The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at UNSW

Understanding the mechanism by which IFNa treatment leads to removal of the HCV virus from an infected cell is of interest to Associate Professor Peter White.

Systems and Cellular Biology

The Systems and Cellular Biology (SCB) group undertakes research in the biology of eukaryotes. Members of the group have overlapping research foci, many of which have been cemented by active collaborations and joint research grants and projects. Research areas for this group include:

• Cholesterol and sterols: A/Prof Yang and A/Prof Brown investigate the role of sterols in health and disease using molecular biological approaches in yeast and mammalian systems.
• Cell stress and ageing: Profs Dawes and Ballard, A/Prof Yang and Dr Perrone investigate the molecular basis of stress and ageing in the model organisms yeast and Drosophila.
• Genetic mapping of phenotype and disease: Prof Ballard and Drs Wilton and Lin use genetic and genomic analyses to understand the connection of genotype to phenotype in complex traits.
• Protein interaction networks and systems biology: Profs Wilkins and Dawes use proteomic and transcriptomic technology to define and understand pathways and networks on a global scale.

Notably, three members of the research groups, Dawes, Wilkins and Yang, use baker’s yeast as a model organism. This provides strong opportunities for scientific collaboration and the sharing of skills. All groups are users of high-technology facilities (see below). The group has been successful in attracting competitive funding, and is currently funded by the ARC, NHMRC, NSW State Government Science Leveraging Fund, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the UNSW Goldstar Scheme. The group has also been active in securing infrastructure funding in genomics, proteomics and systems biology.

SCB are also responsible for the establishment and running of two major centres in the School - The Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis and the NSW Systems Biology Initiative. Prof Dawes is the Director of the Ramaciotti Centre and Prof Wilkins and Dr Wilton are members of its board and/or have roles in its management. Prof Wilkins is the Founder and Director of the NSW Systems Biology initiative, which commenced operations in mid-2008, and Prof Dawes is a member of the board. The initiatives are complementary in that they provide technology, capacity and collaborative expertise in ‘omics’, which underpins the group. The co-location of two such centres of expertise is notable and serves as a focus for many activities in the SCB group.

Academic and Research Staff associated with Systems and Cellular Biology