RESEARCHER PROFILE
Dr Erin Brazel
University of Adelaide
Filmed February 2024
Dr Erin Brazel has a background in molecular and translational microbiology, with a focus on developing new ways of preventing and treating bacterial diseases. Recently Dr Brazel has been awarded a Junior Fellowship by the Passe & Williams Memorial Foundation.
The fellowship enables outstanding individuals to obtain postdoctoral training under the supervision of an experienced clinical or scientific researcher, with the view to establishing a research career in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in Australia and/or New Zealand.
The fellowship will support research on bacterial vaccines in a joint GPN Vaccines Ltd and the University of Adelaide project to explore combination vaccines for ear infections using Gamma-PN.
Bacterial ear infections are the most common bacterial disease affecting children. In Australia, episodes range from 1-2.4 million each year, affecting over 600,000 individuals, with 40% of these children experiencing six or more recurrences before the age of eight. Persistent cases can result in hearing loss and learning difficulties, leading to developmental delays and impacts on psychosocial health. Chronic ear infections have also been linked to increased rates of obesity during childhood and Later in life, which may be a result of prolonged antibiotic usage.
With antibiotic resistant superbugs projected to kill 10 million people each year by 2050, new ways of combatting disease are urgently required. A major focus of Dr Brazel’s research is the development of new vaccines to address emerging and existing pathogens that threaten global health and biosecurity. Vaccines are an important tool for reducing disease caused by antimicrobial resistant pathogens, the spread of resistant bacteria, and to reduce antimicrobial use in health and animal care.
Dr Brazel has contributed to the design and preclinical testing of many next generation vaccine candidates, including the current lead candidate (Gamma-PN3). This vaccine is currently being tested in a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial (commenced January 2023).
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Good and bad extracellular vesicles in health and disease
Associate Professor Joy Wolfram has joint appointments in the School of Chemical Engineering and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, and through her work at the AIBN, she aims to develop a new paradigm of therapeutics (using nanotechnology and cell products) to treat life-threatening diseases that are major causes of death globally, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and breast cancer.
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CASE STUDY Role of Exercise in Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Dr. Shelley Keating AES AEP* is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, a researcher, and a senior lecturer at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Keating’s research primarily focuses on the role of exercise in the management of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. MASLD affects a significant portion of the global adult population, with many individuals unaware of their condition.
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Professor Christoph Hagemeyer
RESEARCH IN NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
@ MONASH UNIVERSITY
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
