The NHMRC Program in Cellular Microbiology investigates the mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens cause human diseases. Cellular Microbiology combines Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology to investigate the impact of microbes on host cells and to understand the cell biology of the microbes themselves. The Program is sited across three nodes: at Monash University, The University of Queensland and The University of Melbourne. The team is composed of five research groups, each led by one of the five Chief Investigators of the Program.
Our research program is focused on how bacteria initiate infections and how they respond to our immune defences. A new perspective on studying host-pathogen interactions is made possible through exciting new advances in cell biology, genomics, bioinformatics and molecular biology. New methods, including atomic force microscopy and other imaging technologies are being harnessed to witness the molecular details of the interactions between pathogens and their human hosts. Molecular cell biology is being used to characterize the details of bacterial cell surfaces and protein messengers secreted by bacteria. High-throughput screening using RNAi will deliver a holistic understanding of the responses human cells make to these bacterial pathogens.
Opportunities exist for new researchers to join the Program. Scholarships are available for prospective postgraduate students seeking to train through the Program. Other researchers should contact any one of the five Chief Investigators.
