidates that cause the Lyme-like illness an appropriate drug combination can be ascertained. TECHNIQUES Induction into a PC2 laboratory, Genomic DNA purification from ticks, animal tissue and
clinical specimens. PCR- Polymerase Chain Reaction, electrophoresis, light and dark field microscopy. Bioinformatics such as analysis of phylogenetic relationships using multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA).
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Dr Sarasa MOHAMMDI Pain and Drug Addiction Laboratory
In the Pain and Drug Addiction Laboratory, part of our research uses animal models of chronic pain and drug-dependence to investigate the mechanisms underlying chronic pain and physiological dependence on analgesic drugs, as well as examining how best to treat these conditions. We use behavioural neuroscience, to improve our understanding of existing analgesics, to test new drugs and drug classes, and to better understand pain physiology. We combine models of chronic pain states and drug dependence with behavioural tests and genetic modification to study these phenomena at the organism level.
Research interests/publications:
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/sarasa.mohammadi.893.php
Research group (2017): Mac Christie (Professor, Laboratory supervisor), Arsalan Yousef (Post Doc), Setareh Sianati (Post Doc), Yan Ping Du (Senior Research Assistant), Nehan Munasinghe (PhD Student), Alex Gillis (PhD Student), Claudia Natale (PhD Student), Marco Avena (Honours Student)
PROJECT 1 Disease modifying effects of α9-nAChR-blockers A novel class of analgesic drugs has been reported that act by blocking the α9-nAChR. Injured animals that receive treatment with these drugs show improvement in pain behaviour, as well as a reduction in the number of immune cells that infiltrate into the site of injury. These changes have been proposed to be disease modifying effects of α9-nAChR-blockers. This project will examine the validity of the claim that α9-nAChR-blockers have disease modifying effects by comparing the pathology of nerve injury in normal wildtype mice with genetically modified mice that lack the α9-nAChR. The influence of treatment with analgesic α9-nAChR-blockers on the pathology will also be examined. TECHNIQUES Animal behavioural models, small rodent surgeries, immunohistochemistry,
microscopy
PROJECT 2 Regulation of stress responses through α9-nAChRs Mice that have a congenital deletion of α9-nAChRs exhibit an altered behavioural and physiological response to stress. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind α9-nAChR-mediated stress regulation. This project will look at the impacts of α9-nAChR-deletion on behavioural responses to stress using both traditional and ethological experimental paradigms. Changes in stress-relevant proteins will be compared in central (brain) and peripheral (pituitary and adrenal glands) sites in wildtype and α9-nAChR knockout mice, before and after stress.
TECHNIQUES Animal behavioural models, immunohistochemistry, microscopy, western blotting
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Prof Michael MURRAY Cancer Pharmacogenomics and Drug Development
Level 1, Medical Foundation Building [email protected]
Projects in the Pharmacogenomics and Drug Development Group take a multidisciplinary approach to problems in cancer chemotherapy. Our current focus is on the development of new anti-cancer drugs, and on anticancer drug resistance, which leads to tumours that are untreatable with the available drugs. We use a combination of molecular pharmacology, cell biology, synthetic chemistry and in vivo preclinical models in these projects. Our aim is to develop effective new drugs that treat cancers by new mechanisms and to use pharmacogenomics to assist drug selection in cancer.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/mmur2743.php
Research group (2017): Yong Chen (postdoc), Kirsi Bourget (Res Asst), Hassan Choucair, Yassir Al-Zubaidi, Md Khalilur Rahman, Bala Umashankar (postgraduate students), Tayler Wishart (Hons)
PROJECT 1 New anticancer drugs that target tumour cell mitochondria The treatment of advanced breast cancer often fails due to limited choices of drugs for therapy. New molecules that act by different mechanisms are needed to provide additional therapeutic options. We have designed a new class of anti-cancer agents that act like ω-3 fatty acid metabolites that are formed in cells. These agents rapidly kill breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in nude mice carrying xenografted tumours. Identifying how these agents kill cancer cells will provide new drug targets for the rational design of next generation anti-cancer drugs.
TECHNIQUES cell culture, immunoblotting, real-time PCR, medicinal chemistry, cell-based assays
PROJECT 2 Novel anti-metastatic agents based on ω-3 fatty acid metabolites Metastasis is the major life-threatening consequence of malignant tumours. At present there are no effective drugs to prevent metastasis. In our current work we have designed a new class of anti-metastatic agents that inhibit the growth and migration capacity of highly aggressive breast and prostate tumour cells in vitro and in vivo. Understanding how these agents prevent tumour cell migration will enable the synthesis of optimal anti-metastatic agents to treat advanced cancers.
