We are pleased to present Dr Tushar Kumeria from University of New South Wales
Abstract
Dr. Tushar Kumeria
University of New South Wales
Abstract
Porous nanomaterials have become very popular in recent years for biomedical applications. In UNSW-Porous Materials group, we focus on developing new porous nanomaterials using bottom-up and top-down approaches. We utilise the enormous surface area and unique opto-physical properties of a range of porous materials for use in biosensing, delivery of environmental and therapeutic payloads. My group is also heavily involved in development of advanced drug delivery systems using porous materials with a key focus on bio-modulating composite material for treatment of inflammatory diseases, infections, and cancer. Another major focus of my group is on porous materials-based sensors for in-field applications. We develop high-surface area porous transducers that rely on changes in the refractive index or colour to report a binding event with an aim to enable on-site detection of biological, toxic industrial, and environmental analytes. In my group, we are currently also looking to generate safe and functional materials from waste (using waste as resource) and their applications in agriculture and as industrial materials.
Bio
Dr. Tushar Kumeria
University of New South Wales
Bio
I am a Scientia Senior Lecturer at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia. I received my Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of Adelaide with a Doctoral Thesis Medal and Dean’s Commendation Letter. I spent the following two years at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) as a postdoc in Prof. M. J. Sailor’s lab, returning to Australia in 2017 to a prestigious Early Career Fellowship at the University of Queensland. I have co-authored over 98 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals in the field of nanomaterials, biomaterials, drug delivery, and consequently have attracted more than 3760+ cites on Scholar with an H-index of 39 and 3130+ citations on Scopus and returns an H-index of 35. I have successfully secured over $4.1 million (>$2M as lead CI) in competitive research grants, including an NHMRC early career fellowship, ARC Discovery Project, Ramaciotti Health Investment Grant, US. Dept of Defence grant. I serve as the Vice-President of the Australian Chapter of the Controlled Release Society and I have received over 15 awards/prizes/recognitions.
We are pleased to present David Harrich from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Abstract
The von Magnus phenomena describes the observation that when influenza virus were expanded at high doses, ‘incomplete viruses’ or particles were produced and these interfered with replication of the ‘wild type’ influenza virus, which were subsequently renamed defective interfering particles (DIPs). Today DIPs have been identified for RNA viruses including Zika virus, Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS-CoV-2, dengue virus and many others. DIPs have a defective viral genome often celled defective Interfering (DI) RNA. An important feature of DI RNA is that they retain ability to replicate in productively infected cells, while inhibiting parental virus replication. Another feature of DI RNA is that they stimulate cellular immunity. It has been speculated that DIPs may be a very useful way to treat viral infections, and DIP therapy for influenza A virus has been proposed. This seminar will survey DIP strategies and describe recent in vitro and in vivo studies of DIPs in SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus and dengue virus infection.
BIO
David is a graduate of the University of California San Diego in biochemistry and cell biology (B.Sc) and of the University of California Los Angeles in Experimental Pathology focusing on HIV-1. His post-doctoral studies were at the University of Texas Southwestern (Dallas, Tx) were he was awarded an NIH Infection and Immunity Fellowship. He accepted a Lab Head position in the Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre in Brisbane and then relocated to QIMR in 2002. He was appointed a QIMR Group Leader in 2009. His interests include regulation of HIV-1 gene expression by Tat and TAR RNA, the role played by cellular factors in regulating retrovirus and paramyxovirus replication, and more recently on the development of antiviral agents derived from viral DI RNA.
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