australian biochemist - asbmb

VOL 50 NO 3 DECEMBER 2019 PAGE 1AUSTRALIAN BIOCHEMIST

Australian Biochemist

December 2019, Volume 50, Number 3

ISSN 1443-0193

The Magazine of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Inc.

VOL 50 NO 3 DECEMBER 2019AUSTRALIAN BIOCHEMIST


4 Editorial Committee5 Publications with Impact

Hanging on to Heavy MetalEvolution of a New Metabolic Pathway in Parasitic ProtistsA Step Towards the In Vitro Cyclisation of an Unusual Glycopeptide Antibiotic BOK: It’s Not All About DeathRespiratory Syncytial Virus Coopts the Mitochondria of Infected Host CellsDancing Dustbins: Proteasome Activation Insights with Implications for Antimalarial Drug Action

14 ASBMB Education FeatureStaff and Student Perceptions of Academic Expectations: How Closely Do They Align?From Little Things, Big Dreams Grow…Teaching Inside a Cell, Inside a CAVEWIL-ing Students in Science

19 SDS PageChoosing Your First Career Move After Your PhDBeyond Publication: Boosting Your Track Record for Early Career Fellowships

21 OfftheBeatenTrack From Benchside to Bedside – Breaking Free from Academia23 Competition: Structure Match24 AnnualSocietyConferencesareGreat:ThisYear’sASBMBMeetingShowsUsWhy26 ASBMB Medallists and Awardees at ASBMB 2019 Conference27 Report on ASBMB 2019 Conference30 Intellectual Property The Usefulness of ‘Use’ Patents32 News from the States36 Biochemical Education: an ASBMB Special Interest Group 38 Great Expectations Meaningful Mentoring and the Path to Fulfilment 43 ASBMB Award Reports: Shimadzu Education Award Report and ASBMB Fellowships44 ASBMB Honours Loyal Members50 AspiringMeetingofYoungResearchersinKualaLumpur51 Report on 27th FAOBMB and 44th MSBMB Conference54 Forthcoming Meetings 55 ASBMB Annual Reports60 Our Sustaining Members64 ASBMB Council65 Directory

Table of Contents

Australian Biochemist – Editor Tatiana Soares da Costa, EditorialOfficerLiana Friedman © 2019 Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Inc. All rights reserved.

Front CoverThe world’s largest model of a crystal, sodium chloride, by Robert Krickl, crystallographer turned science communicator. Exhibited at the 2019 European Crystallographic Meeting, the structure is over 3 m high and was made from about 40,000 balls and 10 km of sticks. The model shows the ionic structure that would make up a crystal of table salt 0.0000096 mm across. Photo: Gabrielle Watson.


Australian Biochemist Editorial Committee Members

Dr Doug FairlieOlivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and La Trobe UniversityHeidelberg VIC 3084Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 9496 9369

EditorialOfficerLiana FriedmanEmail: [email protected]

Associate Professor Tracey KuitSchool of Chemistry and Molecular BioscienceUniversity of WollongongWollongong NSW 2522Email: [email protected]: (02) 4221 4916

Dr Nirma SamarawickremaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClayton VIC 3800Email: nirma.samarawickrema@ monash.eduPhone: (03) 9902 0295

Dr Sarah HennebryFPA Patent Attorneys101 Collins StreetMelbourne VIC 3000Email: [email protected]: (03) 9288 1213

EditorDr Tatiana Soares da CostaDepartment of Biochemistry and GeneticsLa Trobe Institute for Molecular ScienceLa Trobe UniversityBundoora VIC 3086Email: [email protected]: (03) 9479 2227

Dr Erinna LeeLa Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research InstituteHeidelberg VIC 3084Email: [email protected]: (03) 9496 9369

Joe KaczmarskiResearch School of ChemistryAustralian National UniversityCanberra ACT 0200Email: [email protected]

Dr Gabrielle Watson Monash Biomedicine Discovery InstituteMonash UniversityClayton VIC 3800 Email: gabrielle.watson@ monash.eduPhone: (03) 9902 9227

mailto:liana.friedman%40monash.edu?subject=

mailto:nirma.samarawickrema%40%0Amonash.edu?subject=

mailto:nirma.samarawickrema%40%0Amonash.edu?subject=

mailto:sarah.hennebry%40%0Dfpapatents.com?subject=

mailto:sarah.hennebry%40%0Dfpapatents.com?subject=

mailto:joe.kaczmarski%40%0Danu.edu.au?subject=

mailto:joe.kaczmarski%40%0Danu.edu.au?subject=


PublicationswithImpactprofilesrecent,highimpactpublicationsbyASBMBmembers. Theseshortsummariesshowcasesomeofthelatestresearchbypresenting theworkinabriefbutaccessiblemanner.Ifyourworkhasrecentlybeen publishedinahighprofilejournal,[email protected]

Publications with Impact

Hanging on to Heavy MetalDeLucaA#,ParkerLJ#,AngWH,RodolfoC,GabbariniV,HancockNC,PaloneF,

MazzettiAP,MeninL,MortonCJ,ParkerMW*,LoBelloM,DysonPJ*. A structure-based mechanism of cisplatin resistance mediated by

glutathionetransferaseP1-1. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2019;116(28):13943–13951.#Equalfirstauthors*Correspondingauthors:[email protected],[email protected]

“OnAussie soil… the GST remains a three letterswear word” but is vital for our health! GSTs aredimeric proteins that belong to a superfamily of multifunctional enzymes involved in cellular detoxification of many potentially cytotoxicmoleculesthroughconjugationwiththenucleophilicthiol containing compound glutathione (GSH).After catalytic conjugation of GSH to the targetedcompound, the product is recognised by specificcellular export machinery and expelled from the cell. Clearly, this protective mechanism can bemisused by malignant cells to protect them from chemotherapeutic agents in exactly the same way thatitprotectsnormalcells.Indeed,themosthighlyexpressedisoformsofhumanGSTs,theGSTPiclassenzymes,havebeen found tobeoverexpressed inseveral solid tumours and in different tumour celllines resistant to anti-cancer drug treatment directly linkingGSTlevelswithdrugresistance.InexploringtheroleofGSTinresistancetocancertherapy,theParkerlabandcollaboratorsinSwitzerlandandItalyhave found an unexpected alternative mechanism throughwhichGST enzymes inactivate some anti-canceragents.

Despite first being used in the 1970s, cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum(II), CDDP) is still one of the most successful anti-cancer agents employed today and is first-line treatment for a wide range of solid tumours. It is well established that the mechanism of CDDP involves the formation of intra-strand crosslinks in DNA, blocking genome replication and transcription, leading to apoptosis. In this context, the DNA-binding proteins involved in these cellular processes play a fundamental role in the mechanism of CDDP activity and have been the subject of intense study. However, the mode of tumour targeting and other molecular interactions that the active platinum species experience are less well understood. Only 5–10% of intracellular platinum is associated with the DNA fraction; after CDDP enters the cell, the reduced concentration of chloride ions in the cytoplasm results in the rapid formation of mono- and di-aquo species, in which one or two chloride ions are substituted by water molecules. It is these new species that are highly reactive towards a number of nucleophilic compounds including RNA, DNA and thiols found both in thiol-containing proteins (i.e. any protein with a free cysteine residue) and small molecule thiol compounds like GSH. Historically, it has been suggested that intracellular CDDP is complexed with GSH in a GST-catalysed reaction. Several lines of supporting evidence for this model exist, with GSH depletion shown to sensitise formerly CDDP resistant cell lines and simultaneous administration of GSH and CDDP inducing CDDP resistance in human lung carcinoma cells.

We employed a combination of structural biology, enzymology and cell biology to explore the details of GST Pi activity in the fate of cellular CDDP. To our surprise, it became clear that CDDP is not a substrate for the GSH-transferase activity of GST Pi. Instead, we showed that the free cysteine thiol groups of the enzyme, specifically the side-chains of cysteine 101 that lie in the GST dimer interface, are particularly competent at binding platinum species and sequestering them within the protein. This sponge-like activity for GST in removing the reactive metal species occurs both in vitro and in the context of live tumour cells, is a novel protective mechanism for removing cytotoxic heavy metals. The relative contribution of this

The structure of GST Pi complexed with glutathione and platinum after exposure to cisplatin. The platinum (purple spheres) is found associated with cysteine 101 in the dimer interface.

http://tinyurl.com/y3yx7shd

http://tinyurl.com/y3yx7shd


sequestration to GST’s role in defending cells from toxic metal species remains to be fully determined, although we have also demonstrated that the mechanism extends to other metals such as ruthenium and the metalloid arsenic. Like GST, arsenicals have dubious history, but paradoxically are used as drugs for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

CraigMortonandMichaelParkerBio21Institute,UniversityofMelbourne

andStVincent’sInstitute


Craig Morton (left) and Michael Parkerponder their sequestering options.

Understandinghowpathogensinvadeandsurvivewithin host cells is critical for developing new antimicrobials. The research groups of MalcolmMcConville, Michael Parker, David Ascher andSpencer Williams at the University of Melbournehave identified a novel pathway of carbohydratereserve biosynthesis in Leishmania parasites that is essentialforpathogensurvivalinhostimmunecells.Usingarangeofbiochemical,geneticandstructuralbiologyapproaches,thestudymapstheevolutionofa new family of enzymes that catalyse the constitutive turnover of these intracellular glycans and regulates parasitecentralcarbonmetabolismandvirulence.

Leishmania are sandfly-transmitted protozoan parasites that infect more than 100 million people throughout the tropics and subtropics, and cause a range of debilitating and lethal diseases. These parasites evade the host

immune response by invading macrophages and proliferating within the lysosome compartment. How these parasites survive within this hostile niche remains poorly defined. In this study, we showed that Leishmania lack canonical carbohydrate reserves (i.e. glycogen, starch or trehalose), but synthesise instead a novel carbohydrate reserve, termed mannogen. Leishmania mannogen is composed entirely of the sugar mannose (in b-1,2-linkage), and the constitutive turnover of these glycans was shown to regulate parasite central carbon metabolism and to be essential for parasite virulence in the mammalian host. Intriguingly, the team showed that mannogen turnover is regulated by a novel family of dual-activity glycosyltransferases that can both elongate (using the sugar nucleotide GDP-Man as donor) and phosphorolytically degrade mannogen (using phosphate with release of a sugar phosphate). This is the first

example of a single family of enzymes being involved in both synthesis and degradation of any carbohydrate. Phylogenetic and X-ray crystallography structural studies suggest that

Evolution of a New MetabolicPathway in Parasitic Protists

SerneeMF#,RaltonJE#,NeroTL,SobalaJF,KloehnJ,Vieira-LaraM,CobboldSA,StantonL,PiresDEV,HanssenE,MalesA,WardT,BastidasLM,vanderPeetPL,ParkerMW,AscherDB,

WilliamsSJ,DaviesGJ,McConvilleMJ*.Afamilyofdual-activityglycosyltransferase-phosphorylases mediates mannogen turnover and virulence in Leishmaniaparasites.

Cell Host Microbe2019;26(3):385–399.#Equalfirstauthors*Correspondingauthor:[email protected]

Left: Leishmania infected macrophages.Right: Leishmania mannogen cycle catalysed by a family of dual activitymannosyltransferases/mannan phosphorylases (MTPs) (structure in insert).



Members of the Bio21 Institute team involved inthe project (from left): Tracy Nero, David Ascher,

Julie Ralton, Fleur Sernee, Michael Parker,Spencer Williams and Malcolm McConville.

Leishmania acquired the prototypic member of this family by horizontal gene transfer, most likely from bacteria in their insect vector, and that the dual activities arose through subsequent gene duplication and mutations in the catalytic site. The constitutive synthesis and degradation of mannogen protects intracellular parasite stages from nutrient fluctuations and allows them to enter into a metabolically quiescent state that is resistant to host microbicidal processes. This study provides a spectacular example of horizontal gene transfer driving metabolic innovation in these pathogens, and also highlights the importance of futile cycles in regulating metabolism. The findings have implications for understanding the function of carbohydrate reserves in other eukaryotes, and opens new avenues for developing specific therapies for treating these important diseases.FleurSernee,JulieRaltonandMalcolmMcConville

Bio21Institute,UniversityofMelbourne

A Step Towards the In Vitro Cyclisationof an Unusual Glycopeptide Antibiotic

GreuleA,IzoréT#,IftimeD#,TailhadesJ#,SchoppetM,ZhaoY,PeschkeM,AhmedI,KulikA,AdamekM,GoodeRJA,6,SchittenhelmRB,KaczmarskiJA,JacksonCJ,ZiemertN,KrenskeEH,DeVossJJ,StegmannE*,CryleMJ*.

Kistamicinbiosynthesisrevealsthebiosyntheticrequirementsforproductionofhighlycrosslinkedglycopeptideantibiotics. Nat Commun 2019;10(1):2613.#Contributedequally

*Correspondingauthors:[email protected],[email protected]

The glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs)are one of the last resorts to treat infections caused by multi-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. They consistof a heptapeptide backbone of non-ribosomal origin that contains three to four intramolecular crosslinkingsand various other modifications. Thecrosslinks – introduced by a set ofcytochrome P450 enzymes (Oxys) – lead to a highly rigid conformation that then interferes with bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. The GPAs are naturallyproduced by harmless soil-dwelling bacteria and given that the chemical synthesis of the crosslinked GPAscaffoldishighlychallenging,westillrely on bacterial fermentation for their production. Due to the importanceof the P450-catalysed cyclisation reactions, theCryle labstudies theseenzymesfromdifferentGPApathwaysto be able to synthesise these complex molecules in vitro. In this study, weinvestigated the crosslinking of theunusualGPAkistamicin.

