The Discipline of Medical Science within the School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science at UTS spans three themes and eleven laboratory groups. Infectious Diseases is made up of the Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Group, Microvesicles and Malaria Research Group and the Molecular Medical Microbiology and Chlamydia Research Lab, and the Antimicrobial Discovery Group. The Metabolic Disorders and Cancer theme is composed of the Gene Therapy and Molecular Analysis Laboratory, Cancer Biology and the Translational Oncology Group. The Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders theme is constituted by the Brain and Behaviour Group, Neurotoxin Research Group, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience and the Neural Injury Research Unit. Research within these groups spans fundamental discovery to translational science, making impact in numerous medical and health areas including chlamydia, malaria, tuberculosis, gene therapy and diabetes, women’s cancers, understanding compulsive disorders, investigating goal-directed decision making, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and other neuroinflammatory conditions, spinal cord injury and more.
Discipline leader
Professor Deborah Marsh
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Translational Oncology Group
Cancer scientist using cell and molecular biology approaches to focus on women’s cancers, with specific interest in ovarian cancer, including discovering new opportunities for therapeutic advances and overcoming drug resistance.
Professor Deborah Marsh Profile
Deputy Discipline leader
Associate Professor Alessandro Castorina
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Molecular neurobiologist with a research focus on neuroinflammatory diseases, multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating conditions. Research aims include identifying novel risk factors that contribute to disease onset and developing new treatment options to delay/arrest neurological decline.
Alessandro Castorina Profile
Academic Staff
Dr Amani Alghalayini
Theme: Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Translational Oncology Group
Biomedical scientist engaged in multidisciplinary and collaborative research projects focusing on investigating new therapies for ovarian cancer, employing cellular and molecular biology techniques and CRISPR methodologies.
Amani Alghalayini Profile
Dr Laura Bradfield
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Brain and Behaviour Group
Behavioural neuroscientist investigating the behavioural and brain mechanisms of compulsion and compulsive disorders, with a focus on disruptions to decision-making and goal-directed action as a result of contextual influences and/or disruptions to glial-neuronal interactions.
Laura Bradfield Profile
Associate Professor Valery Combes
Theme:Infectious Diseases
Group Leader: Microvesicles and Malaria Research Group
Vascular biologist exploring the role of extracellular vesicles in the fields of inflammation and infectious diseases, notably in patients with severe malaria using molecular approaches, 3D in vitro systems and animal models.
Valery Combes Profile
Dr Robyn Dalziell
Program Director, Master of Medical Science Leadership
Medical science educator and epidemiologist, working in on-line delivery of postgraduate education that covers contemporary practice, research advances and emerging trends, while preparing students to lead future innovations and developing changes.
Robyn Dalziell Profile
Kristie Dickson
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Translational Oncology Group
Cell and molecular biologist with a research focus on the discovery of targeted treatments for ovarian cancer using CRISPR techniques and 3D bioprinting.
Kristie Dickson Profile
Dr Samitha Fernando
Theme: Infectious Diseases
Group Leader: Molecular Medical Microbiology and Chlamydia Research Lab
Immunologist with a special interest in infectious diseases and immunometabolism, building and utilising advanced cell culture models including human organoids to understand the immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases and develop novel therapeutic interventions.
Samitha Fernando Profile
Associate Professor Cathy Gorrie
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Neural Injury Research Unit
Neuroscientist researching traumatic and non-traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in infants and adults, utilising behavioural tests, histology and immunohistochemical techniques in animal models to investigate cellular and functional recovery.
Cathy Gorrie Profile
Dr Mike Kendig
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Brain and Behaviour Group
Behavioural neuroscientist studying the effects of diet on cognition in animal models and humans, focusing on the impact of high-fat, high-sugar foods on the brain and the involvement of the gut microbiome.
Mike Kendig Profile
Dr Gang Liu
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Tissue Repair and Cancer Group
Immunologist and cancer researcher using cellular and molecular biology techniques together with experimental models to understand the link between tissue repair, fibrosis and cancer development, in order to identify novel therapeutic targets.
Gang Liu Profile
Dr Najah Nassif
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Cancer Biology
Cancer researcher and molecular biologist with special interest in the dysregulation of gene expression in cancer, with the aim of developing diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers and future novel therapies.
Najah Nassif Profile
Associate Professor Bronwyn O’Brien
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Gene Therapy and Translational Molecular Analysis Laboratory
Immunologist whose research focuses on the use of novel parasite-derived molecules to prevent autoimmune disease, and the use of gene therapy to treat Type 1 diabetes.
Bronwyn O'Brien Profile
Dr Simone Rehn
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Behavioural neuroscientist studying the development and consequences of compulsive eating behaviour using animal models, with a focus on binge eating and its impact on learning and behaviour.
Simone Rehn Profile
Professor Kenneth Rodgers
Theme: Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders
Group Leader: Brain and Behaviour Group
Behavioural neuroscientist studying the development and consequences of compulsive eating behaviour using animal models, with a focus on binge eating and its impact on learning and behaviour.
Kenneth Rodgers Profile
Dr Amy Sarker
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Member: Translational Oncology Group
Cancer biologist focused on finding therapeutic solutions for aggressive ovarian cancers using innovative cell and molecular biology technologies, such as 3D cell bio-printing, that model the real tumour microenvironment
Amy Sarker Profile
Associate Professor Bernadette Saunders
Theme: Infectious Diseases
Group Leader: Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Group
Cellular immunologist specialising in infectious diseases. Dissecting the mechanisms by which macrophages control infections, like tuberculosis, and regulate inflammation. Utilising cellular and molecular approaches to identify new biomarkers and therapeutics for respiratory diseases.
Bernadette Saunders Profile
Professor Ann Simpson
Theme: Metabolic Disorders and Cancer
Group Leader: Gene Therapy and Translational Molecular Analysis Laboratory
Biochemist and molecular biologist interested in gene therapy of diabetes, in particular engineering liver cells to secrete insulin and reverse diabetes through the use of molecular techniques.
Ann Simpson Profile
Dr Daniel Enosi Tuipulotu
Theme: Infectious Diseases
Group Leader:Antimicrobial Discovery Group
Microbiologist and immunologist with an interest in (i) developing new therapeutics to treat bacterial and viral pathogens, (ii) innate immune recognition of pathogens, and (iii) uncovering the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions.
Dan Enosi Tuipulotu Profile