Tumour cell migration assay
TECHNIQUES cell culture, RNA-seq, proteomics, immunoblotting, real-time PCR, cell-based assays Selected publications 1. SE Allison, Y Chen, N Petrovic, J Zhang, K Bourget, PI Mackenzie and M Murray. Activation of ALDH1A1 in MDA-MB-468 breast cancer
cells that over-express CYP2J2 protects against paclitaxel-dependent cell death mediated by reactive oxygen species. Biochem
Pharmacol (in press).
2. HRE Dyari, T Rawling, Y Chen, W Sudarmana, K Bourget, JM Dwyer, SE Allison and M Murray. A novel synthetic analogue of ω-3
17,18-epoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid activates TNFreceptor-1/ASK1/JNK signaling to promote apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.
FASEB J (in press).
3. M Murray, A Hraiki, M Bebawy, C Pazderka and T Rawling. Anti-tumor activities of lipids and lipid analogues and their development
as potential anticancer drugs. Pharmacol Ther 150, 109-128 (2015).
3. HRE Dyari, T Rawling, K Bourget and M Murray. Synthetic ω-3 epoxyfatty acids as anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic agents in
human breast cancer cells. J Med Chem 57, 7459-7464 (2014)
5. PH Cui, T Rawling, K Bourget, T Kim, CC Duke, MR Doddareddy, DE Hibbs, F Zhou, BN Tattam, N Petrovic and M Murray.
Antiproliferative and antimigratory actions of synthetic long chain n-3 monounsaturated fatty acids in breast cancer cells that
overexpress cyclooxygenase-2. J Med Chem 55, 7163-7172 (2012).
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A/Prof Renae RYAN Transporter Biology Group
Room 509, Molecular Bioscience Building, G08 [email protected]
The Transporter Biology Group investigates the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter and amino acid transporters. The aim of our research is to develop a structural model for how these transporters work, and in this way lay the foundations for a more rational approach to the development of drugs that are both transporter-specific and subtype selective and can be used to treat neurodegenerative disorders, schizophrenia, chronic pain and cancer.
Research interests & publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/renaer.php
Research group (2017): Prof Rob Vandenberg, Dr Josep Font, Rosemary Cater, Shannon Mostyn, Natasha Freidman, Qianyi Wu, Ichia Chen
PROJECT 1 Developing novel cancer therapeutics that inhibit glutamine transport
The glutamate transporter family (SLC1 family) is made up of proteins from several species and includes the human glutamate transporters (EAATs) and neutral amino acid transporters (ASCTs), and a prokaryotic aspartate transporter (GltPh) which is a structural model of the SLC1 family. We have used the similarities
and differences between these family members to better understand the molecular basis for their specific functions and have used this information to develop novel compounds to selectivity target ASCT2. Cancer cells rely heavily on the import of the amino acid glutamine to fuel their excessive growth and proliferation. ASCT2 is a glutamine transporter that is known to be upregulated in several types of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma and ASCT2 is the primary route for glutamine entry into these cancer cells. Our group is currently developing novel selective and potent ASCT2 inhibitors that will hopefully lead to a new class of cancer therapeutics. This project will focus on characterising several novel compounds that have been developed to selectively target ASCT2. The results of this project will further inform drug design to develop potent and selective ASCT2 inhibitors as novel cancer therapeutics.
PROJECT 2 Investigating the elevator mechanism of the glutamate transporters In addition to their primary role of clearing glutamate from the synapse, the human glutamate transporters (aka the EAATs) allow the flux of chloride across the membrane. Work in our group is focused on understanding the molecular basis for these dual mechanisms and their role in physiology. We have already identified two distinct pathways through the transporter for glutamate and chloride and have shown that activation of the chloride conductance is linked to the elevator mechanism that is required for glutamate transport. The aim of this project is to further examine this newly identified region of the transporter to gain more information about how these proteins carry out these dual functions.
TECHNIQUES molecular biology (including site-directed mutagenesis); electrophysiology; protein purification; liposome reconstitution; radiolabelled uptake; x-ray crystallography molecular modelling; drug design
Glutamate transporter dysfunction has been implicated in disease states such as ischemia following a stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and obsessive compulsive disorder and the expression of ASCT2 is known to be upregulated in several cancers including prostate, breast and skin cancer. Through a better understanding of the mechanism of these transporters we can develop novel therapies to treat these disease states.