Crosslinking of the linear kistamicin heptapeptide by only twoOxy enzymes after docking to the peptide assembly machinery.

The kistamicin backbone shows several differences to theconserved backbone of other glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs).

Oxy

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Publications with ImpactOxy enzymes from different GPA pathways show

different activity in regards of substrate specificity and turnover rate. Currently, we are searching for Oxy homologues that are highly active and able to synthesise modified GPAs in vitro. The group of GPAs typically possess a highly conserved, crosslinked peptide backbone. Kistamicin, on the other hand, is extraordinary as it contains two unusual crosslinks in its structure. This offers an opportunity therefore to introduce further modifications into the GPA scaffold that might improve activity of this class of antibiotics.

Kistamicin appears to have diverged from other GPAs a long time ago. Surprisingly, an analysis of the kistamicin biosynthetic gene cluster from the bacterial strain Actinomadura parvosata revealed the presence of only two Oxy encoding genes, which indicates one of

these must be a bifunctional crosslinking enzyme. Such a bifunctional Oxy homologue would be very valuable for chemo-enzymatic synthesis of GPAs, and all other crosslinking enzymes identified to date only introduce one specific crosslink. Here, through a combination of in vivo gene deletion experiments in the kistamicin producer and in vitro crosslinking assays, we could confirm that one of the Oxy enzymes (OxyC) is indeed a multifunctional enzyme. Curiously, the first and third crosslinks into the kistamicin heptapeptide are introduced by the first enzyme (OxyC) to act during biosynthesis, whilst the other Oxy enzyme (OxyA) catalyses the second crosslink to a tryptophan residue. The bifunctional OxyC enzyme also appears to be a promiscuous catalyst able to install crosslinks in peptides of various length with sequence variations.

The biosynthetic crosslinking of GPAs happens whilst the heptapeptide substrate is still connected to the peptide assembly machinery (a multienzyme complex, independent of ribosomes). In this work, we further showed that this interaction is maintained even in the divergent biosynthesis of kistamicin, and could visualise this interaction using X-ray crystallography. Thus, the biosynthesis of kistamicin is a highly interesting system to study, both to diversify existing GPA structures and to understand the common biosynthetic principles involved in GPA biosynthesis.

The study of the unusual crosslinking cascade in kistamicin biosynthesis was a collaboration of researchers from the Cryle group at Monash University, the University of Queensland, the Australian National University and the University of Tubingen, Germany.

AnjaGreuleandMaxCryleMonash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

The Cryle group at the MonashBiomedicine Discovery Institute.

BOK: It’s Not All About DeathSrivastavaR,CaoZ,NedevaC,NaimS,BachmannD,RabachiniT,GangodaL,ShahiS,GlabJ,MenassaJ,OsellameL,NelsonT,Fernandez-MarreroY,BrownF,WeiA,KeF,O’ReillyL,DoerflingerM,AllisonC,KuehA,RamsayR,SmithBJ,MathivananS,KaufmannT*,PuthalakathH*.BCL-2familyproteinBOKisapositiveregulatorof

uridinemetabolisminmammals.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA2019;116(31):15469–15474.*Correspondingauthors:[email protected],[email protected]

The Bcl-2 family protein Bok has long beenconsidered to be an enigmatic protein in the apoptotic field. It is generally believed to be a pro-apoptoticadaptor protein with a redundant function similar to BaxandBak.However,thePuthalakathlabdefinesanon-apoptoticroleforthisprotein,i.e.itregulatestheuridine metabolic pathway and chemosensitivity in cancer. Its interactionwithuridinemonophosphatesynthetase (UMPS), the enzyme that catalyses thelast two steps in uridine biosynthesis, leads to athree-tofive-foldincreaseintheenzymeactivity.This

studyhasimplicationsforusingBokasadiagnosticmarker for chemosensitivity and to develop drugsfortreating5-fluorouracil(5-FU)resistantcancers.

The mitochondrial apoptotic pathway is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Though Bok was identified in 1997, its role in mitochondrial apoptosis pathway has been highly controversial, mostly due to lack of any identifiable phenotype in gene knockout studies. Our lab conducted a yeast two-hybrid screen of a mouse embryonic library to identify its interaction partners in an effort to understand its function. Our screen identified the enzyme


From left: Hamsa Puthalakath, LauraOsellame, Jason Glab, Christina Nedeva,

Joseph Menassa and Zhipeng Cao.

Publications with ImpactPublications with Impact

UMPS to be its interaction partner, which was confirmed in mammalian cells. Molecular modelling suggested that the BH3-domain of Bok was capable of binding the dimer interface of the orotidine decarboxylase domain of UMPS. This was further confirmed biochemically by co-immunoprecipitation and by confocal microscopy.

UMPS catalyses the last two steps in the uridine biosynthetic pathway, i.e. the orotidine phosphoribosyltransferase domain converts orotic acid to orotidine monophosphate, which is further decarboxylated to uridine monophosphate. Apart from its role as a nucleotide in RNA, uridine is a versatile molecule that exerts multi-targeted effects because it can be used to produce other biologically active molecules such as uridine diphosphate glucose, a basic building block for glycogen biosynthesis; UDP-GlcNAc, which is a donor substrate for protein glycosylation; and acetyl-CoA, a donor substrate for protein acetylation, to name a few. Therefore, binding of Bok could have a profound impact on major metabolic pathways and cellular proliferation. Indeed, co-expression of Bok with UMPS in a baculovirus system demonstrated that it indeed increased UMPS activity by three- to five-fold. Consistent with this

observation, we found that genetic ablation of Bok leads to a significant proliferation defect which could be reversed by ectopic expression of wild type Bok, but not with a BH3-domain mutant of Bok.

UMPS is also responsible for the conversion of one of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs, 5-FU, to its toxic metabolites. However, chemoresistance is a common problem and the precise molecular mechcrcanism is not known. Consistent with its role in regulating UMPS activity, Bok deficient cells are resistant to 5-FU. 5-FU-resistant tissue culture-derived colorectal cancer cells (CRC) and patient-derived CRC tissues lose Bok expression. Lack of Bok and consequential reduction in uridine biosynthesis contributes to lower proliferation. Nucleotide deficiency also contributes to DNA damage and induction of the tumor suppressor gene p53 in Bok deficient cells and mice.

In summary, we have defined a non-apoptotic role for a Bck-2 family protein, i.e. regulation of uridine metabolism. Our findings could lead to developing Bok as a biomarker for stratifying patients for 5-FU sensitivity. Work is under way to identify drugs that could work as ‘Bok mimetics’ for resensitisation of recalcitrant cancers to 5-FU, one of the world’s most commonly used chemotherapeutics.

HamsaPuthalakathDepartmentofBiochemistryandGenetics,

LaTrobeInstituteforMolecularScience

GFP-UMPS

mCherry-BOK

mCherry-BOKΔBH3

Merge

Merge

Inset

Full length Bok and UMPS colocalise at ER and mitochondria. BH3 is unable to localiseto mitochondria leaving GFP-UMPS in the cytoplasm. Full lenth mCherry-Bok and GFP-UMPS colalise andfunction at both ER and mitchondria as shown in the lower panel. Scale bar = 20

mCherry-BOK

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Leu78Leu74

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α2b

Top: Confocal microscopy showing co-localisation of wildtype Bok (but not a BH3 mutant) with UMPS.Bottom: Molecular modelling of the Bok BH3 domain (red) interaction at the dimer interface within UMPS (subunits in yellow and beige).


Publications with ImpactPublications with Impact

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Coopts theMitochondria of Infected Host Cells

HuM-J,SchulzeKE,GhildyalR,HenstridgeDC,KolanowskiJL,NewEJ,HongY,HsuAC,HansbroPM,WarkPAB,BogoyevitchMA*,JansDA*.Respiratorysyncytialvirusco-optshostmitochondrialfunctiontofavourinfectiousvirusproduction.eLIFE2019;8:e42448.

*Correspondingauthors:.,[email protected]

Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isresponsible for more deaths each year worldwide than influenza, there are no effective anti-RSVtherapeuticsorvaccinegenerallyavailable,andlittleisunderstoodofRSV’spathogenicmechanisms.Incollaborationwith laboratories at the University ofMelbourne, University of Canberra and Universityof Newcastle, the Jans lab at Monash Universityhasdescribedforthefirsttimethenovel impactofRSV infectionon thehostcellmitochondria,whichthe virus co-opts to generate mitochondrial reactive oxygen species that enhance virus production.Importantly, blocking RSV’s effects on the hostmitochondria represents an exciting new therapeutic possibility.

RSV is responsible for an estimated 200,000 deaths worldwide per year, exceeding the toll of influenza. Despite this, there are no effective, safe anti-RSV therapeutics or vaccine generally available. For years, the Jans lab and collaborators have researched RSV

with the underlying motivation being that the key to RSV’s pathogenic mechanisms is understanding the host–pathogen interface, establishing a number of aspects of RSV’s unique impact on the infected host cell.

In the recent ground-breaking eLIFE study, Dr Mengjie Hu in the Jans lab used a palette of high-resolution quantitative imaging, bioenergetics measurements and mitochondrial membrane potential- and redox-sensitive dyes to define RSV’s impact on the energy generators of the host cell, the mitochondria, for the first time. In particular, she firstly observed RSV-induced microtubule/dynein-dependent mitochondrial perinuclear clustering, and translocation towards the microtubule-organising centre. She showed that the changes on the host cell mitochondria correlated integrally with impaired mitochondrial respiration, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS). Importantly, she could show that agents targeting microtubule integrity or inhibiting the dynein motor protein were found to

Schematic representation of the impact RSV infection on host cell mitochondria. Inset confocal fluorescent images: blue: nucleus; red: mitochondria; green: RSV; white (highlighted by the arrows): MTOC. Infection by RSV induces changes in the distribution and function of host cell mitochondria. RSV infection induces perinuclear clustering of mitochondria (in dynein and clustered mitochondria protein homolog (CLUH)-dependent fashion) followed by asymmetrical redistribution of mitochondria to the microtubule organizing centre (MTOC). In parallel, RSV infection inhibits host mitochondrial respiration, disrupts maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δѱm) and enhances mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation to promote infectious

reactive oxygen species (ROS)

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virus production. Targeting these changes using agents that disrupt microtubule integrity (nocodazole – NCZ), dynein (erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine – EHNA), or the mitochondrial ROS scavenger (mitoquinone mesylate – MitoQ) inhibits RSV infection.



From left: David Jans, Mengjie Huand Marie Bogoyevitch.

Dancing Dustbins: Proteasome Activation Insights with Implications for Antimalarial Drug Action

XieSC#,MetcalfeRD#,HanssenE#,YangT,GillettDL,LeisAP,MortonCJ,KuiperMJ,ParkerMW,SpillmanNJ,WongW,TsuC,DickLR,GriffinMDW*,TilleyL*.ThestructureofthePA28/20SproteasomecomplexfromPlasmodium falciparum

andimplicationsforproteostasis.Nat Microbiol 2019;4(11):1990–2000.#Equalfirstauthors*Correspondingauthors:[email protected],[email protected]

Capitalisingon thestructural cryo-EM revolution,a Bio21 team has generated molecular movies of a sophisticatednano-machine,calledtheproteasome.Theteamshowedthatthebarrel-shapedproteasomehasacap,calledPA28,that‘dances’backandforth,openingandclosingagapattheinterface.Deletionof PA28 in malaria parasites makes them moresusceptible to artemisinin, providing insights intoan Achilles’ heel that could be targeted with newtherapeutics.

Every cell needs a garbage disposal unit to deal with damaged and no longer needed proteins. A major component of this waste system is a fleet of barrel-shaped shredders called proteasomes. Unwanted proteins are fed into the central chamber of the barrel, where they are cut into tiny pieces by three different proteases, then released. To prevent indiscriminate destruction of the cell’s protein, guard proteins, called activators, control the entry and exit portals. To enter the shredder, proteins can be marked with a ‘kiss-of-death’ signal, called ubiquitin that is recognised by the 19S regulatory particle, and passed through to the central core. At the other end, a different activator, called PA28, helps release the resulting breakdown products. The PA28 activator can also let in unstructured proteins –even if they don’t have the ubiquitin signal. But exactly how the PA28 activator works was poorly understood.

Some cells, such as cancerous blood cells, make proteins at a gangbusters’ rate, creating so much waste they are particularly reliant on their proteasomes. As a consequence, proteasome inhibitors are employed as anti-cancer agents. Similarly, malaria parasites multiply rapidly inside red blood cells and in doing so, generate a lot of waste protein. The parasites rely heavily on their proteasomes to clear this waste; and proteasome inhibitors are potential antimalarial drugs.

In this work, we studied the consequences of genetic deletion of PA28 in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Tuo Yang found that parasites lacking PA28

suppress RSV virus production strongly. Even more excitingly, she was able to demonstrate that the chemical agent mitoquinone mesylate (MitoQ), that is a specific scavenger of mtROS, could protect against RSV infection, including in a mouse model with concomitantly reduced virus production, lung and systemic inflammation.

The exciting results establish RSV’s unique ability to co-opt host cell mitochondria to facilitate viral infection, revealing the RSV-mitochondrial interface as a viable target for therapeutic intervention for the first time. Since MitoQ is being trialled for a range of human disease indications where mtROS damage is a key driver, including cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease and hepatitis C virus infection, this study heralds new hope for a viable therapeutic against RSV, which remains an insidious threat to the health of the very young (especially premature babies) and aged worldwide.

