Parasites can infect humans, animals and plants causing severe problems such as Malaria and reduced crop production.

About

A website for Orientation week.

Groups

A group of seven diverse people smiling and standing together in front of a building with greenery.

We use powerful biological resources provided by C. elegans to study aspects of nematode biochemistry, molecular biology and behaviour, and control methods.

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A digital molecular model showing a complex protein embedded within a cellular membrane, surrounded by blue and red molecules, with chemical structures displayed below.

The Brock lab loves membrane proteins; looking at them in atomic detail, discovering new drug molecules, and engineering them to create new biosensors. Join us!

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Five people smiling and sitting at an outdoor bench in a parklike setting with trees and a building in the background.

We study membrane transport processes in the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria.

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Maier group

The Maier Group focusses on the identification of molecules involved in malaria pathogenesis and transmission.

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Fluorescent microscopy image showing a red-stained filamentous structure with a detailed blue-highlighted component at the top, all set against a dark background.

We are interested in the molecular mechanisms controlling nodule development in legumes, and how this is linked to other aspects of root architecture.

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Logo for ANU Bee Lab featuring a stylized bee above the letters "ANU" with "BEE LAB" in a yellow rectangle.

Our research actually spans may study systems and research questions. But the evolution of honey bee parasites and diseases and is a major focus.

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A close-up of a mosquito feeding on human skin, with a droplet of blood visible.

The Saliba Group is investigating vitamin utilisation pathways in the red blood cell stage of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

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Group photo

We study the basic biology of parasites, with the hope that such knowledge can be used in developing new treatment options against these formidable foes.

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Projects

The environment encountered by the malaria parasite in the mosquito is very different from the surrounding in the human host (temperature, available nutrients, immune system,....). We are looking at the necessary differentiation a malaria parasite undergoes before it can be taken up from human blood by the mosquito vector. These changes are irreversible and essential for transmission. A better understanding of these processes could provide clues how to prevent the transmission of malaria and therefore deliver additional instruments in the fight against this disease.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students

People

Design and evaluation of novel antimalarial drugs

Drug resistance in the human malaria parasite

Infection with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes modifications of the erythrocyte membrane composition and rigidity. In particular protrusions of the red blood cell membrane are induced – so called knobs. These knobs are believed to provide an elevated platform and anchor point from which a major virulence factor is sticking out.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students

People

Australian honey bee populations will collapse after the recent establishment of Varroa mites. This project aims to track Varroa invasion and the subsequent evolution or resistance in feral honey bee populations. This is chance to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime natural experiment with national implications.

Student intake

Open for PhD students

People

A significant proportion of Plasmodium falciparum proteins are being exported to the cytoplasm of the host red blood cell. On their way from the parasite to the red blood cell these proteins have to transverse several membranes. In order to cross the membranes the proteins have to be unfolded, translocated and refolded again on the other side.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students

People

News

Professor Alexander Maier wants us to change our mind about parasites.

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Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are vulnerable to some drug therapies but resistant to others, offering scientists another piece of the puzzle in the global fight against the disease.

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While Angus Rae focuses intently on a captivating microscopic world, he is actually working towards a solution for an environmental catastrophe occurring on a global scale.

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Professor Bruno von Schmarotzersindwunderbarhausen - Professor Alexander Maier's alter ego. Image: Sharyn Wragg

Professor Bruno von Schmarotzersindwunderbarhausen in his idiosyncratic attire is not something you would see during a regular day on campus. He only appears in the same classes taught by Professor Alexander Maier - his alter ego.

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Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have exposed a fatal flaw in the deadly parasite that causes malaria - one of the world's biggest killers.

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By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70489623

Jeremy Debrulle discusses (Torchin et al. 2003) and the question of what role do parasites actually play in regulating and stabilising populations?

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