Selected publications [1] Cater, RJ, Vandenberg, RJ and Ryan RM (2016) Tuning the ion selectivity of glutamate transporter–associated uncoupled conductances. The Journal of General Physiology 148, 13-24. [2] Ryan RM and Vandenberg RJ (2016) Elevating the alternating-access model. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 23, 187-189.
[3] Scopelliti AJ, Ryan RM and Vandenberg RJ (2013) Molecular Determinants for Functional Differences between Alanine-Serine-Cysteine Transporter 1 and other Glutamate Transporter Family Members. The Journal of Biological Chemistry 288, 8250-7 [4] Qian Wang, … Josep Font, …. Renae M Ryan, Mika Jormakka, Nikolas K. Haass, John E. J. Rasko, Jeff Holst (2014) Targeting glutamine transport to suppress melanoma cell growth. International Journal of Cancer [5] Boudker O, Ryan RM, Yernool D, Shimamoto, K and Gouaux E (2007) Coupling substrate and ion binding to extracellular gate of a sodium-dependent aspartate transporter. Nature 445, 387-393.
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A/Prof Margie SUNDE Functional Amyloid Biology Group
Room 571, Molecular Bioscience Building (G08) [email protected]
The formation of stable thread-like protein assemblies known as amyloid fibrils is associated with many human diseases. However, functional amyloid protein fibrils with similar structural features have recently been identified in mammals and many different microorganisms. These amyloid fibrils perform a wide range of functional roles and are advantageous to the organisms. The Sunde lab uses molecular biology, protein chemistry, fluorescence and structural techniques to study the formation of functional amyloid fibrils associated with microbial infections and cell death by necroptosis [1].
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/msunde.php
Research group (2017): 1 postdoctoral researcher, 3 PhD students, 1 research assistant
PROJECT 1 FUNCTIONAL AMYLOID COMPLEXES IN PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH
Will suit a student with interests in structural biology, cell biology and protein:protein interactions
The formation of functional amyloid complexes in human cells is associated with the induction of cell death in response to microbial infection and in other inflammatory conditions. One key complex that has been characterised involves amyloid fibril formation by the mammalian kinase proteins RIPK1 and RIPK3 [2]. The RIPK1 and RIPK3 kinases contain amyloid-forming RHIM (RIP homotypic interaction motif) sequences. Two other human proteins associated with the host response to microbial infections, ZBP-1 and TRIF, also contain RHIMs. Viruses and bacteria express proteins that inhibit the formation of these defence complexes, in order to evade killing by the infected host cell [3]. Cell death by necroptosis is increasingly recognised in human pathologies including ischaemic heart disease, stroke and organ graft rejection. We hypothesize that ZBP-1 and TRIF also form amyloid fibril complexes with RIPK3 to signal for cell death by the regulated pathway to cell death known as necroptosis. We plan to identify the residues in RIPK3 that are most important for these interactions. You will use a well-established recombinant bacterial system to express the wild type RHIM domains of human RIPK1, RIPK3, ZBP1 and TRIF and will also produce a series of RIPK3 mutant proteins, including phosphomimetic mutants. You will study amyloid formation by these domains, using fluorescence assays and single molecule confocal microscopy. Comparison of the wild type and mutant sequences will lead to the identification of key interacting residues. Comparison of wild type and phospho-mutants of RIPK3 will reveal whether phosphorylation of RIPK3 is critical for interactions between RHIM-containing proteins. This work will contribute to understanding the molecular basis for RHIM:RHIM interactions in necroptosis.
TECHNIQUES Molecular biology, protein expression and purification, fibril formation assays, protein:protein interaction studies.
Selected publications [1] Pham, C. L., Kwan, A. H. & Sunde, M. Functional amyloid: widespread in Nature, diverse in purpose. Essays in Biochemistry (2014) 56, 207-219. [2] Li, J, McQuade, T, Siemer, AB, Napetschnig, J, Moriwaki, K, Hsiao, YS, Damko, E, Moquin, D, Walz, T, McDermott, A, Chan, FK & Wu, H. The RIP1/RIP3 necrosome forms a functional amyloid signaling complex required for programmed necrosis Cell 150, 339-50 (2012). [3] Pearson, JS, Giogha, C, Muhlen, S, Nachbur, U, Pham, CL, Zhang, Y, Hildebrand, JM, Oates, CV, Lung, TW, Ingle, D, Dagley, LF, Bankovacki, A, Petrie, EJ, Schroeder, GN, Crepin, VF, Frankel, G, Masters, SL, Vince, J, Murphy, JM, Sunde, M, Webb, AI, Silke, J & Hartland, EL. EspL is a bacterial cysteine protease effector that cleaves RHIM proteins to block necroptosis and inflammation Nature Microbiology 2, 16258 (2017).
