Immunology Staff
ANTHONY SCALZO, PhD
Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science
University of Western Australia
Head of Department, Viral Immunogenetics
Lions Eye Institute
scals@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Tel: +61-(08)-9381-0754
Dr Scalzo is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Research Fellow. He received his PhD from the University of Melbourne where he undertook studies of host regulation of immune responses to influenza virus. He then moved to the Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia in 1986 to work as a postdoctoral fellow investigating the basis for host genetically determined resistance to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Dr. Scalzo was appointed as an NHMRC Research Fellow in 1999 and promoted to a Senior Research Fellowship in 2004. Dr Scalzo and his team joined the Lions Eye Institute in September 2003.
Dr Scalzo has attracted more than $3 million funding for research purposes (as at January 2004) and has been a consecutive NHMRC grant holder for 9 years.
Dr. Scalzo's scientific interest has focused on understanding the interplay between host resistance mechanisms and how viruses can subvert the host protective immune response by utilising immune evasion mechanisms. Our work on host resistance to MCMV resistance provided evidence that a specific receptor protein expressed by Natural Killer (NK) cells, a critical frontline defense against a range of viruses, could specifically recognize MCMV-infected cells to facilitate efficient NK cell control. Recent work has also been exploring how virally encoded proteins that bind to cellular adhesion molecules can interfere with the host immune response. An understanding of these processes will assist us in developing novel strategies to more effectively control cytomegalovirus infection, including infections of the eye.
RESEARCH STAFF:
VALENTINA VOIGT, PhD
v-voigt@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Tel: +61-(08)-9381-0701/0799
Dr Valentina Voigt holds a degree in Veterinary Science and a PhD in Veterinary Virology. She has worked in the field of immunology for the last few years and her current interests include the study of adhesion molecules involved in leukocyte recruitment/activation in relation to MCMV infection and viral interference with the host immune response.
ANDREW MIKOSZA, PhD
andmik@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Tel: +61-(08)-9381-0701/0799
Dr Andrew Mikosza received his PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from Murdoch University and is a Research Assistant in Tony Scalzo's group. His current research focuses upon the role of the MCMV genes involved in immune evasion, as well as strain variation within MCMV.
ALEXANDRA CORBETT, PhD
alex@lei.org.au
Tel: +61-(08)-9381-0701/0799
Dr Alexandra Corbett completed her PhD in 2003 at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (University of Melbourne). Since joining the Scalzo lab, she has shifted her focus from enhancing vaccination to viral immunogenetics. Her current research interests include investigating the extent of natural sequence variation within immune evasion genes in MCMV.
CATHERINE FORBES, BScHons
cforbes@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Tel: +61-(08)-9381-0701/0799
Catherine Forbes completed her BSc(Hons) in 1989 at the Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia. Since then she has been employed as a Research Assistant, the past 10 years being in the laboratory of Dr. Scalzo. The focus of her research in his laboratory has been on mechanisms of NKC-mediated host resistance to MCMV. She is currently working on characterization of a novel MCMV protein (M73.5) identified by the laboratory.