MengjieHuandDavidJans,BiomedicalDiscoveryInstitute,MonashUniversity,andMarieBogoyevitch,Departmentof

BiochemistryandMolecularBiology,UniversityofMelbourne

From left: Leann Tilley, Craig Morton, Michael Parker,Mike Griffin, Riley Metcalfe, Stanley Xie and Eric Hanssen.



survive under normal conditions. However, they were hypersensitive when exposed to a low concentration of artemisinin, an antimalarial drug that works by damaging parasite proteins. We wanted to know more about how PA28 helps the cell deal with damaged proteins.

Detailed structural views can help understand how molecular machinery works. It is now possible to obtain such information, due to a revolution in structural biology, called cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM) – as recognised by the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But first, Stanley Xie and David Gillett needed to purify the proteasome. Malaria parasites are microscopic, so they needed to culture parasites for many months to get enough pure protein for cryoEM studies. A heroic effort!

We were very excited that the purified plasmodium proteasome/PA28 complex was first cab off the rank for imaging in the Bio21 Institute’s newly installed FEI Talos Arctica cryo electron microscope. Eric Hanssen optimised the conditions for preparation of the loaded EM grids; and with Andrew Leis, collected over 5,000 cryoEM micrographs and aligned and averaged more than 200,000 particles. Putting together the thousands of particles, we could see that PA28 takes the form of conical cap that sits at one or both ends of the proteasome barrel (Fig.1). At the top of the cap, flexible streamer-like loops were evident as dynamic swirls.

Riley Metcalfe and Mike Griffin undertook the daunting task of fitting and refining the ~10,000 residues in the complex to generate the 3D structure – enabling us to see the core of the proteasome and its active sites at about 3.5 Å resolution. We could also image the PA28/20S interface and gain insight into the clasp mechanism that opens a pore, creating a channel that runs through to the central shredding chamber.

CryoEM offers the exciting possibility of making molecular ‘movies’ – views of protein machines in action. When we looked at the different conformations that the proteasome/PA28 complex adopts, we were surprised to see that the PA28 cap is connected to the

proteasome core only on one side – a bit like a dustbin lid. The cap undergoes a rocking motion on the barrel – that opens and closes a gap at the interface. We refer to this as the ‘dancing proteasome’ motion (see Fig.1, right, and video).

Craig Morton and Mike Kuiper used computer-based simulations to show that the dancing motion could let small peptide products escape through the interface between the cap and the barrel – potentially providing short-cut access to and from the shredder (see Fig.2).

Our cryoEM-based molecular movies provide new insights into the mechanism of action of this waste disposal system. Importantly, the high-resolution structure is helping the team design inhibitors that specifically target the plasmodium proteasome, with a view to preventing the more than 400,000 deaths caused each year by the malaria parasite.

Meanwhile, the team is looking forward to the installation of Bio21’s new $10 million Titan Krios electron microscope, in a $16 million dedicated facility that is currently under construction.

Some of the material in this article appeared in a blog in Nature Communications.

LeannTilleyBio21Institute,UniversityofMelbourne

Fig. 2. Schematic illustrating how ubiquitinated proteins are fed into the proteasome barrel core via the regulatory particle activator. Proteins are degraded by proteases in the barrel core and then released through a channel in the PA28 activator. The dynamic nature of the interface between PA28 and the proteasome core may enable short-cut egress of peptide products.

Fig. 1. Reconstruction of the single capped PfPA28/20S complex, showing the averaged 3D projection (left), the 3D EM map (second panel), the fitted structural model (third panel), and the multi-body refinement showing ‘dancing’ of the PA28 cap on the proteasome core (right). The active sites can be targeted for the development of new antimalarials.

https://vimeo.com/349781915

https://www.kane.com.au/project/university-of-melbourne-bio21-stage-2c-advanced-microscopy-facility

https://naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/users/268650-leann-tilley/posts/51913-dancing-dustbins-new-insights-into-proteasome-activation-with-implications-for-antimalarial-drug-action


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ASBMB Education Feature

In the past ten years, the learning and teaching landscape has changed in higher education, with a rapid increase in number of subjects delivered in blended or online mode to provide greater flexibility for students. Lecture recordings are readily available, so students don’t need to attend lectures to get access to the subject content. Subsequently, attendance in class (particularly lectures) has rapidly declined (1) and many academics are concerned about student engagement. The change in delivery mode also presents a challenge for students who are experiencing a mix of face-to-face, blended and online subjects (often within the same semester) and are required to successfully navigate a wide variety of expectations. In this new landscape, making expectations explicit for students is critical to enable academic success (2).

We investigated student expectations for university study and academic staff expectations of students, and the extent to which these expectations aligned. We surveyed the student and academic staff perception of their expectations using 41 paired questions which addressed roles and responsibilities for student learning, time spent on study, attendance and preparation for class, marks and standards, help and support, and feedback. We received responses from 259 Science and Health Science students and 48 academic staff from the School of Life Sciences at La Trobe University.

Based on recent experiences of student engagement, we expected widespread misalignment and students to respond less positively than staff to most or all questions. Surprisingly, we found something quite different. Staff and student expectations aligned for nearly half of the survey questions, and students responded more positively than staff to an additional 20% of questions. For example, survey responses indicate that students perceive a relatively greater responsibility for their own learning than staff perceive that they do. We think that this is a good news story as it provides a positive counter-balance to negative staff perceptions of students.

We did, however, find some areas of misalignment. Student expectations were lower than staff expectations for hours of study required to pass and do well, and for the standard of work required at each year level. Student responses indicated that academic standards, preparation required for class and how to apply for an extension to submit assignments were all made less clear to them than staff believed. There was also misalignment between staff and student expectations about feedback on drafts of assignments, response time to emails and time taken to return marked work. These areas of misalignment may be having a disproportionately high impact on student frustration and dissatisfaction with staff, and staff frustration and dissatisfaction with students.

The results of this research project were presented at the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) 2019 conference and are now being prepared for publication. We are also developing resources for academic staff to make their expectations of students more explicit. We are interested in expanding this research to include other universities, so please contact Fiona if you would like to know more.

Staff and Student Perceptions of Academic Expectations: How Closely Do They Align?

Fiona Bird, Ryan Naylor and Nicole Butler, School of Life Sciencesand College of Science, Health & Engineering, La Trobe University

Student and staff perceptions of responsibility for aspects of learning and assessment.

TheASBMBEducationFeatureiscoordinatedbyNirmaSamarawickrema([email protected])andTraceyKuit([email protected]).



It all started with mosquito larvae. During my first university break, I volunteered in an entomology lab. I was often its sole occupant apart from Anne, an elderly cleaner, who came in the early mornings (this was long ago in a land far away, before OH&S regulations). One day, I was tasked to record larval morphology under the microscope but what I saw was too fascinating to keep to myself, so I called Anne over. After explaining what a microscope does, I persuaded her to have a go. As she gingerly peered in, she literally jumped back – an entirely new world had opened before her. Her reaction of wonderment was amazingly gratifying. From then, every morning was an energising learning session. Admittedly though, the lab never got properly cleaned after that. What manner of sorcery is this where both sides benefit? It was clear to me then that I wanted, or rather needed, to be an educator.

This resolve was not without its challenges. When I started as an academic, teaching and research roles were inextricably linked. This meant I had the ‘minor’ inconvenience of getting grants and carrying out scientific research to secure my position and do what I really loved. Slowly but surely, I started spending more time developing curricula and pedagogical approaches instead of new plant transformation methods. I went into this with eyes wide open as I knew this was a one-way ticket – a research scientist can return to teaching, but a teacher cannot return to scientific research. As I followed my passion, I was effectively closing doors behind me. It was a risk, but I felt vindicated during one faculty reunion dinner, when several former students rushed up to share

excitedly that they decided to become teachers because of me. This is contagion in the best sense of the word!

When I moved to Australia a decade ago, education-focused positions were few and far between. However, casual positions abounded. In fact, the percentage of Australian academic staff employed on contingent contracts increased from 40% to 56% from 1989 to 2013 (1). Monash University was a benevolent host as my casual appointments there gave rise to fixed term contracts. I was always treated as a highly valued team member regardless of what the expiry date was on my staff card. Nevertheless, I’ve interacted with many other contingent-contracted academics and inevitably, knowing looks were always exchanged when talking about the future. I too had my concerns but the students’ light bulb moments kept me going. I steeled my resolve to stay on this path because when one is committed, it shows. I have been duly rewarded as my experience springboarded me to a fantastic opportunity at the University of Melbourne as a teaching specialist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

My advice? Keep the faith! Teaching-focused staff are now the fastest growing sector of the academic workforce (2).

References1. Andrews S, Bare L, Bentley P, Geodegebuure L,

Pugsley C, Rance B (2016) Contingent academic employment in Australian universities. LH Martin Institute.

2. Norton A, Cherastidtham I (2018). Mapping Australian higher education 2018. Grattan Institute.

From Little Dreams, Big Dreams GrowSaw-Hoon Lim, Department of Biochemistry

and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne

Dr Saw-Hoon Lim is a teaching specialist in the Department of

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne.

[email protected]

Mosquito larva.

Credit:Sven

Petersen,Wikimedia Commons.

References1. Edwards MR, Clinton ME (2019). High Educ 77:403–

421.2. Nicholson L, Putwain D, Connors L, Hornby-Atkinson

P (2013). Stud High Educ 38:285–298.Dr Fiona Bird is the Associate

Head, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University.

[email protected]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Culicidae_larvae#/media/File:Larve_de_moustique.JPG

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Culicidae_larvae#/media/File:Larve_de_moustique.JPG



Teaching cell biology is challenging, largely because when we simplify the cell’s complex three-dimensional structure into two-dimensional diagrams, part of the essence of the ‘whole’ is lost. The location and interactions among cellular components cannot be portrayed as a static image, nor can the fluidity of cellular components and molecules be depicted. This is exacerbated by the inherent difficulty of communicating about processes which are operating at very different scales – from cells down to molecules. There are some excellent resources available to assist students to visualise cellular components and processes which are valuable in teaching, such as the cinematically beautiful The Inner Life of the Cell – an animated representation of a white blood cell created by XVIVO; and the interactive applet from Learn. Genetics which allows you to zoom from a coffee bean down to the tiniest nanoparticles. In our project, we wanted to capture a little of both of these ideas and add the component of spatial awareness, movement and ‘wow’. We aimed to show both the complexity of the cell with the simplicity of a diagram.

In late 2015, the University of the Sunshine Coast opened an innovative teaching space – the CAVE2TM

Visualisation Studio. The CAVE is an innovative teaching space that can provide a 320°, 3D, immersive experience. The instructional use of dynamic visualisations and virtual reality have been shown to have positive effects on science learning (1,2), and the CAVE presented a unique opportunity for us to develop and evaluate pedagogy in the area of 3D visualisations in an immersive setting. We first tackled osmosis, whilst reinforcing information about cell structures, such as the phospholipid bilayer of the membrane and the basic structure and function of key organelles. We deliberately kept the representation simple, focussing on core components for a small group teaching context (approximately 15 students). The response from students was overwhelming. Both the novelty of the three-dimensional experience, including

being hit in the head with occasional (virtual) water molecules, and ‘bringing the textbook to life’ meant the experience was memorable, entertaining and informative. Many students communicated that prior to the CAVE experience, they hadn’t been able to truly visualise the process of osmosis or the components of the membrane:“It helped me to understand what was meant by the fluidity of the membrane and how the proteins sat in the membrane”“...It gives an interactive and visual understanding of the subject that cannot be found in a textbook or video.”

We have expanded our immersive teaching experiences in the CAVE to include animations that can be used for teaching physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry and pharmacology, such as glucose reabsorption in the kidney, glucose and fructose absorption in the gut, ion movements during an action potential and insulin secretion by the pancreas. A summary of our immersive teaching experiences can be viewed here.

We are currently developing resources that can be viewed using YouTube and individual virtual reality headsets (VR headsets, Google cardboard or VR glasses on a mobile phone) and these are inherently 360° videos which can be experienced in two dimensions on a regular computer. The aim is to make the visualisations accessible to all students, we can teach inside the cell even outside the CAVE.

References1. McElhaney KW, Chang H-Y, Chiu JL, Linn MC. Stud

Sci Educ 2015;51(1):49–85.2. Merchant Z, Goetz ET, Cifuentes L, Keeney-Kennicutt

W, Davis TJ. Comput Educ 2014;70:29–40.

Teaching Inside a Cell, Inside a CAVENicole Reinke, Ann Parkinson and Mary Kynn,

University of the Sunshine Coast

Inside the CAVE.

From left: Dr Nicole Reinke is a Lecturer in Pathophysiology, USC. [email protected]

Dr Ann Parkinson is a Senior Lecturer inPhysiology and Anatomy, USC. [email protected]

Dr Mary Kynn is a Lecturer inStatistics, USC. [email protected]

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/scale/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2zemheUUzc


WhatisWIL?Work integrated learning (WIL) provides students with

the opportunity to enhance their employability by applying and testing their knowledge and skills acquired in their tertiary studies in professional work settings. Although WIL activities have been around in many professional courses, such as nursing and teacher education, they have traditionally been less common in the sciences. WIL activities can take a variety of forms and involve different levels of authenticity and interaction with or proximity to industry or the workplace. These can include, but are not limited to, work placements, industry projects, work simulations, problem based laboratories and field trips.

