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Medicine & Health School of Biomedical Sciences

Microbiome, Infection, Immunity and Inflammation

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Immune system defends the body against infections and diseases

Research across the three ‘I’s: Infection, Immunity & Inflammation aims to better understand the way our bodies fight infection and respond to diseases – whether it’s from an external pathogen (a virus, parasite or bacteria) or whether it’s internal (autoimmune or cancer). Researchers in the School have expertise in a diversity of fields relevant to the three ‘I’s, including gastrointestinal microbial communities (and their role in human disease), immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory drugs, the role of the immune system in confronting invasive pathogens (from single cell study to systems wide omics) and harnessing the immune system through immunotherapeutics, including cutting edge in developing new vaccines. The goal of the research isn’t just discovery but also to follow these insights all the way through to clinical trials. We work within world-class collaborative research networks, including the Randwick Health Innovation Precinct next door, building towards evidence-based interventions that translate into clinical practice and policy, both locally and globally. 

Research groups

Baum Group: Next Generation Malaria Vaccines

Since the establishment of the Baum lab at UNSW in 2022, the group has been passionately committed to translational research to accelerate the reduction in the global disease burden caused by Malaria.  

The Biro Group investigates how immune cells locate and kill cancer cells, adopting multi-disciplinary methods encompassing biophysics, cell biology, immunology, cancer biology, advanced microscopy, image analysis, and mathematical and coputational modelling.

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To combat viruses, host cells have developed weapons to sabotage the delivery of viral genetic code into their nuclei. There are specialised proteins that either prematurely crack open the protective viral capsid encasing the virus—exposing its genetic material to degradation—or lock the DNA in so it cannot enter the nucleus.

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Bull Group: Viral Immunity

The Viral Immunity Group is focused on understanding the host-pathogen interaction of human RNA viruses (hepatitis C, norovirus, dengue, influenza, SARS CoV-2). We have made several seminal discoveries in the topics of virus transmission and characterisation of protective immune responses against RNA viral infections. 

Di Girolamo Group: Ocular Diseases Research

The group is interested in diseases that develop in the anterior segment of the eye including those that arise on the surface of the cornea because of deficiency in stem cells, environmental insults, from infection or autoimmunity. 

Yann Gambin is watching how certain proteins clump together, leading to cell death and Parkinson’s disease. Together with Emma Sierecki, he is using single-molecule approaches–to watch proteins working with each other–that are ten times faster than traditional approaches.

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Jesse Goyette wants to understand exactly how T cells transmit signals to initiate an immune response. How does the T cell receptor work? What does a T cell need to be activated?

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Hardeman & Gunning Group: Cytoskeleton Therapeutics Research Unit (CTRU)

The CTRU studies the building blocks of cell architecture and develops therapeutic strategies based on drug-targeting these building blocks. Our focus is the actin cytoskeleton that is responsible for the internal scaffolds of cells, the generation and reaction to force exerted by the environment and the movement of cells throughout the body. 

Herbert Group: Pulmonary Inflammation Research

The focus of research in this group is the inflammatory mediators that drive inflammation in lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sarcoidosis. 

David Jacques is teasing apart the molecular interactions between viral and host proteins to figure out how viruses like HIV and HTLV trick the host into enabling infection while simultaneously escaping cellular defense networks.

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Kaakoush Group: Host-Microbiome Interactions

The goal of our team is to identify microbial and host components contributing to treatment response, allowing the development and transition to defined microbial therapies. 

Khachigian Group: Vascular Biology and Translational Research

The Khachigian Group has 2 principal aims:

  1. To better understand how potentially harmful genes are controlled in vascular cells. 
  2. To develop novel vascular therapeutic agents for cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, tumour growth and metastasis. 
Luciani Group: Systems Immunology and Artificial Intelligence

Our research group is at the intersection of systems immunology and artificial intelligence (AI). Our vision is to develop cutting-edge knowledge and tools to unravel the intricate workings of T cells and harness their potential in modern immunotherapy.

Liu Group: Gastrointestinal and Bladder Disease Research

Our research focuses on uncovering causes and developing treatments for gut and bladder diseases. For gut research, we study diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease using human specimens, supported by a unique tissue bank from colorectal surgery collaborations. 

Luque Group: Viral Macromolecular Structures

Our research is focused on investigating how different viruses interact with and overcome the complex membranous system that surround and reside within the cell. 

Emma Sierecki is mapping protein interactions to solve mysteries that have so far eluded researchers. Their strategy–combining cell-free protein expression with AlphaScreen and single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy–allows them to rapidly screen a huge number of protein binding partners.

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Telda Group: Immune Regulation Research

Our research program to define functional biology of a family of immune regulatory molecules, known as Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (LILRs) in innate immune responses, chronic inflammatory diseases and central nervous system injuries. 

Vittorio Group: Metal-Targeted Therapy & Cancer Immunology

Despite an overall improvement in survival in children with cancer, survival rates for those with aggressive cancers, such as high-risk neuroblastoma and brain tumours, remain dismal. Moreover, survivors frequently have life-long health issues due to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. Targeted and less toxic therapies are urgently required.

Wu Group: Laboratory for Ageing Research

Our lab studies the molecular and metabolic mechanisms that underlie biological ageing, with a focus on its impacts on female fertility. A key mechanistic interest for the lab is the role of altered metabolism, including the molecular metabolism of the redox cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+).