Amyloid complexes formed by RIPK1 and RIPK3.
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Prof Daniela Traini - ARC Future Fellow Respiratory Technology
The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research-Glebe [email protected]
Dr Traini’s research explores respiratory drug delivery science. It focuses on understanding the physical properties of materials used in pharmaceutical sciences and then in relating those to in-vitro and subsequent in-vivo performance. She has expertise in projects related to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and bronchiectasis. High-end imaging is also one of her interests. She is currently working toward understanding the co-formulation and co-deposition of inhalation active pharmaceutical ingredients to enhance their synergistic therapeutic effect.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/danielat.phd
Research group (2017): http://www.respitech.org
PROJECT 1 Formulationing antifungal lung delivery Pulmonary infections caused by Aspergillus species are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Although the treatment of pulmonary fungal infections requires the use of systemic agents, aerosolized delivery is an attractive option in prevention because the drug can concentrate locally at the site of infection with minimal systemic exposure. Currently there are no treatment available, thus there is a need for additional treatments. In this project we will reformulate antifungal drug, as mono o combined formulation, to be delivered directly to the lungs. Once formulated, we will analyse its performance and physico-chemical characterises by a number of state of the art analytical methods for aerosol performance. Furthermore, their toxicity and transport on calu-3 cells grown in the air interface model will be also investigated.
TECHNIQUES Calu-3; Drug transport; Spray drying; Dissolution testing; HPLC Co-supervisors: Prof Young, Dr Ong
PROJECT 2 Treating acute bronchiolitis
Figure 1: Schematic of Spray Dryer apparatus
Bronchiolitis is an acute inflammatory injury of the bronchioles that is usually caused by a viral infection. A combination of oral high dose antibiotics and inhaled long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) are used for its treatment. In this project we will develop a novel inhalable combination formulation of an antibiotic i.e. amoxicillin and a LABA i.e. Salmeterol, to avoid problems associate with high oral doses, variable bioavailability and increase side effect effects. Once the microparticles will be produced these will be analysed by a number of state of the art analytical methods i.e. Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscope and X-Ray Powder Diffraction. Aerosol performance and Chemical stability will be also investigated
TECHNIQUES Particle size, Spray drying; Dissolution testing; HPLC Co-supervisors: Prof Young, Dr Ong Selected publications Haghi , M., Ong, HX., Traini, D., Young, PM. (2014) Across the pulmonary epithelial barrier: integration of physicochemical properties and human cell models to study pulmonary drug formulations. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 144, 235–252 Arora, S.,Haghi, M., Loo, CY., Traini, D., Young, PM., Jain, S. (2015) Development of an Inhaled Controlled Release Voriconazole Dry Powder Formulation for the Treatment of Respiratory Fungal Infection Mol. Pharmaceutics, 2015, 12 (6), pp 2001–2009
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Prof Robert VANDENBERG Transporter Biology Group
Room 510, Molecular Bioscience Building, G08 [email protected]
Research in the Transporter Biology Group is focused on understanding the molecular basis for neurotransmitter transporter functions and how this can be manipulated by endogenous regulators and pharmacological agents. The glycine transporter, GlyT2, is a promising target for the development of novel analgesics for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Our group has generated a series of potent lipid-based inhibitors of GlyT2 and we are interested in understanding their mechanism of inhibition.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/robv.php
Research group (2017): Co-group leader A/Prof Renae Ryan, Postdoc Dr Pep Font, PhD students Shannon Mostyn, Rosie Cater, Diba Sheipouri. Honours students Emily Crisafuli, Natasha Freedman, Qianyi Wu, Lab Manager Cheryl Handford
PROJECT 1 Allosteric Inhibitors of GlyT2
Will suit a student with interests in pharmacology/biochemistry/neuroscience/physiology Glycine transport by GlyT2 can be allosterically inhibited by a range of compounds, some of which show promise as analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain. In this project you will form part of a multidisciplinary group that is working towards the development of novel drugs for the treatment of pain. N-arachidonyl-glycine is an endogenous lipid inhibitor of GlyT2, but there is little understanding of how it interacts with the transporter. In this project you will investigate how this and related compounds interact with GlyT2 and then use this information to develop potent and selective GlyT2 inhibitors (see figure). A number of research directions and techniques are possible with this project. Students are encouraged to discuss the project with Professor Vandenberg so that the style of the project can be tailored to the student’s interests. Techniques to be used included recombinant DNA techniques such as site-directed mutagenesis, DNA/RNA synthesis, electrophysiology, computer simulations of protein structure and function. Work on this project is supported by a Project Grant from the NHMRC.