WILinScienceinAustralia–exposéonrecentreportsIn 2015–16, the WIL in Science: Leadership for WIL

project was funded by the Office of the Chief Scientist and supported by the Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS), with the final report released in 2016 (1). Case studies of successful WIL were also prepared by the Lighthouse Projects supported by this work. Following this, in 2016–18, the Successful WIL in Science project was funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching and sponsored by the ACDS, with the final report being released in 2019 (2). The Successful WIL in Science project team under the leadership of Professor Elizabeth Johnson (Deakin University) with academics from Deakin University, Curtin University, Griffith University, Monash University, the University of Newcastle and the Australian Council of Deans of Science, have put together a variety of contextualised resources, peer networks and guides to support those wanting to design, implement and refine a WIL program in science. There are also opportunities to share your own resources. As just one example case study – Dr Jeff Yeoman and Dr Damian Spencer (La Trobe University) present a case study where students enrolled in a postgraduate coursework subject, Bio-Business Management (BIO5BBM), develop their employability skills in writing a cover letter and resume while attempting job interviews. The students then form virtual biotechnology companies and work together to present a plan to manufacture and market a commercially valuable biomolecule. These classes are supported by guest lectures presented by industry experts.

Additionally, the ACDS commissioned a report on Quality and Standards for Work Integrated Learning, written by Dr Theresa Winchester-Seeto (3).

Together, these reports, guides and resources support “all science educators who are working to improve the employability of future graduates in science and mathematics by increasing access to and participation in work-integrated learning (WIL)” (ACDS, 2019).

Please consult the ACDS website for further information, reports and guides.

References1. Rice J, Johnson ED (2016). WIL in Science:

Leadership for WIL. Final report 2016 Australian Council of Deans of Science. Department of Education and Training, Commonwealth of Australia.

2. Johnson ED, Rice J, Varsavsky C, Holdsworth J, Ward J, Skelly D, Campbell M, Jorre de St Jorre T, Elliott J, Aughterson J (2019). Successful WIL in Science. Department of Education and Training, Commonwealth of Australia.

3. Winchester-Seeto T (2019) Quality and Standards for Work Integrated Learning. Australian Council of Deans of Science. Department of Education and Training, Commonwealth of Australia.

WIL-ing Students in ScienceTracey Kuit, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience,

University of Wollongong


Tracey Kuit is an Education-Focused Associate Professor

in the School of Chemistryand Molecular Bioscience,University of [email protected]

Credit: Alex Kondratiev, Unsplash.

http://www.acds-tlcc.edu.au/wil-guide-for-science/


SIMPLE, RAPID & EFFICIENT TISSUE CLEARING

Standardise, simplify and accelerate each step of the tissue clearing process using the X-Clarity system. Preserved tissues are embedded in a hydrogel matrix and lipids are actively extracted through electrophoresis to create a stable and optically transparent tissue-hydrogel hybrid that is chemically accessible for multiple rounds of antibody labeling and imaging. Native cytoarchitecture remains intact and even endogenous fluorescence proteins are preserved for robust fluorescence imaging downstream.

Clear a whole mouse brain in just 6 hours! Compatible with multiple tissue types and sizes

Precise temperature control and uniform electric field

X-Clarity System - Tissue Clearing for 3D Imaging



Ultrafast Clearing, Reliable Results For Whole Tissue Imaging


Choosing your first paid work position is a big decision for any graduate. With the PhD done and dusted there is an obvious choice to make: do I stay in academia or move to industry? Although the Australian PhD stipend is relatively more generous than in most countries, it is a far cry from real money waiting to be earned. Often, fresh graduates will jump at the first postdoctoral position or industry job that comes their way, with the prospect of long-awaited financial independence (understandably) all they need to motivate their decision. But if you spend just a bit of time in advance getting up to speed on just what is out there and how to get it, you may find you have more options than you thought. Here are some things to consider when deciding on your next move post PhD, plus some fresh insight from a couple of recent PhD graduates who have landed enviable first jobs.

ShouldIstayorshouldIgo?If your current PhD lab can afford to temporarily support

you after PhD submission until you find something more solid, this can be a great opportunity to finish off those last few milestones of your project for publications. But, if you’re itching for a fresh start and do have the option of taking on a new role – even if it’s in a lab down the corridor – this is likely to equip you with new skills (or, at least, perspective) to expand your horizons. Something worth considering: whether staying in your PhD lab or moving on, sticking with the same broad research area to begin with may increase your chances of being competitive for that first fellowship as your expertise in your chosen field is likely to enable a higher publication output rate in those first couple of years. For those not satisfied with the idea of a local move, heading overseas for either your first postdoc or industry role can be a life-changing experience. Although not the essential career step it perhaps once was, an overseas postdoc can certainly enhance your chances of attracting funding by validating your skills at global level. It is also one of the best ways to establish international research collaborations. If you are heading straight into industry, an overseas stint will no doubt benefit your employability upon returning to Australia – if you ever do!

HowshouldIprepmyselfformakingTheBigDecision?

Start planning early. Although some people have a clear vision of running their own research lab from the get-go, the majority of us are not thinking past our next publication or at least completing our thesis. But if you’ve made it to

the third year of your PhD without wanting to throw in the pipette/lose the lab coat/strangle the supervisor (kidding, who would ever want to do that?), it’s probably a good time to start searching for possible fellowship schemes and write-up scholarships, and thinking about how those grant and fellowship deadlines align with you anticipated PhD submission date. Also get your feelers out for what positions may be coming up – there are likely to be more positions advertised around the time major grant outcomes are released, so keep this in mind. If, however, you decide you are done with research and an industry job might be for you, it is worth seeking out some industry experience in advance through industry placements or vacation scholarships, even if just for a week or two. This will help you to get a feel for whether that is what you want long term. In addition, hunt down an industry mentor and look out for industry trade shows and job recruitment shows that may broaden your industry contacts. It is also time to polish up your CV by attending CV writing workshops and maybe talking to your seniors who have successfully landed industry jobs.

WhattworecentLaTrobeUniversitygraduateshavetosayaboutmakingthosefirstbigmoves

Dr Stephanie Paone, Senior Clinical Research Scientist at St Pancras Clinical Research, London, said although the decision to take up an industry job over doing a postdoc was difficult, she knew from very early in her PhD that academia was not for her, long-term. “For stability, clearly-defined career progression and to be able to truly ‘switch off’ when leaving work, I decided it was best to dive head first into industry. Since moving to London, I have been exposed to a large European network and made connections which I hope will be beneficial in the future.” She advises late-stage PhD students, “Use your networks – talk to anyone and everyone you can, from recent graduates to experts in the field. Do not be afraid to reach out and be proactive – if you want to make the transition, you have to make it happen.” You can learn more about Stephanie’s career on page 21 in her Off the Beaten Track article.

Dr Marcel Doerflinger, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, said he always had a plan to stay in academia after the PhD at least for a few years. “I am from Europe originally so staying in Australia for a postdoctoral position following the PhD was not a big issue for me. However, if I was Australian I would’ve certainly tried to get a couple of years postdoc overseas.” He also said that networking

SDS Page: Short Discussions for Students PageChoosing Your First Career Move After Your PhD

Lahiru Gangoda, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research,and Amy Baxter, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science

SIMPLE, RAPID & EFFICIENT TISSUE CLEARING

Standardise, simplify and accelerate each step of the tissue clearing process using the X-Clarity system. Preserved tissues are embedded in a hydrogel matrix and lipids are actively extracted through electrophoresis to create a stable and optically transparent tissue-hydrogel hybrid that is chemically accessible for multiple rounds of antibody labeling and imaging. Native cytoarchitecture remains intact and even endogenous fluorescence proteins are preserved for robust fluorescence imaging downstream.

Clear a whole mouse brain in just 6 hours! Compatible with multiple tissue types and sizes

Precise temperature control and uniform electric field

X-Clarity System - Tissue Clearing for 3D Imaging



Ultrafast Clearing, Reliable Results For Whole Tissue Imaging


helped him to get a job in academia easily. “Staying in the same research field during the PhD and the postdoc position, the advantage is that the professional network is the same and one can build on the CV for grant applications.” He advises late-stage PhD students, “Start to reach out to potential labs/employers ASAP. Networking is important but also make sure you take a

decent break in between to recharge the batteries and to give yourself time to figure out what really is the next step you want to do!”

Hopefully, this article gets you thinking and planning for that first career move. Knowledge is power in making the right decisions at the right time to take you to your career goal.

SDS Page: Short Discussions for Students Page

Lahiru Gangoda is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the

Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

[email protected]

Amy Baxter is an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow and member of the Research Centre for Extracellular Vesicles at La Trobe Institute for

Molecular Science. [email protected]

Congratulations! You’ve finished your PhD – now what? If you choose to stay in academia, you might be thinking about applying for an Early Career Fellowship (ECF) at some point over the next few years. The aim of these fellowships is to help foster career development for early postdoctoral researchers in their chosen area of research. In Australia, the two main funding bodies are the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC), but there are a several other organisations that offer them depending on your research focus. The ECFs tend to include a salary and some project funds, which are sometimes topped up by the participating university. Whilst ECFs differ in their selection criteria, your track record is always an important component. With a research culture based on publication, it is sometimes easy to forget about other things you could be doing to boost your track record. But with more and more quality fellowship applications going unfunded, it’s important to think about what will set you apart from other applicants. The areas important for your track record can be split into two broad categories.

Academic engagement

Make sure your achievements get recognised by your peers and potential employers by applying for any and all awards and prizes you might have a chance at – you’ve got to be in it to win it! Travel awards, best talk and poster prizes are all good CV additions. Presenting at both national and international conferences not only offers

award opportunities but is also essential for networking. And who knows, you might get chatting to your future fellowship application reviewer. Joining professional societies (like the ASBMB!) is a great demonstration of your commitment to the scientific community, plus it allows you to keep up with current issues in your field and get access to career development opportunities. And of course… publish papers! But remember that quality and impact are just as important as quantity. Collaborations are another good way to boost your publications as well as your network. Try to branch out and develop skills that will serve your research interests in the future – project feasibility in the context of your skillset is an important consideration in ECF applications.

Community and media engagement Sharing your science outside of academia shows

commitment to benefiting the wider community through your research, and points to good communication skills. Media engagement opportunities could include radio interviews, blogging or approaching your institutional social media team to highlight your achievements in their next post. Joining committees, whether it be that of a society or becoming a representative for an academic board, is a good way to show leadership and teamwork skills. Helping out with university events and programs will expand your communication skills. Open days, outreach programs and public lectures are all good opportunities to do so.

Beyond Publication: Boosting YourTrack Record for Early Career Fellowships

Emily Mackie and Rachael Impey, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science


Conclusion While all of this may sound overwhelming, it can all

be taken one step at a time. Not everything listed here is a requirement for an ECF application, but every little bit helps. Remember to always keep a record of your achievements – it will give you a starting point from which to write an application and prevent you from forgetting the finer details which may set you apart from other applicants. Good luck!

Emily Mackie(left) and

Rachael Impeyare PhD students

at the La Trobe Institute for

Molecular Science.

[email protected]@latrobe.edu.au

SDS Page: Short Discussions for Students Page

My benchside to bedside journey began about halfway through my PhD. In the Biochemistry Department at La Trobe University, I investigated the molecular basis of cardiovascular disease and diabetes under the supervision of Professor Mark Hulett and Dr

Ivan Poon. During my time in the lab, I contributed to several publications, attended national and international conferences, presented my work at various meetings and was awarded scholarships along the way. I loved the lab, I loved the science, I loved the university – but something was missing.

During my PhD, I was fortunate to be involved in teaching for the Biomedical Science course and this is where I discovered a passion for helping others. I always left my classes feeling accomplished and satisfied having helped students through their lessons and supported their learning. In contrast, these feelings came along less frequently in the lab, having to wait for a manuscript to be accepted or for an experiment to finally work after months of trial and error.

I decided that academia was not a viable, long-term option for me. Although I valued the skills my PhD gave me, I knew that the bench side was not where I wanted to stay for much longer. I had a strong desire to help people but didn’t want to step away from the science completely, so I started to explore roles which could combine a patient focus with a science foundation, and this is when

From Benchside to Bedside –Breaking Free from Academia

Stephanie Paone, Senior Clinical Research Scientist,St Pancras Clinical Research, London

Off the Beaten TrackWrittenbyformerresearcherswhohavenowestablishedcareersoutsideofresearch,OfftheBeatenTrackisintendedtogivethereadersinsights

intotherangeofalternativecareersavailabletothem.Authorsdescribethepathstheyhavetakentoarriveattheirpresentcareerandprovidea

detaileddescriptionofexactlywhatthejobentailsonaday-to-daybasis.


I considered a career in clinical research. I reached out to people who worked in the field and although I was encouraged to ‘just do one postdoc’, I proactively decided to jump straight into clinical research and begin to develop a new skill set, rather than prolonging my time in academia any longer. Luckily, my supervisors were very supportive and helped me through this difficult transition by giving me time to search for jobs and helping me tie up my projects before I left the lab. Although I was sad to leave what had become my lab–family and a life I was comfortable and content with, I was excited by the new opportunities that were ahead of me.

My first position out of academia was as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Nucleus Network, which is the largest early-phase clinical research site in Australia. This was a great organisation to get started in clinical research, but it was very different to academia. I had to adapt very quickly to the fast pace and corporate environment which was driven by profits. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies would arrive with a product to test and within a few short months, this brand-new medicine was being administered to human beings for the very first time. It was exhilarating to experience this process, having come from academia where mouse models and lab experiments take months (even years!) to get results and now I was responsible for making sure potentially lifesaving drugs were going to make it to market one day. I stayed with Nucleus Network for a year before making another huge, life changing decision – to move to London.

