New center to enhance research into infectious diseases

Monday, November 30, 2009

The University of Queensland (UQ) has enhanced its position as a leading center for biological and health science research, with the opening of a new research center focused on infectious diseases.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) brings together 10 high performing research groups from the University's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

Each group is involved in various areas of infectious disease research, including microbial pathogenesis, microbial genomics, pathogen recognition, and structural microbiology.

Center Director Professor Alexander Khromykh said the strength of the center would be the international reputation of its group leaders, who had an extensive network of collaborations with leading national and international research groups and biotechnology companies.

“By assembling these established and internationally recognized groups, the Center has already become a leader in infectious disease research,” he said.

“It will also be able to grow through the attraction of additional group leaders in infectious disease research from both within Australia and overseas."

One such leader that the Center has already been able to attract to UQ is Professor Mark Walker from the University of Wollongong, who will be taking on a leadership role in the coming months.

“I'm going to be joining The University of Queensland in March and will be bringing some projects in bacterial pathogenesis and vaccine development,“ Professor Walker said.

“The thing I am most looking forward to is being able to collaborate with a wide variety of scientists and researchers from such a broad range of fields involved in the research of infectious disease.”

The Center will use an integrative approach to conduct basic research and produce new and improved approaches to the detection, treatment and prevention of microbial infections.

This will involve close interactions with researchers across UQ, including the IMB, AIBN and Diamantina Institutes as well as the UQ Center for Clinical Research.

"We will be looking at emerging viral infections affecting both our communities and those overseas, such as dengue virus and influenza virus and childhood respiratory infections,” Professor Khromykh said.

“A large emphasis will also be given to major bacterial pathogens such as pneumococcus and uropathogenic E. coli.”

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