Dr Nick West
After completing my PhD in 2000, I began postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, UK, and then later at the Imperial College London. During this time I spent significant time collaborating and working at the Institute Pasteur in Paris. In 2004 I returned to Australia as a postdoctoral scientist at the Centenary Institute in Sydney where I began researching tuberculosis. I moved to The University of Queensland as a senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in mid 2012.
My Laboratory is committed to understanding the mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes Tuberculosis (TB). One in three people in the world are infected with this bacterium, resulting in approximately 4,000 deaths every day. My lab utilises modern molecular genomic technologies to identify the genetic requirements for M. tuberculosis to cause TB. This information is being translated into the development of new therapies and control measures for TB. Research within the group will fall largely into one of the following three themes: Essential Gene Identification in M. tuberculosis, Understanding Latency and Targeted Drug Development.
National Research Collaborations
-University of Sydney, School of Chemistry
-University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School
-University of Sydney, Faculty of Pharmacy
-Centenary Institute, Mycobacterial Research Laboratory
International Collaborations
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Univeristy of Oxford, UK
Years Funded |
Grant type |
Title |
Funds Awarded |
|
2007-2009 |
NHMRC- New Investigator Grant |
Identification of Essential Components of Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
$396,342 |
|
2011-2013 |
NHMRC- Project Grant |
Genes to Drugs for TB |
$702,165 |
|
2011-2014 |
NHMRC- Career Development Fellowship (level 2) |
Tuberculosis: Genes to Drugs |
$424,902 |
|
2012-2013
2013-2015 2013-2015 |
UQ NSRSF Award
NHMRC- Project Grant NHMRC- Project Grant |
Characterisation of metabolic pathways in M. tuberculosis and the Development of Inhibitors Latent Tuberculosis Infection Improving subunit vaccines for tuberculosis for pulmonary delivery |
$12,000
$569,737 $615,221 |
Undergraduate
MICR3003, Molecular Microbiology (Course Co-ordinator)
MICR3001, Microbes and Human Health
Postgraduate Coursework
MICR6008, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Undergraduate Research and Postgraduate Research Higher Degree Supervision
For many years now there has been a constant presence of undergrad and postgrad research students in the group. Currently I supervise, either directly or in an associate capacity, 5 PhD students. In 2013, 2 honours students will also join the lab.
NHMRC Postdoctoral Reference Group Committee member (2012-)
NHMRC CDA2 Research Fellow (2011)
Centenary Institute “Innovation Award” . (2010)
Australian Society of Microbiology NSW/ACT branch Executive (2010-2012)
Donate to TB Research
- Rivera-Hernandez, Tania, Carnathan, Diane G., Moyle, Peter M., Toth, Istvan, West, Nicholas P., Young, Paul L., Silvestri, Guido and Walker, Mark J. (2014) The contribution of non-human primate models to the development of human vaccines. Discovery Medicine, 18 101: 313-322.
- Ly, Diane, Taylor, Jude M., Tsatsaronis, James A., Monteleone, Mercedes M., Skora, Amanda S., Donald, Cortny A., Maddocks, Tracy, Nizet, Victor, West, Nicholas P., Ranson, Marie, Walker, Mark J., McArthur, Jason D. and Sanderson-Smith, Martina L. (2014) Plasmin(ogen) acquisition by group A Streptococcus protects against C3b-mediated neutrophil killing. Journal of Innate Immunity, 6 2: 240-250. doi:10.1159/000353754
- Tyne, Anneliese S., Chan, John Gar Yan, Shanahan, Erin R., Atmosukarto, Ines, Chan, Hak-Kim, Britton, Warwick J. and West, Nicholas P. (2013) TLR2-targeted secreted proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis are protective as powdered pulmonary vaccines. Vaccine, 31 40: 4322-4329. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.07.022
- Pinto, Rachel, Leotta, Lisa, Shanahan, Erin R., West, Nicholas P., Leyh, Thomas S., Britton, Warwick and Triccas, James A. (2013) Host cell-induced components of the sulfate assimilation pathway are major protective antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 207 5: 778-785. doi:10.1093/infdis/jis751
- Kao, Fan F., Mahmuda, Sultana, Pinto, Rachel, Triccas, James A., West, Nicholas P. and Britton, Warwick J. (2012) The Secreted Lipoprotein, MPT83, of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Recognized during Human Tuberculosis and Stimulates Protective Immunity in Mice. PLoS One, 7 5: . doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034991
- West, Nicholas P., Thomson, Scott A., Triccas, James A., Medveczky, C. Jill, Ramshaw, Ian A. and Britton, Warwick J. (2011) Delivery of a multivalent scrambled antigen vaccine induces broad spectrum immunity and protection against tuberculosis. Vaccine, 29 44: 7759-7765. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.07.109
- Marteyn, Benoit, West, Nicholas P., Browning, Douglas F., Cole, Jeffery A., Shaw, Jonathan G., Palm, Fredrik, Mounier, Joelle, Prevost, Marie-Christine, Sansonetti, Philippe and Tang, Christoph M. (2010) Modulation of Shigella virulence in response to available oxygen in vivo. Nature, 465 7296: 355-358+2. doi:10.1038/nature08970
- West, NP, Sansonetti, P, Mounier, J, Exley, RM, Parsot, C, Guadagnini, S, Prevost, MC, Prochnicka-Chalufour, A, Delepierre, M, Tanguy, M and Tang, CM (2005) Optimization of virulence functions through glucosylation of Shigella LPS. Science, 307 5713: 1313-1317. doi:10.1126/science.1108472