TECHNIQUES Molecular biology, site-directed mutagenesis, electrophysiology, molecular modelling Selected publications 1. Robert J. Vandenberg, Renae M. Ryan, Jane E. Carland, Wendy L. Imlach, and Macdonald J. Christie (2014) Glycine transport inhibitors for the treatment of pain Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 35, 423-430 2. Jane E Carland, Cheryl A Handford, Renae M Ryan and Robert J Vandenberg (2014) Lipid Inhibitors of High Affinity Glycine Transporters: Identification of a novel class of analgesics. Neurochemistry International 73, 211-216 3. Jane E Carland, Robyn Mansfield, Renae M. Ryan and Robert J Vandenberg (2013) Oleoyl-L-Carnitine Inhibits Glycine Transport by GlyT2 British Journal of Pharmacology 168, 891-902 4. Amelia Edington, Audra McKinzie, Aaron J. Reynolds, Michael Kassiou, Renae M. Ryan and Robert J. Vandenberg (2009) Extracellular Loops 2 and 4 of GLYT2 are Required for NAGly Inhibition of Glycine Transport Journal of Biological Chemistry 284:36424-36430.
Potential Lipid Binding Site
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Prof Paul Young ARC Future Fellow, Head of Respiratory Technology
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research [email protected]
My research group develops new approaches and tools to study and treat respiratory diseases. We focus on developing new medical devices and advanced formulations that can target specific regions of the lung.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/paulyoung.php
Research group (2017): http://www.respitech.org
PROJECT 1 Development of a functioning tissue model of the respiratory tract This project, co-supervised with Brent McParland will focus on developing representative models of the lung epithelia that incorporate cilia escalator and transport function. The lung is a complex organ and the uptake and disposition of drugs is dependent upon the properties of the epithelia (including influx and efflux trans-membrane transporters, mucus properties and cilia function) and the properties of the drug molecule (such as ionisation and solubility parameters). This project will establish a tissue model that can be used to study the transport and clearance of drugs after deposition at the interface. Based on a porcine model, you will isolate tracheal tissue and study the expression of a range of transport relating proteins, cilia function and mucus properties. You will then utilise this model to investigate the uptake properties of a range of pharmacologically relevant drug molecules. TECHNIQUES HPLC, PCR, Western blot, Drug delivery, microscopy
Co supervisors B McParland D Traini, H-X Ong
PROJECT 2 Developing new particulate systems to treat respiratory disease Respiratory tract infection is the number 1 cause of communicable disease worldwide. Currently treatment regimes involve ether oral delivery of antibiotics or, when in intensive care, antibiotic intravenous injection. A logical approach would be to deliver antibiotics by inhalation since this would reduce the required dose and the potential for antibacterial resistance. However, in order to achieve this the particles must have a diameter < 5µm and have enhanced residency time at the epithelia. In this project, you will gain experience in the area of particle engineering, state-of-the-art physico-chemical characterisation and drug delivery. We will design a novel inhaled antibiotic particle that has enhanced residence in the lung through its interaction with the epithelia/surface lung fluid.
TECHNIQUES Particle engineering, in vitro testing, HPLC, microscopy, colloid science Co supervisor D Traini Selected publications Ong, H.X., Benaouda F., Traini, D., Cipolla, D., Gonda, I., Bebawy, M., Forbes, B., Young, P.M. In vitro and ex vivo methods predict the enhanced lung residence time of liposomal ciprofloxacin formulations for nebulisation. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics (Accepted June 23rd 2013). Ong, H.X., Traini, D., Young, P.M. Pharmaceutical Applications of the Calu-3 lung epithelia cell line. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery. (Accepted May 9th 2013). Ong, H.X., Traini, D., Bebawy, M., Young, P.M. (2013) Ciprofloxacin is actively transported across bronchial lung epithelial using a Calu-3 air-interface cell model. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Vol 57, 2535-2540. Mamlouk, M., Young, P.M., Bebawy, B., Haghi, M., Mamlouk, S., Mulay, V., Traini, D. (2013) Salbutamol Sulphate absorption across Calu-3 bronchial epithelia cell monolayer is inhibited in the presence of common anionic NSAIDs. Journal of Asthma. Vol 50, 334-341.