I arrived in London in March 2019 and was offered a job within the first week at a small, private company called St Pancras Clinical Research. As a Senior Clinical Research Scientist, I am responsible for coordinating all aspects of clinical trials from start up to close out and patient management. I work with patients who suffer from chronic pain or Alzheimer’s disease and are desperate to find a treatment for their condition. It can be quite challenging at times, but I finally

feel I have a great balance between helping people and using my scientific knowledge. A typical day for me involves treating patients, working with physicians, negotiating with pharmaceutical companies, planning study timelines, ensuring we stick to budgets and answering what at times seems like endless emails. I have already attended Investigator Meetings in Amsterdam, Rome and London. Of course, the major highlight is helping patients. As with academia, no matter how careful I plan my studies, there are always things that go wrong and my experience in academia has enabled me to adapt rapidly and find solutions quickly, which is essential for business.

Now that I have experience in clinic research, together with a PhD background, the opportunities are endless. I can move in all directions including governance, ethics, regulatory and monitoring or project management and business development. I now have the freedom to choose what company I want to work for next and where in the world I want that to be, rather than being restricted to the small world of academia. Some may suggest that I wasted time doing a PhD, but I would not be where I am now if it wasn’t for that chapter of my life. I encourage everyone who is thinking of stepping out of academia to just get out there, embrace the change and be open to the opportunities that present themselves.

Off the Beaten Track

‘Unscramble’ ResultThe winner of the August competition is Alexis Gerassimou, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Adelaide. Congratulations to Alexis, who will receive a gift voucher.Solution: See you in October


All correct entries from ASBMB members received by the Editor ([email protected]) before 31 January 2020 will enter the draw

to receive a gift voucher. With thanks to Joe Kaczmarski.

Competition: Structure Match

Match these protein structures with the corresponding publications

1. Deuss FA et al. Structural basis for CD96 immune receptor recognition of nectin-like protein-5, CD155. Structure 2019.

2. Birkinshaw RW et al. Structures of BCL-2 in complex with venetoclax reveal the molecular basis of resistance mutations. Nat Commun 2019.

3. Xie SC et al. The structure of the PA28–20S proteasome complex from Plasmodium falciparum and implications for proteostasis. Nat Microbiol 2019.

4. Pang SS et al. The cryo-EM structure of the acid activatable pore-forming immune effector macrophage expressed gene 1. Nat Commun 2019.

5. Piper SJ et al. Cryo-EM structures of the pore-forming A subunit from the Yersinia entomophaga ABC toxin. Nat Commun 2019.

6. Stokes PH et al. Mutation in a flexible linker modulates binding affinity for modular complexes. Proteins Struct Funct Bioinforma 2019.

7. Correy GJ et al. Overcoming insecticide resistance through computational inhibitor design. PNAS 2019.8. Sobti M et al. Cryo-EM reveals distinct conformations of E. coli ATP synthase on exposure to ATP. Elife 2019.

Figures produced using Illustrate – Goodsell, DS, Autin L, Olson AJ. Illustrate: software for biomolecular illustration. Structure 2019.

A CB

D E

F G H


Merlin Crossley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, UNSW Sydney

In some ways scientists are a bit like mountaineers. We spend most of our time alone with our teams, exposed to harsh weather, attempting to climb impossible peaks. Sometimes, we fall off and bruise ourselves, and often we have to retreat, realising we’ve taken the wrong path. We do all this in isolation and away from view. But each year we get together to swap war stories, to show off our successes, and to share new opportunities related to the lands we have seen from the mountain tops. We do all this according to the age-old and trusted format of the Annual Society Meeting.

This year the ASBMB meeting was in Fremantle. The Western Australian Chief Scientist, Peter Klinken, himself an accomplished biochemist and long-time successful leader of a medical research institute, spoke at the opening. He amazed me with his new skill – speaking in the language of the Indigenous Noongar people. He also set the tone of the meeting, talking about old friendships and new technologies.

The first day was dominated by talks about CRISPR-mediated gene editing. It is very impressive how quickly new technologies are harnessed to address important problems. I talked about how we’re using CRISPR to edit in naturally occurring beneficial mutations to treat inherited blood disorders, like sickle cell anaemia. I also took the opportunity to talk about the history of blood research and the first observation of sickled cells in deer in the London Zoo in 1846.

But the talks that followed were probably of most interest to the audience. Kaylene Simpson described her platform

for doing genetic screens using CRISPR, Marco Herold described his success with identifying key cancer genes via such screening, and then Gaetan Burgio took the stage. He stole the show with a captivating CRISPR talk with the ironic title ‘Any idiot can do it’.

Gaetan has extensive experience in making genetically modified mice and is always on the look out for new technological advances. He reads the literature carefully and provides very useful summaries of new advances as soon as they emerge. Similarly if what’s in the tin doesn’t match the label, he’ll point that out. He talked a bit about the ‘reproducibility crisis’ and how sometimes preliminary results in CRISPR technique papers don’t live up to expectations.

To my mind this is a great example of how science can be quickly self-correcting. The advent of social media means that work can be publicly discussed and errors can be rapidly corrected. Sometimes if the genie that has been released from the bottle is disappointing, it can be put back in.

Gaetan spoke with great humour and his measured tone on the stage is something that one doesn’t always notice in tweets – Twitter has genuine value but tends to present things in black and white and can lead to confrontations. Long form articles or conference presentations provide an opportunity to provide more measured perspectives.

I went away confident that I now knew the most efficient modern way to make conditional knock-in mice and also happier that science could work properly to get to the right answer in the end.

At the end of the symposium we also had a good discussion on the power of social media and how it could sometimes give rise to vigilante cultures that could cause great damage to individuals. We talked about, just as it helps to be polite when disagreeing in person, it’s also a good idea to be considerate on the internet.

As the days unfolded there were more early- and mid-career talks and a series of ASBMB award lectures that celebrate high-performing role models for our community. Gavin Knott, who went from Perth to Jennifer Doudna’s CRISPR lab in Berkeley, won the Boomerang Award, and talked about the evolution of CRISPR and anti-CRISPR genes. Kate Shroder won the Merck Research Medal and spoke about drugs that can control inflammation, Tatiana Soares da Costa won the Eppendorf Edman Award for her work on antibiotics. Maria Kavalliaris, received the Society’s highest honour, the Lemberg Medal, and gave a talk about drugs to combat cancer.

Annual Society Conferences are Great: This Year’s ASBMB Meeting Shows Us Why

Merlin Crossley.

Western Australian Chief Scientist, Peter Klinken, opens ASBMB 2019.


To round out the session Terry Mulhern, the winner of the Shimadzu Education Award, gave a highly engaging lecture, replete with videos, showing how theatre and dance could be used to painlessly embed foundational biochemical concepts into the consciousness of even the most indifferent medical students. I particularly liked his personification of the amino acid tyrosine, that had a polar moiety in the form of a red beanie, and sunglasses to absorb UV light.

There were many other great talks, but, of course, no ASBMB conference is complete without the Annual General Meeting. When I was younger I was amazed that grown ups spent their time fluffing about the Society constitution and the financial accounts. But I guess I have grown up myself. The Treasurer Marc Kvansakul explained how the Society, with its roughly 1000 regular members, and healthy conference attendance was faring. Briony Forbes the Secretary did introduce an important change to the constitution – the Common Seal (whatever that is – but an attempt to draw it is shown) is no where to be found, so has been declared free to go.

After that important piece of news, the President Joel Mackay, neatly summarized what the Society was all about and how it could be even better. The annual conferences are vital for spreading knowledge of new techniques and approaches, they support the career development of students, early- and mid-career researchers, as their reputations grow. They provide a community for celebrating achievement and sharing the fundamental pleasure of knowing about biochemistry. They are also now vital for exploring new opportunities in teaching – Terry Mulhern’s dramatic approach is refreshing and Gareth Denyer similarly explained new ways of using virtual reality to get across complex concepts in structural biology.

But most of all the conferences provide us with a community to underpin the purpose of our discipline. Our purpose is immutable and involves generating new knowledge within the discipline of biochemistry and molecular biology. Knowledge that we hope will serve society and make the world a better and more interesting place. But on a daily level our personal experiences oscillate between multiple disappointments and occasional triumphs. Having a Society and a community smooths things over and provides a constant foundation from which to launch new and ever riskier expeditions.

Republished with permissionfrom the Crossley Lab blog.

Annual Society Conferences are Great: This Year’s ASBMB Meeting Shows Us Why

Australian Biochemist OnlineCoverage from 1979to the present

https://www.asbmb.org.au/magazine/magazine-online/

https://crossleylab.wordpress.com/2019/10/25/annual-society-conferences-are-great-this-years-australian-society-for-biochemistry-and-molecular-biology-meeting-shows-us-why/




ASBMB President Joel Mackay with Lemberg

medallist, Maria Kavallaris.

ASBMB President Joel Mackay with Eppendorf Edman awardee,

Tatiana Soares da Costa.

ASBMB President Joel Mackay with Beckman Coulter Discovery Science awardee, Andrew Hill.

Brendon Greirson of Shimadzu with Shimadzu Education awardee, Terry Mulhern.

ASBMB President Joel Mackay with Merck Research

medallist, Kate Schroder.

ASBMB President Joel Mackay with Boomerang awardee, Gavin Knott.

ASBMB Medallists and Awardeesat ASBMB 2019 Conference

ASBMB President Joel Mackay with an ASBMB Fellowship awardee, Gabrielle Watson.


Nicolas Taylor, Convenor of ASBMB 2019

ASBMB 2019 was the first of our society’s focussed meetings, which will be interspersed with future biennial ComBio conferences. ASBMB 2019 was held at the seaside town of Fremantle just outside Perth in Western Australia. The three-day format included three focus research themes, Gene Editing, RNA Biology and Drug Discovery, each of which had two symposia and invited plenary speakers, Special Interest Group symposia run by the Adelaide, Melbourne, Queensland and Sydney Protein Groups, and two E/MCR mini-symposiums. Outside the program, we had a dedicated carers/children’s room (sponsored by the University of Western Australia) and a very enjoyable casual poolside barbecue dinner on the last night of the meeting.

The conference was kick-started by a Welcome to Country by Nyungar elder Marie Taylor of the Yelakitj Moort Nyungar Association and an official welcome from WA Chief Scientist and biochemist Professor Peter Klinken. Day one focussed around talks involving Gene Editing and, in particular, those involving CRISPR mediated approaches. This was nicely complemented by symposiums of the Adelaide and Queensland Protein Groups. These symposiums were split by the two plenary presentations by Wei Leong Chew (Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR), who highlighted the application of AAV and CRISPR-Cas molecular therapeutics in Singapore and Li Yang (CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology), who showed how his lab integrates novel computational pipelines/algorithms with deep sequencing technologies to identify genome editing at single nucleotide resolution. Following the afternoon break, we switched gears into the first E/MCR Symposium with presentations from Kalia Bernath-Levin, Alastair Keen, Adam Walker and Andrew Marshall, followed by the 3-minute poster presentations and poster session.

Day two had a focus on RNA Biology and its two symposia and plenary session were well attended. These presentations were complemented by symposium talks selected from submitted abstracts and a symposium by the Sydney Protein Group. Archa Fox introduced our first plenary speaker, Lingling Chen (Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology), who was supported

by the Georgina Sweet Travel Award and presented her work on lncRNA processing and function. This was followed by Wei Leong Tam (Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, and the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS), who introduced us to some therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer stem cells.

Following the afternoon break, Joel Mackay introduced the 2019 ASBMB award winners to receive their awards and make their presentations. The first awardee was Maria Kavallaris, who received the ASBMB’s highest award, the Lemberg Medal. Maria presented her work on drugs to combat cancer in her presentation ‘Cancer: biology to nanomedicine-based diagnostics and therapeutics’. The Merck Research Medal was awarded to Kate Schroder and highlights an outstanding Australian biochemist or molecular biologist with less than 15 years postdoctoral experience. She presented her work on unravelling the signalling and inhibition of the inflammasome. The next award winner was Andrew Hill, who received the Beckman Coulter Discovery Science Award for his distinguished contributions to the field of biochemistry and molecular biology and involvement in research innovation, technology transfer and communication. Andrew presented his work on the role of extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative diseases. Gavin Knott’s return to Perth was sponsored by the ASBMB Boomerang Award, which allows an expatriate Australian biochemist or molecular biologist to return to Australia to present

Report on ASBMB 2019 Conference

WA Chief Scientist,

Peter Klinken,

opens ASBMB

2019.

Plenary speakers, Wei Leong Chew(left) andLi Yang.

Plenary speakers, Lingling Chen (left) andWei Leong Tam.


their work. Gavin flew across the Pacific and Australia from Jennifer Doudna’s lab in Berkeley, to present the work he has been doing on the evolution of CRISPR and anti-CRISPR genes. The Eppendorf Edman Award, which highlights an outstanding biochemist or molecular biologist with less than seven years postdoctoral experience, was presented to Tatiana Soares da Costa for her work on antibiotic and herbicide resistance. The final seminar for the evening was presented by the Shimadzu Education Award winner Terry Mulhern who presented an insight into novel models of teaching that most of us in the room were inspired to recreate in their own lectures, in his presentation ‘Act like a scientist! Drama in the lecture theatre’. The ASBMB Fred Collins Award and Fellowship was awarded to Christopher Stubenrauch, and ASBMB Fellowships to Ngee Kiat (Jake) Chua, Joe Kaczmarski, Rochelle Tizeira and Gabrielle Watson. Joel acknowledged the 50-year memberships of John Ballard, James Camakaris, Ross Davey and Geoff McKenzie.