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Dr. Karin AUBREY ([email protected]) Pain Management Research Institute (Kolling Institute at
the Royal North Shore Hospital)
Information about pain is first processed in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord where noxious signals are processed and modulated by local circuits, as well as by descending pathways from higher brain regions. The neurobiology of pain research group examines spinal cord circuits in order to understand the mechanisms used by this region to control how much noxious signal is transmitted to the brain and what happens to these signals when chronic pain develops.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/karin.aubrey.php
PROJECT 1 Spinal Cord Circuits
Will suit a student with interests in neuroscience The dorsal horn of the spinal cord is the first place in the central nervous system where sensory information, including pain, is processed. It is also the site where signals descending from brain structures such as the brainstem terminate to either strengthen or inhibit incoming sensory stimuli. In this project you will use immunohistochemical techniques to identify spinal cord neurons that are directly targeted by the brainstem.
TECHNIQUES Immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, brain slice, electrophysiology
PUBLICATIONS. Aubrey, K.R., Drew, G.M., Jeong, H., Lau, B.K., Vaughan, C.W. Endocannabinoids control vesicle release mode at midbrain periaqueductal grey inhibitory synapses (2016) J. Physiol. (DOI 10.1113/JP272292); Aubrey K.R., Presynaptic control of inhibitory neurotransmitter content in VIAAT containing synaptic vesicles (2016) Neurochem. Int. 98, pp. 94–102.
Dr Chris VAUGHAN ([email protected]) Pain Management Research Institute Kolling Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital
Our research group examines the mechanisms underlying the endogenous modulation of pain and chronic pain. We are also examining the actions of novel pain relieving drugs, such as cannabinoids. This work is done using cellular electrophysiology, optogenetics and a range of behavioural techniques in animal models.
Research interests & publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/chris.vaughan.php
Research group (2017): Dr Bryony Winters, Dr Hyo-Jin Jeong (Postdocs). Sherelle Casey, Nicholas Atwal (PhD students). Vanessa Mitchell, Patrick Seow (Research Assistants). Jessica Falon, Eddy Sokolaj (Honours students).
PROJECTS Endocannabinoids and Pain 1. How are endogenous descending analgesic pathways organised? This project will examine its organisation and how it is controlled by endogenously released cannabinoids. Techniques: optogenetics, tract tracing and patch-clamp electrophysiology (1-2). 2. Can cannabinoids be used to treat chronic pain? This project will examine whether drugs which modulate the endocannabinoid system and extracts of the plant Cannabis sativa interact to alleviate chronic neuropathic pain. Techniques: pain-behavioural testing and recovery surgery using an animal model of chronic pain (3-4).
TECHNIQUES Pain & behavioural testing. Animal recovery surgery. Electrophysiology. Optogenetics.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS. [1] Wilson-Poe AR, Jeong HJ, Vaughan CW. (2017) Chronic morphine reduces the readily releasable pool of GABA, a presynaptic mechanism of opioid tolerance. J Physiol in press (PMID: 28815604). [2] Lau BK, Drew GM, Mitchell VA & Vaughan CW (2014) Endocannabinoid modulation by FAAH and MAGL within the analgesic circuitry of the periaqueductal grey. Brit J Pharmacol 171:5225. [3] Kazantzis NP, Casey SL, Seow PW, Mitchell VA & Vaughan CW (2016) Opioid and cannabinoid synergy in a mouse neuropathic pain model. Brit J Pharmacol 173:2521. [4] Adamson Barnes NS, Mitchell VA, Kazantzis NP & Vaughan CW (2014) Actions of the dual FAAH/MAGL inhibitor JZL195 in a murine neuropathic pain model. Neuropharmacology 81:224.
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A/Prof Kay DOUBLE ([email protected]) Degenerative disorders and Cancer treatment
(Brain & Mind Centre)
Our research focuses on understanding degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia disorders and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and developing targeted treatments for these disorders. We also research the efficacy and safety of treatments for the pediatric cancer, neuroblastoma. Approaches include use of human CNS tissues, as well as animal modelling and clinical projects. Our laboratory is based in the Brain and Mind Centre in Mallett St, Camperdown.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/kay.double.php
Research group (2017) Research group of eight-10, including 5 PhD and 1-2 Hons students.