The focus of day three was Drug Discovery, and Marco Falasca put together a fantastic program that was complemented by a symposium selected from submitted abstracts and a symposium by the Melbourne Protein Group. The symposiums were separated by the presentations of Oon Chern Ein (Institute of Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia), who discussed her work on the roles of sirtuins in cancer in her presentation ‘Sirtuin inhibition in cancer: a therapeutic strategy’ and Tom Blundell (Cambridge University, UK), whose travel was supported by the University of Melbourne Grimwade Medal, who presented ‘Structure-guided fragment-based drug discovery for cancer and tuberculosis: fighting the emergence of resistance’. Following the afternoon break, we went into the final E/MCR Symposium with presentations from Hanmiao Zhan, Gabrielle Watson and Indra Roux, followed by the 3-minute poster presentations and poster session. The day was rounded off by a relaxing barbeque dinner around the pool at the Esplanade Hotel.

ASBMB 2019 would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors: the Perth Convention Bureau, Science Community, Portland Press, the University of Western Australia, Notre Dame University,

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Science and Technology Australia, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Science on the Swan, Haematex Research, New Directions in Leukaemia Research; and our exhibitors: Bio-Strategy, Fisher Biotech, GE Healthcare, Pall Laboratory, Pathtech, Preppy VR, Promega and Tecan. Also critical to the success of the meeting was the organising committee. This institutionally diverse group included Charlie Bond (University of Western Australia), Naomi Trengove (Notre Dame), Raelene Endersby (Telethon Kids Institute), Aleksandra Filipovska (Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research), Ricardo Mancera (Curtin University), Elin Gray (Edith Cowan University), Marco Fascala (Curtin University), Oliver Rackman (Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research) and Archa Fox (University of Western Australia). Thanks must also be given to the team at Arinex, our conference organisers, especially Lauren Dunkley, Erin Kelly and Jacqui Roberts and their specialist teams for their support in arranging ASBMB 2019.

Finally, I would like to thank all the delegates, symposium chairs and conference teams for making ASBMB 2019 such a success. The next few meetings that ASBMB will be involved with include ComBio2020 on 29 September to 2 October 2020 in Melbourne, the 16th Congress of FAOBMB on 22 to 25 November 2021 in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the 26th Congress of IUBMB on 22 September to 26 September 2024 in Melbourne. See you at a meeting soon!


Plenary speakers,

Oon Chern Ein (left) and Tom Blundell.

Poster session.

ASBMB 2019 attendees enjoying dinnerin Fremantle after the conference.


ASBMB Poster Prize WinnersAnindita Chakraborty (Murdoch University)Towards introducing sgRNAs to Nicotiana tabacum plants expressing Cas9

Kelly Irving (University of Western Australia)Assessing the relationship between non-canonical DNA structures, i-motifs and G-quadruplexes, at different stages of the cell cycle in breast cancer

Brady Johnston (University of Western Australia)Developing a FRET based RNA biosensor

International Journal of Molecular Sciences and ASBMB Poster Prize WinnerYi Jer Tan (Curtin University)BZD9L1, a new sirtuin inhibitor: prediction of molecular mechanism of action and drug binding with sirtuin proteins


ASBMB 2019 Chair, Nicolas Taylor, presents certificates to poster

prize winners. From left: Anindita Chakraborty, Kelly Irving, Brady

Johnston and Yi Jer Tan (below).


A series of regular articles onintellectualproperty.In

thisissue,SarahHennebry,PatentAttorney,FPAPatent

Attorneys,discusses the valueof‘use’patents.

Many people think of patenting as an option that is only available to them if they have invented a new product, such as a new chemical entity, therapeutic protein or a new device. However, patents can also be obtained for processes and uses, including for new uses for known products. This article explores some of the options for patenting a ‘use’ and discusses some recent examples of ‘use’ patents from the US, Europe and Australia.

Whatisa‘use’patent?So-called ‘use’ patents are directed to a specific use of

a given product. In the context of pharmaceuticals, this typically means claiming the use of a drug for treating a specific indication.

The use that is claimed may be the ‘first medical use’ for the drug. This type of claim would likely be pursued in conjunction with the initial ‘composition of matter’ patent applications (see for example, the anti-PD-1 antibody case discussed later in this article).

More frequently, ‘use’ patents are pursued following the identification of a new use for a known drug. These are termed ‘second medical use’ patents.

‘Use’ patents can also be directed to the use of a drug according to a specific administration or dosing regimen, combination therapy or when administered to a specific patient population. It may be possible to obtain a patent to a new method of administering a known drug, even if the drug is being used to treat the same indication. For example, if a researcher determines that a drug previously administered intravenously is more effective when administered directly to the lower gastrointestinal tract, then this new approach could be protected in a ‘use’ patent.

Newuseofaknownproduct

Often the most interesting inventions arise from the discovery that known products can be used in a new and useful way. Consider the well-known example of the drug sildanefil. Originally developed as a drug for the treatment of hypertension and angina, the initial clinical trials failed to show a significant therapeutic benefit in these indications. This drug was later found to be useful for erectile dysfunction, and is now marketed as Viagra®.

Drugs that are known to be safe for use in humans but which failed clinical trials due to a lack of efficacy in relation to their original indication are often termed ‘rescued drugs’ or ‘repurposed drugs’. The substantial

cost, time and high attrition rate associated with new drug discovery and development, mean that rescued drugs are an increasingly attractive proposition to the pharmaceutical industry.

Howare‘uses’definedin‘use’patents?The language used in ‘use’ patents will depend on the

specific legal requirements of the country in which the patent is being sought.

In Australia and the US, it is possible to obtain claims directed to ‘methods of medical treatment’, for example: a method for the treatment of [disease Y] comprising administering [drug X] to a subject in need thereof.

Most other jurisdictions prohibit the patenting of methods of medical/surgical treatment, one reasoning being to prevent medical practitioners from infringing such claims and being at risk of litigation. However, recognising the importance of providing an avenue for protecting innovation in the area of identifying new uses for known drugs, many countries allow so-called ‘second medical use claim’ formats.

One such ‘second medical use’ claim format is the ‘Swiss-style’ claim, for example: use of [drug X] in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of [disease Y].

In contrast to the method of treatment claim, which can be thought of as a method or process claim, the Swiss-style claim is best described as a ‘purpose-limited process’ claim (i.e. limited to capturing an infringer who manufactures a product that is intended for a particular use). Many jurisdictions globally have adopted the Swiss-style claim format for protecting ‘second medical use’ innovations.

The European Patent Office has diverged from this approach and now permits ‘purpose-limited product claims’, for example: [drug X] for use in the treatment of [disease Y].

With some exceptions, most countries only permit one form of the above three claim formats. In Australia, both method of treatment and Swiss-style claims are permitted, which confers particular advantages to patentees, as further explained below.

Importantly, the use of different claim formats can also have significant implications for the types of action that would be considered an infringement of the claims.

ExamplefromtheUS:PD-1inhibitoryantibodies

In January 2017, a settlement was reached between Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS)/Ono Pharmaceutical Co. in relation to their global patent litigation. Merck agreed to a significant upfront payment and royalties on the sales of its anti-PD-1 antibody, Keytruda®. The size of the settlement agreement emphasises the significant value that ‘use’ patents can provide to patentees.

The Usefulness of ‘Use’ Patents


Both Merck and BMS/Ono had research programs in the late 1990s directed to different antibodies for inhibiting PD-1. However, when Merck achieved regulatory approval from the FDA to market Keytruda, BMS/Ono sued Merck for infringement of a BMS/Ono patent with claims directed to: ‘a method of treatment of a tumor in a patient, comprising administering… a pharmaceutically effect amount of an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody’.

The asserted claim did not contain a limitation on the specific structure of the antibody other than that it needs to bind to PD-1 and must be monoclonal. Thus, the claims for this patent were much broader than BMS/Ono’s various composition of matter claims, which more specifically defined particular anti-PD-1 antibodies.

The breadth of the method of treatment claim was achieved in part because at the time of filing, there was no suggestion in the prior art that inhibition of PD-1 using antibodies would be useful for treating cancer.

This example demonstrates that ‘use’ patents can be broad, enforceable and valuable to patentees.

Example from Europe: pregabalinThe scope of Swiss-style claims was recently considered

by a UK court. The drug pregabalin was originally approved for treatment of epilepsy and generalised anxiety. A ‘second medical use’ patent with Swiss-type claims was obtained by Warner-Lambert directed to the use of pregabalin to treat various types of pain.

Once the European patent covering the pregabalin drug substance had expired, Actavis launched their generic version of the drug in Europe. In order to avoid infringement of the ‘use’ patent that was still in force, the generic drug was launched with product labels stating that the drug was to be used for treating epilepsy and generalised anxiety. Thus, the product labels did not suggest the use of the drug to treat pain. Nonetheless, Warner-Lambert brought an infringement action against Actavis, on the basis that the generic drug may be used off-label for this indication.

In determining whether infringement occurred, it was necessary for the court to decide if it was relevant whether the generic manufacturer intended for the generic product to be used for the patented indication. Ultimately, the UK Supreme Court held that the claims in question were invalid on the basis that there was insufficient support provided in the specification for the claimed use. The Court also found that even if the claims were valid, they would not have been infringed. Unfortunately, the Court’s opinion on the test for infringement of Swiss-type claims in the UK is not binding. Moreover, the test may be different in other European countries.

This case highlights two issues: the importance of ensuring appropriate support and enablement is provided in a patent specification for ‘second medical use’ claims; and the variability between jurisdictions in the enforceability of ‘second medical use’ patents.

Australia: broad scope for protectionIn recent years, the Australian Federal Court has

specifically considered infringement of both method of treatment and Swiss-style claims.

Infringement of a method of medical treatment claim in Australia is complicated by the fact that it would not be practical (nor desirable) for a pharmaceutical company to sue the individual who directly infringes the claim, i.e. the medical practitioner or person administering the drug.

Moreover, the supplier of a medicament does not directly infringe a method of medical treatment claim because the supplier (usually a pharmaceutical company) never carries out the claimed method of medical treatment. However, the supplier can be liable, under certain circumstances, for contributory (indirect) infringement of a method claim in Australia by sale of a product.

The finding of contributory infringement of a method of treatment claim can be difficult to prove and typically requires significant additional analysis by the court, including of the alleged infringer’s actions in relation to advertising, marketing and promotion of the drug.

A Swiss-style claim defines the manufacture of a physical product. Thus, establishing direct infringement of a Swiss-style claim under Australian law may be more straightforward as direct infringement would require proof that the relevant compound was used in the preparation of a medicament; this would typically be evident from the ingredients in the medicament.

Decisions from the Australian courts confirm that method of treatment claims and Swiss-style claims are directed to different infringing acts. Moreover, these decisions clearly highlight a benefit of Swiss-style claims that is not afforded by method of medical treatment claims.

In contrast to the outcome in the UK, the Australian Warner-Lambert patent directed to use of pregabalin for treatment of pain was found valid and infringed. In particular, it was a Swiss-style claim that saved the day for Warner-Lambert in Australia. The Federal Court of Australia held that an offer to sell a product referred to in method of medical treatment claims cannot be an infringement. This is because infringement requires the actual method of treatment to be performed. However, the court granted an injunction against a competitor on the basis that it was an infringement of a Swiss-style claim to offer to supply a pharmaceutical product that is the subject of the granted Swiss-style claims.

Thus, the ability to pursue both method of treatment and Swiss-style claims in Australia provides patentees with a broad scope of protection.

Conclusion‘Use’ patents can have substantial commercial value.

Thus, when considering the opportunity to protect new innovation, researchers should consider not just whether they have developed a new product, but also whether their innovations could be protected with a ‘use’ patent.

The Usefulness of ‘Use’ Patents


Australian Capital Territory ContributedbyMatthewJohnson

It has been an exciting year for biochemistry and molecular biology in the ACT. The Canberra Protein Group has continued to grow and has officially elected an executive committee comprised of Simon Williams (Chair), Hafna Ahmed (Treasurer), Brendon Lee (Secretary), Matthew Johnson (ASBMB representative), Sally Buck (HDR representative), Joe Kaczmarski (HDR representative), Christina Spry (committee member) and Srinivasan Sundararaj (committee member). Recently, the Canberra Protein Group (CPG) became an ASBMB Special Interest Group. Together with the ASBMB, the CPG will support the research environment in the ACT and provide a means of communication between the ASBMB and ACT researchers.

The ASBMB has once again supported ECRs in the ACT, awarding an ASBMB fellowship to Joe Kaczmasrski, who is in the final stages of his PhD in Professor Colin Jackson’s laboratory. Joe will use the ASBMB Fellowship to support his travel to Canada, where he will spend time in the laboratory of Associate Professor Nobuhiko Tokuriki at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and develop novel directed evolution experiments.

New South Wales ContributedbyKateQuinlan

I am very happy to be able to report on the valuable activities that NSW ASBMB has been able to support in the last year.

As we have done in previous years, we helped to reward excellence in our undergraduate biochemists and molecular biologists at NSW universities. We funded the ASBMB Prize for Biomedical Science ($300) to the student with the best overall performance in all courses of the Bachelor of Biomedical Science program at the University of Newcastle, awarded at a ceremony in April 2019 to Ashleigh Longford. We also supported the

ASBMB Biochemistry Prize ($300) for Charles Sturt University which was awarded to student Emma Dwyer at the Faculty of Science Executive Dean’s Award and Prize Ceremony held in Wagga Wagga in May 2019.

ASBMB NSW again sponsored the NSW Science Teachers Association Young Scientist Awards. The ASBMB Award is given for the best high school student project with a biochemistry or molecular biology theme. Our involvement in schemes like this helps to encourage our future scientific stars and ignite their passion for research.

ASBMB NSW has also partnered with a number of ASBMB Special Interest Groups this year to boost their ability to run events to support our members. We provided funding to the Cell Architecture in Development and Disease Symposium in November 2018 to fund two student prizes and to assist with travel costs for international speaker, Professor Frank Bradke from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases. We also supported two student travel awards and a prize at the East Coast Protein Meeting held in July 2019. We funded the Thompson Prize, which is awarded for the best presentation by a young local scientist in the field of protein structure and function at the Sydney Protein Group Thompson Prize Evening held in November 2019. We sponsored two student travel awards for ANZMAG2019, the Australian and New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance meeting, held in November 2019.

Queensland Contributed by Ben Schulz

It has been a busy year for the ASBMB QLD branch, with great success and enthusiasm. Congratulations to QLD state member Kate Schroder, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, who won the Merck Research Medal in the 2019 ASBMB awards.

The branch has continued sponsorship of undergraduate prizes at Queensland universities, including Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology. We were delighted to award the Griffith University ASBMB Prize to Claudia Fitzpatrick. It was also a pleasure to sponsor EMCR prizes for the East Coast Protein Meeting, together with the NSW branch. ASBMB QLD also sponsored the annual Science Teachers Association of Queensland (STAQ) Queensland Science Competition, with ASBMB Prizes awarded in secondary and primary student categories, and a very high quality of diverse entries received from across the state.

Compiled by Erinna Lee

News from the States

From left: Christina Spry, Brendon Lee, Srinivasan Sundararaj, Simon Williams and Matthew Johnson.

Charles Sturt University ASBMB

BiochemistryPrize winner,Emma Dwyer.


South AustraliaContributedbyMarkCorbett

The South Australian branch of the ASBMB has had a good 12 months. This year, my aim was to try to increase awareness of the ASBMB in SA from school age to established researchers.

The state is fortunate to have two very active Special Interest Groups, in the Adelaide Protein Group (APG) and the RNA Special Interest Group. In December 2018, the APG celebrated its tenth year in fantastic style, inviting deputy director of the Bio21 Institute, Frances Separovic AO, to give a very inspiring talk on her amazing career and fantastic discoveries. In 2019, the APG elected Erin Brazel as the new Chair at their annual student awards event, the youngest person to hold this position to date but certainly very capable to do the job. The Adelaide branch of the RNA SIG runs regular seminars throughout the year in conjuction with EpicSA. The latest seminar including talks on circular RNAs and the role of lysine

demethylase KDM6A in disease. If you are from SA, remember to tick one or both of these SIG boxes when you renew your ASBMB membership; it doesn’t cost you anything and the SIGs get better funding. You get the opportunity to attend some excellent events, make great new friends and collaborators and hear about some of the innovative and exciting projects happening in South Australia.

The SA branch has supported numerous students and ECR events and conference prizes throughout the year. A highlight on the calendar for the SA State Representative is the Oliphant Awards conducted by the South Australian Science Teachers Association for students from reception to year 12. The standard of scientific enquiry and the general levels of creativeness in this competition is nothing short of mind blowing. This year the ASBMB prize was awarded to Matthew Lim, a year 8 student who wrote an insightful and balanced essay on the role of genetically modified organisms in crop production.

We supported a prize for the Women in STEM school Aurora photography competition hosted by Flinders University awarded to St Dominic’s Priory College, an ECR award at the Barossa Cell Signalling in Cancer Medicine Conference and a student poster prize at the Cell Architecture in Development and Disease Symposium.

The ASBMB was well represented at the South Australian Science Excellence awards with both Sharad Kumar and Jozef Gecz making the finals of the top award (for the third and second time, respectively). Jozef won the prestigious award for his contributions to human genetics and functional genomics, with a focus on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.

This is my final year as SA State Representative of the ASBMB, next year I’ll be handing over the reins to Melissa Pitman from the Centre for Cancer Biology. I’d like to thank the SA members for having me and giving me the chance to support your initiatives.

Victoria Contributed by Erinna Lee

The ASBMB VIC branch continues its commitment towards supporting a diverse range of activities within the state. All sponsored events share the common goal of promoting the communication and development of science, in particular the field of biochemistry and molecular biology, amongst both established and future scientists.

This year, the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function supported Women in Science through three bursaries aimed at encouraging female invited speakers with children to attend the meeting. This year’s awardees were Chaille Webb (Monash University), Katharine Michie (UNSW) and Urmi Dhagat (Bio21), who received funding to assist with costs either associated with bringing


Projects on display at the Oliphant Awards.Left: Cardboard model of the periodic table created by

a student in the year 3–5 category. Each little matchbox contains a small fact about each element in the table.

Right: Model of the outer membrane of a eukaryotic cell. The model was accompanied by a full description of all major lipid and protein components of the membrane.

Professor Andrew Smith, Pro Vice Chancellor (Sciences) Griffith University, presents Claudia Fitzpatrick the Griffith University ASBMB Prize.


children to the meeting or caring for children while the awardees attended. This initiative was supported by the ASBMB VIC Branch, in addition to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

In July, the ASBMB VIC branch continued its support of the Bio21 Advanced Biochemistry Workshop, which is an important event on the institute’s undergraduate student calendar. The workshop is open to all undergraduate students with an interest in biochemistry and molecular biology and offers the opportunity to learn about advanced research topics, visit research labs, and meet researchers. It includes hands-on tours of cutting-edge platform technologies and sessions on employment opportunities in academia and industry. This year’s workshop was attended by over 60 registrants. The ASBMB sponsorship went towards towards door and raffle prizes for students who asked questions during the workshop sessions.

In May, the third Cell Signalling and its Therapeutic Implications meeting was held on the Mornington Peninsula. This meeting was established in honour of leading researcher, Martin Lackmann. The conference theme rotates between different disease areas, and in 2019, returned to cancer cell signalling and how discoveries in this area can lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers. The program featured an outstanding lineup of international researchers, incudling Margaret Frame OBE (CRUK Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, UK), Patrick Tan (Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore) and Nada Jabado (McGill University, Canada). The 2019 Lackmann Award for Translational Research winner was Andrew Scott (Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute).

The Monash University Biochemistry postgraduate student society (also known as NOTDRS – Necessary Outlets for Tertiary Doctoral Research Students) organised the Monash Biochemistry Student Symposium with the theme ‘Your journey so far’. The symposium was a great success with 137 registered attendees and invited keynote speakers. Postgraduate students from the department had the opportunity to present their work and

hear from invited speakers, Danny Hatters (University of Melbourne), Karen McRae-Johns (Joma Life Research) and Michael Baker (BioScience Managers), representing varying career paths that are available to postgraduates. The ASBMB VIC Branch was a gold sponsor of the event and contributed towards the logistics of running the event, as well as student prizes.

In July, the Melbourne Protein Group hosted the 18th Melbourne Protein Group Student Symposium at La Trobe University, chaired by Mihwa Lee (La Trobe). The meeting was attended by 77 students and scientists from all across Melbourne. The program featured six invited student speakers that were selected from abstracts and nearly 50 posters. There were two keynote speakers, Bernhard Lechtenberg (WEHI) and Diana Stojanovski (Bio21/University of Melbourne). In addition, Natalie Gunn (IBM) provided a perspective on her scientific career in industry. The Tilley Award for the best student presentation went to Tess Malcom (Monash University) for her talk on a metal dependent mechanism for regulation of the Plasmodium M17 aminopeptidase. There were also four poster prize awards, sponsored by ASBMB, awarded to Bethany Anderson (Bio21), Bronte Johnstone (Bio21), Nilakhi Poddar (La Trobe), and Scott Williams (La Trobe). Rachel Impey (La Trobe) and Joanathan Siah (Florey Institute) both received Student Question Prizes that were sponsored by BMG LabTech. The meeting was


Undergraduate students on a lab visit during the Bio21 Advanced Biochemistry Workshop.

Cell Signalling and its Therapeutic Implications meeting. From left: Roger Daly, Hannes Lackmann, Beate

Lackmann, Andrew Scott and Christina Lackmann.

Postgraduate students at the Monash University Biochemistry Student Symposium.



a great success and showcased outstanding student research across Melbourne.

The inaugural Melbourne Cell Biology and Signalling conference was held on 18 July at La Trobe University. This meeting was a resounding success with over 140 delegates coming together to discuss topics ranging from basic cell biology, signalling pathways and the implications of these in disease. Invited speakers included Kanaga Sabathy (National Cancer Centre Singapore), David Komander (WEHI), Christine Chaffer (Garvan Institute), Delphine Merino (ONJCRI), Lee Wong (Monash University), and Jennifer Zanker (ARMI). Abstract selection was highly competitive and outstanding talks were presented by both students and postdocs. The Young Investigator Award was presented to Benjamin Parker (University of Melbourne), best oral prize was awarded to Ashleigh Poh (ONJCRI), whilst poster prizes were won by Mariah Alorro (ONJCRI), Rahul Sanwlani (La Trobe), Saud Abdirahman (WEHI) and Kelvin Yip (Monash BDI), Hue Mai La (ARMI), Moritz Eissmann (ONJCRI). The ASBMB VIC Branch was a

proud supporter of this event which looks set to continue on the Victorian scientific calendar.

In addition to supporting scientific events around Victoria, the ASBMB VIC Branch is also passionate about encouraging young students to consider careers in science. From this, the ‘Capturing Life’ event was borne – a half-day event for Year 9 students organised in conjunction with teaching staff, Helen D’elia and Shan Hattwell, from Ivanhoe Grammar School University Campus. The event, held on 23 August, comprised presentations from guest speakers who undertook science degrees at university but went on to highly diverse careers. These included Kate Phillips (senior curator of science exhibitions at Museums Victoria), Erin Pirie (Victoria Police Forensic Services), Michael Foley (La Trobe researcher and AdAlta CSO) and Drew Berry (award-winning biomedical animator based at WEHI). The stimulating and highly interesting talks captivated the young audience. The highlight of the day was the student photography and art competition, where overwhelmingly creative and professional photos and art pieces along the theme of ‘Science is everywhere around us’. Prizes were awarded to: Alannah Banks (first), Sugeesh Atapattu (second), Sienna Fazzino (third), with honourable mentions to Paddy Noonan, Gabriel Loh and Anthony Boussouris. The enthusiasm and creativity of the students was most inspiring and we hope that this will be the first of many such events.

Prizewinners at the MelbourneProtein Group Student Symposium.

Poster session at the inaugural Melbourne Cell

Biology and Signalling Conference.

Examples of the beautiful photos and art pieces submitted by talented Year 9 students at the inaugural Capturing Life event.



Western AustraliaContributedbyMonikaMurcha

During 2019, the ASBMB WA branch has continued its support at the annual Combined Biological Sciences Meeting held at the UWA University Club on 31 August 2019. We supported a $300 prize for the most outstanding student poster at the meeting on their molecular and biochemical research. The prize was awarded to Kelly Martinovich from Telethon Kids Institute for her poster titled ‘Antisense Oligonucleotide Mediated Splice Modulation to Improve CFTR Function of Intron 9 5T Polymorphism’. This annual meeting promotes biological science research in WA and and fosters interactions between WA researchers and students across institutes and industry.

Excitingly, the Perth Protein Group was established in 2019. The WA ASBMB branch was involved in helping establish the inaugural meeting at the UWA. Current,

lapsed and potential ASBMB members were invited for an afternoon session to highlight their research and to meet and greet protein researchers across many disciplines. We had a good turnout with a total of 54 attendees from Murdoch, UWA, Curtin, ECU, Perkins and Telethon Institute of Child Health Research. The event was also live streamed for those that could not attend. The WA ASBMB branch sponsored the cost for the design of the logo, revealed at the inaugural meeting overlooking the Swan River.

The WA branch sponsored two events at the School of Molecular Sciences, UWA. We sponsored a prize for the best PhD student talk at their PhD student symposium. This year’s winner was Christopher Baros who presented his research proposal entitled ‘The Molecular Evolution of C4-associated Gene Regulation’. We also supported the inaugural Bayliss Data Bazaar, a School of Molecular Sciences, UWA, three-day symposium designed to train PhD students and ECR on a range of data techniques such as coding, transcriptome analysis and writing workshops.

Sue Fletcher, Murdoch University,

presents Kelly Martinovich the most outstanding student

poster prize at the Combined Biological

Sciences Meeting.

The start of 2019 saw a change in management of the Biochemical Education Special Interest Group (Education SIG). Having provided the Education SIG with exceptional leadership, Professor Susan Rowland (University of Queensland) stepped down from her role as Chair to explore new opportunities. She will continue to be a member of this group continuing her invaluable work on enhancing biochemistry education nationally and internationally. Myself and Associate Professor Tracey Kuit (University of Wollongong) were elected as Chair and Deputy Chair, respectively, of the Education SIG and while we are both enjoying our new roles, we are acutely conscious of the need to maintain standards and the high calibre of work done by our predecessors.

Biochemical Education: an ASBMB Special Interest Group

Nirma Samarawickrema

(on left, Chair) and Tracey Kuit (Deputy Chair).

http://www.cbcmwa.org.au


http://perthproteins.org




The ASBMB Education SIG was set up to promote teaching, learning and research in biochemistry education. Specifically, our focus is to:• Explore opportunities that advance biochemistry

education • Support early career academics in biochemistry

teaching and learning• Foster research collaborations in the scholarship of

teaching and learning biochemistry • Build a network of educationists and researchers

who are passionate about advancing biochemistry education

We are really pleased that the Education SIG currently has 180 members. Given our large membership, our first task was to understand the needs of the SIG to provide biochemistry educators better and more targeted support and surveyed our SIG earlier this year. Participants identified key areas of interest to be:• Fostering active learning in large classes• Design and development of practicals which connect

theory with practice• Design of authentic and sustainable assessments• Mentorship to early career academics

A majority of our survey respondents were early career academics suggesting the need to foster their interest in biochemistry education and the development of our next generation of Biochemistry educators.