2 PROJECTS NEURODEGENERATION OR PEDIATRIC NEUROBLASTOMA RESEARCH Both projects suit students with interests in wet lab-based research Our group are investigating a potential new treatment to reduce toxic neuropathology associated with nerve cell death in both Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We are also collaborating with researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute in Randwick to test a new targeted treatment for neuroblastoma, the most common solid tumor of childhood. Both projects use mouse models to determine the efficacy, safety and therapeutic pathways involved in these new treatments.
TECHNIQUES Immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, mass spectroscopy, enzyme assays
Selected publication: [1] Neurodegeneration: Trist, B et al & Double K.L. (2017) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like superoxide dismutase 1 proteinopathy is associated with neuronal loss in Parkinson’s disease brain. Acta. Neuropathol. 134(1), 113-127. [2] Cancer: Vitterio, O et al (2016) Dextran-Catechin: An anticancer chemically-modified natural compound targeting copper that attenuates neuroblastoma growth. Oncotarget. 2016 Jul 26;7(30):47479-47493.
Prof Sarah HILMER ([email protected]) Ageing and Pharmacology (Kolling Building, RNSH)
Sarah Hilmer leads a translational geriatric pharmacology research group at the Kolling Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital. We study pharmacology in ageing, aiming to improve the safety and efficacy of medicines for older people. Using basic experimental pharmacology in our novel pre-clinical models, we study the effects of polypharmacy and deprescribing in old age. Our clinical pharmacology research investigates drug use, pharm-acokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and efficacy of drugs, alone and in combinations, in fit and frail older people with and without dementia. Pharmacology honours students are co-supervised by Dr Slade Matthews, Professor Peter Carroll and Dr John Mach.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/shilmer.php
Research group (2017) Postdocs 3; Students 2 PhD, 2 Masters, 3 Honours; Research Pharmacists 3; Research Assistants 3; International Fellow 1
PROJECT 1 UNDERSTANDING AND OPTIMISING THE EFFECTS OF POLYPHARMACY IN OLD AGE Suits students with interests in pre-clinical or clinical research, prescribing practice and ageing
In old age, with an increase in multi-morbidity, comes an increase in polypharmacy (concurrent use of ≥5 different medicines). We have developed pre-clinical models to evaluate effects of polypharmacy on physical and cognitive function in old age, and whether the effects are reversible with medicines withdrawal (deprescribing). We are also conducting clinical studies in hospital, investigating how to improve medicines use by robust and frail older people to minimise adverse drug reactions and optimise outcomes. Opportunities exist for an honours student to contribute to our pre-clinical or clinical research.
TECHNIQUES Measuring physical and cognitive function and frailty, histopathology/immuno-histochemistry, LCMS,
data collection from patients and medical records, data analysis
Selected publications: Huizer-Pajkos A, Kane AE, Howlett SE, Mach J, Mitchell SJ, de Cabo R, Le Couteur DG, Hilmer SN. Adverse Geriatric Outcomes Secondary to Polypharmacy in a Mouse Model: The Influence of Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci (2016) 71:571-7 Kouladjian L, Gnjidic D, Chen TF, Mangoni AA, Hilmer SN. Drug Burden Index in older adults: theoretical and practical issues. Clin Interv Aging (2014) 9:1503-15.
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Prof Michael KASSIOU ([email protected]) Drug Discovery Research Unit (Rm 713-7, Biochemistry &
Molecular Bioscience Building)
Drug discovery research within my group is multidisciplinary and at the interface between chemistry and biology. The research is primarily concerned with the understanding of drug-protein and drug-binding site interactions in order to obtain structure-activity relationships of bioactive CNS molecules. This allows the rational design of more efficacious treatments for diseases of the brain.
Research interests/publications: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/mkassiou.php
Research group (2017): Dr Eryn Werry (Post-doc), Dr Danielle Upton (Post-doc), Mr Erick Wong (PhD Student), Mr Damien Gulliver (PhD Student), Ms Alison Cheng (Hons Student), Mr Kiyan Afzali (Hons student), Mr Samuel Lane (Masters Student), Mrs Kata Popovic (Research Assistant)
PROJECT 1 NOVEL OXYTOCIN RECEPTOR LIGANDS AS PRO-SOCIAL THERAPEUTICS
Oxytocin modulates complex social behaviour and cognition. Administration of oxytocin can improve the social symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety and schizophrenia. As it is a peptide, oxytocin shows poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and also non-specifically activates the vasopressin 1a receptor. This project will characterise the ability of novel molecules developed by our group to selectively bind and activate the oxytocin receptor.
TECHNIQUES Cell culture, radioligand binding, cellular assays
PROJECT 2 DRUG DISCOVERY FOR NEUROINFLAMMATION Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system. They carry out a wealth of helpful neuroprotective functions, including refining neural networks, phagocytosis of harmful molecules like β-amyloid and release of anti-inflammatory mediators. Threatening stimuli, however, can trigger the transformation of microglia into a pro-inflammatory state that can damage cells and even cause accumulation of β-amyloid. Recently, it has been shown that transforming microglia from the pro-inflammatory to the neuroprotective state is sufficient to reverse the pathological features and cognitive symptoms of a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease1. The aim of this honours project is to develop a brain-permeant molecule that can drive pro-inflammatory microglia into the neuroprotective form. It is hoped that this molecule can then be progressed into preclinical trials in neuroinflammatory disease models, such as Alzheimer’s disease. References: 1. P.N.A.S (2016) 113:E2705-2713
TECHNIQUES Cell culture, cellular assays, immunofluorescence
PUBLICATIONS. (1) Werry EL, Barron ML, Kassiou M (2015) TSPO as a target for glioblastoma therapeutics Biochem. Soc. Trans. 43:531-536 (2) Scarf AM, Kassiou M (2011) The translocator protein J Nuc. Med. 52:677 (3) Scarf AM, Ittner LM, Kassiou M (2009) The translocator protein (18 kDa): Central nervous system disease and drug design. J. Med. Chem. 52:581-592.
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Where are they now? Honours is a fantastic year in itself, but is also a springboard to postgraduate studies and careers in industry and government. Shown in the Table below are the current positions of a selection of students who have completed Honours or a Graduate Diploma in Pharmacology.
Name Completed Current Position
Phuoc Huynh 2010 PhD Candidate (Pharmacology, University of Sydney)
Carleen Fernandez 2010 PhD Candidate (Centenary Institute)
Vivian Liao 2010 PhD Candidate (Pharmacy, University of Sydney)
Dmitry Goloskokov 2010 Laboratory Aide (Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology)
Lauren Brites 2009 Research Assistant (EnGeneIC)
Sai Krishnan 2009 PhD Candidate (Children’s Medical Research Institute)
Marietta Salim 2009 Research Assistant (Transporter Biology Group)
Areeg Hamdi 2009 Masters Candidate (Pharmacy, University of Sydney)
Steven Devenish 2008 PhD Candidate (Pharmacy, University of Sydney)
Nicholas Kortt 2008 Medicine (University of Notre Dame)
Phoebe Hone 2008 Research Assistant (Veterinary Science)
Cho Zin Soe 2007 PhD Candidate (Pharmacology, University of Sydney)
Jonathon Tobin 2007 Medicine (University of Wollongong)
Jessica Kermale 2007 PhD Candidate (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research)
Amelia Eddington 2007 PhD Candidate (Pharmacology, University of Sydney)
Alana Scarf 2007 PhD Candidate (Brain & Mind Research Institute)
Chiu Chin Ng 2006 PhD Candidate (Pharmacology, University of Sydney)
Tim Bakas 2006 MPhil Candidate (Pharmacology, University of Sydney)
Brina Sheriff 2005 Poisons Information Centre
Nathan Gunasekaran 2005 PhD (University of Sydney), Medicine (University of Notre Dame)
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Discipline of Pharmacology: Honours Preference Form (2018) This form must be submitted to the Honours Coordinator by: Friday 17 November 2017.
An application for Honours must be lodged on line through the Faculty of Science.
I wish to apply for the following course in 2018 (circle choice):
BSc (Hons) BSc Adv (Hons) BMedSc (Hons) Graduate Diploma
I intend starting my studies in (circle choice): Semester 1 or Semester 2.
STUDENT DETAILS:
First Name
Family Name
SID
E-mail (University of
Sydney Account)
Postal address
Phone (home)
Phone (mobile)
STUDENT PREFERENCES:
Please list your preferences for an Honours supervisor (from 1st to 4th preference). You must provide 4
names.
1
2
3
4
STUDENT TRANSCRIPT:
Please attach your academic transcript (photocopy or original) to this application.
Return to: Prof Rachel Codd, Room 778 Molecular Bioscience Building (G08)
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