Consequently, we are focusing on the following three initiatives:• Tailoring the symposia of the Education session of

ComBio2020 to focus on our key interests• Setting up scholarly writing groups in institutions to

enable educators to disseminate and showcase their work

• Developing a bank of inquiry-oriented practicals in biochemistry

Education session of ComBio2020The Education session of ComBio2020 will run for one

day on the theme ‘Advancing the early career education focused academic’. We have planned a variety of events, which will include a Q&A panel discussion on ‘Career development, networking and mentoring’ with senior education focused academics talking about their journey as biochemistry educators and several workshop style presentations on investigating practice using an evidence based approach, which will provide helpful tips for early career academics to investigate their classroom teaching practices using an evidence-based approach. The workshops will include aspects of inquiry into the research question identified from the classroom, ethical issues, feedback into improving practice and dissemination. It is very exciting that the Education session will for the first time have an Education plenary lecture. This will

be delivered by Professor Martin Westwell (Flinders University), highlighting the significance of biochemistry education within the changing landscape of higher education.

In a bid to encourage teaching-intensive early career academics attend and present their work at future ASBMB Education sessions, we are exploring avenues of supplementing their registration through the offer of a limited number of small bursaries. These will be limited to members of ASBMB who will also be presenting their work and will be offered on a competitive basis.

Setting up writing groups within institutionsWe plan to establish writing groups within institutions

to encourage early career academics to engage in scholarly writing. Writing in groups with like-minded peers who are time-poor and under increasing pressure to produce research outputs is a way forward in increasing their productivity. Having initiated this process at Monash University through support and funding from the Monash Education Academy, I can see how us teaching-focused academics provide support and foster early career academics. Through this initiative, many early career academics have been able to share their teaching innovations and showcase their work through the production of conference abstracts and manuscripts for publication including in the Education Feature of the Australian Biochemist. Establishing a similar writing group model in different institutions will benefit many across the country.

Developingabankofinquiry-orientedpracticalsinbiochemistry

Many biochemistry educators have indicated the need for new or revised practicals that are student-centred and to help develop enquiry and critical thinking skills. We hope to work on this initiative at a round table session at the forthcoming ComBio2020 meeting and develop a plan to create a bank of such student-centred practicals which can be used across institutions.

In addition to the initiatives discussed above, Tracey and I will continue to bring the readership of the Education feature of the Australian Biochemist interesting and innovative contributions on biochemistry education. Please contact us if you have interesting and creative biochemistry education practices that you would like to share from your context.

With much happening in the Biochemistry Education arena we look forward to your contributions in all these initiatives – at ComBio2020, in setting up and participating in the writing groups and in sharing practicals to enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness.

NirmaSamarawickrema,MonashUniversityChair,BiochemicalEducationSIG

Biochemical Education: an ASBMB Special Interest Group


Early yearsAs I grew up in Liverpool, England, in the 1950s, my dad

taught me to ride a bike and swim. He also challenged me with numerical and logical problems. Although a humanities man himself, he encouraged my interest in science. He found out from one of his friends that a career in biochemistry would be a great idea, because that field was poised to overtake chemistry. This kindled my interest in biochemistry.

The good maths and chemistry teaching I enjoyed at school in England continued when we moved to Melbourne in 1961 when I was 15. While biology was not emphasised as mainstream at school, I realised that it would be important for my future studies in biochemistry. During first-year studies in Biology at Monash University in 1964, I learnt about the wonderful variety of life forms and how the integrating framework of evolutionary theory explained the relationship between structure and function at both macroscopic and physiological levels. I was struck by the complexity in life processes, which was achieved through natural selection over profoundly long periods of time.

My attention had already become focussed on the emerging field of molecular biology. In 1961, I had read a chapter in the Penguin Science Survey of that year, which described pioneering experiments on bacteria infected with bacteriophages. This work of the late 1950s demonstrated how a single phage particle entered a bacterial cell and multiplied profusely, hijacking the host’s biosynthetic machinery. The clever use of radioisotopes to prove that the genetic material in the phage was the DNA (rather than protein) was part of that amazing story. What stood out for me in that chapter was the closing remark that if one could elucidate the molecular basis of the production of multiple identical phage particles from one introduced DNA molecule, one would understand the

molecular basis of the biosynthetic machinery of life. I was hooked!

I undertook my Honours training at the University of Sydney in 1967 with Terry Hallinan, studying rat liver ribosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum membranes. In 1968, I completed my Masters degree in Gerry Wake’s lab, also at Sydney, working on bacterial DNA replication. From each of these supervisors I learnt the importance of maintaining a clean and tidy laboratory and the need to focus on a simple question in each experiment with use of appropriate controls and replicate samples. My training by Gerry in the use of the analytical ultracentrifuge was of central importance for my later studies on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in yeast.

In this Great Expectations article, rather than describing my scientific work over the years in detail, I will focus on some turning points and the importance of receiving good advice from knowledgeable and experienced mentors. There was no right or wrong answer to the questions I was faced with at these various turning points, just a decision to be made and consequences to be dealt with. The wise advice of my great mentors still rings in my ears after many years.

WheretoundertakePhDstudies?In 1968, I faced the decision where to undertake my

PhD. Both my previous supervisors were going overseas to advance their careers. I was advised by Bill Hensley (an academic and clinical biochemist) that research in the area of molecular biology was being undertaken in biochemistry departments of three universities in Australia: ANU, Adelaide and Monash. I learnt two things from Bill’s remarks. First is that one should have broad knowledge of an area, not just be blinkered within a speciality. Second, a good mentor places themselves in the shoes of the mentee and gives advice accordingly.

Meaningful Mentoring and the Path to Fulfilment

Great Expectations

Phillip Nagley.

Phillip in the lab at

Monash University

in 1970.


During my PhD work with Tony Linnane at Monash, I was able to construct my own project on molecular genetics of mtDNA in yeast. I interacted with Tony as supervisor and other PhD students, especially Elliot Gingold whom I had met in my earlier undergraduate studies at Monash. I used the analytical ultracentrifuge to show that there were so-called petite mutants in yeast completely devoid of mtDNA (we called these rho0 cells). We also characterised the other type of petite mutants (rho-) that retained mtDNA, showing that their mitochondrial genomes represented incomplete segments of mtDNA, which became amplified in inverse proportion to the amount of mitochondrial genetic information retained in each such petite strain. What an enjoyable and rewarding time that was!

WhereafterPhD?Towards the completion of my PhD in 1972, I was

faced with the decision whether to undertake a postdoctoral experience overseas. The alternative was to accept Tony Linnane’s suggestion to aim for a tenured research/teaching position at Monash and continue the collaboration with his extensive laboratory undertaking mitochondrial research across broad fronts in biochemistry and molecular biology. I had to be my own mentor here: this was perhaps the most important decision of my scientific life. Already married with a small child, I felt that the potential security of a long term and stable academic position outweighed the benefits of postdoctoral experiences overseas.

In 1969, I had already been lucky enough, during the first year of my PhD studies, to be selected for participation in an international training course on DNA–RNA hybridisation in Italy. There, I interacted with the scientists who had first applied these seminal techniques. I thereby recognised the value of overseas experience and I was determined to secure a measure of that at the postdoctoral level, even as a Monash academic staff

member. Accordingly, I spent two periods of research overseas during the 1970s, first in Paris, France in 1975–76 (on an EMBO Short Term Fellowship) with Giorgio Bernardi working on restriction enzyme analysis of yeast mtDNA (then a huge innovation), and in 1978–79 (on a Fulbright Fellowship) with David Clayton at Stanford University, USA, analysing mammalian mtDNA.

My decision to remain at Monash was vindicated by the continuation of research from my PhD studies, applying DNA hybridisation technology to the analysis of mtDNA from genetically characterised rho- petite mutants (with a postdoc, Sri Sriprakash). This work contributed to the physical mapping of twelve different genes in the circular mtDNA genome of yeast, published in 1976, a major achievement in its time. That work in collaboration with Linnane, Bruce Lukins and several students then moved toward a focus on the mitochondrial ATP synthase.

Whoselabisit?Notwithstanding the great advantages of setting up a

‘lab within a lab’, where a well-funded environment with excellent technical facilities was already set up, there were some organisational and personal downsides to the young academic trying to make a name for himself. Going to international conferences in the 1970s (and there were plenty of those on mitochondrial research, many in Italy hosted by colleagues at the University of Bari), I felt that I was better known as an independent scientist overseas than I was back home in Australia. The shadow cast by a powerful and influential mentor can be very dark and long.

To his credit, Tony Linnane recognised this and made generous accommodations along two lines. First, it was not to insist that his name went on to every paper from his research group. In 1977, John Mattick (then a PhD student in Tony’s group) and I requested from Tony that some work John and I had done together, without any intellectual input from Tony, be published just by the two of us. Tony graciously accepted that proposition but insisted that work that was more central to his interests and involvement did carry his name. I learnt here that there is a need to reach a compromise on some issues in order to move forward (much preferred to an all or none approach). Second, I had to find an area of research whereby I could distinguish myself from Tony’s direct input. This was in the area of chemical gene synthesis and expression. Working with a PhD student, David Gearing, we devised a method for the assembly of chemically synthesised oligonucleotides into a complete working gene in the mid-1980s. Specifically, we assembled a mitochondrial gene to encode a small subunit of ATP synthase. Our plan was to express this artificial gene in the nucleus of yeast cells. Tony generously provided funding for the purchase of the oligonucleotide precursors that were used in the Applied Biosystems DNA Synthesizer already in the department. The artificial gene was assembled

Great Expectations

Phillip uses a Beckman Model E analytical ultracentrifuge at Monash University,1972.


perfectly the first time we tried it (much to our pleasant surprise), by joining the overlapping oligonucleotides into a complete gene sequence from which could be expressed the desired protein. The synthetic gene was then inserted into a nuclear yeast vector for expression in vivo, the protein also being furnished with a suitable leader sequence to redirect it back to the mitochondria. Together with Rod Devenish and other postdocs and students, we were able to rescue a mutant affected in expression of the mitochondrially synthesised protein and to demonstrate that the ATP synthase was reconstituted using the nucleus-encoded protein rather than its natural counterpart specified by mtDNA. I learnt that one cannot just demand independence; rather, it must be earned.

Researchorteaching?Following change of leadership in our department

several times in the 1990s, I had a chat with the new Head of Department, Christina Mitchell, to discuss my career. I was wondering if I should focus more on teaching and education. Her first response was to ask me: from what do you get the greatest buzz, teaching or research? My answer came back very quickly: research! Then came her sound advice: collaborate with people stronger than yourself. I realised from that comment the need to complement different strengths and skill sets so that the resulting collaboration would be greater than the sum of the parts.

As a professor, I had become involved in many teaching activities and various departmental and faculty responsibilities. Broadening my research outlook while maintaining a focus on key project areas became a juggling act. Although Rod Devenish and I were managing to secure continuing ARC funding for yeast work, this was not enough to keep a whole lab going. I maintained a collaboration with Tony Linnane as he moved from yeast to work on human ageing and the involvement of age-associated mutations in mtDNA. I also began work with David Williams of Physiology at the University of Melbourne, using confocal microscopy to study mitochondria in cell regulation and cell death. An application to the NHMRC was funded first attempt, to our great delight!

SmalllaborlargeCentre/Program?In 2000, Phil Beart, then in Pharmacology at Monash,

asked me to join him in studies of cell death in cultured neuronal cells from mice. Again, we were lucky enough to get an NHMRC Project Grant first time around! This project built on the expertise I had gained in mammalian cell biological aspects of mitochondria coupled with the pharmacological approaches to neuroscience that were Phil’s strengths. The renewed energy that I was applying to research in the early 2000s led also to further grant funding from ARC in our yeast research concerning ATP synthase, with Rod Devenish, as well as in studies of

mammalian cell death. But these three grants all turned out to be short-lived in a quite unexpected manner.

Rod and I were approached by colleagues in Microbiology at Monash to consider joining them in an application to the ARC for a Centre of Excellence in their field of microbial pathogenesis of diseases of veterinary significance. These colleagues, led by Ben Adler, had also invited structural biologists in biochemistry, James Whisstock and Jamie Rossjohn, to join the team of CIs. The aim was to establish an ARC Centre of Excellence, whereby each of the CIs would roll in their relevant ARC project funding to act as leverage for much more substantial funding (also supported by Monash and other collaborating institutions). For Rod and me, it meant refocussing research on molecular aspects of disease pathogenesis using our technical expertise in yeast molecular biology and cellular imaging. The prospects of maintaining a small lab in a field in which we were internationally recognised, but with uncertain funding in the longer term, were dwarfed by the possibilities that the collaborative multidisciplinary approaches could bring. The Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics was funded by ARC for many years from 2003. I had the privilege to be Associate Director of this Centre from 2003–08.

About the same time, I was invited to join a Monash NHMRC Program Grant application as a CI, which was led by Mal Horne, to study neurodegenerative diseases, including stroke, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease. We were delighted to be awarded the grant from 2003–08, and my role was to employ molecular imaging techniques to address wider questions in neuroscience. At the outset, all the CIs relocated to the Florey Institute at the University of Melbourne, except for me.

Canitlastforever?The impact of broadening my horizons through these

multidisciplinary collaborations cannot be overestimated. But I was getting past 60 years of age and I recalled how my Masters supervisor, Gerry Wake, managed his own retirement. Over several years, gradually becoming part time, he methodically completed all his funded grants and ensured that all postgraduate students finished. I viewed this as mentorship by example. From 2008 onwards I was able to achieve such an outcome. It was satisfying to withdraw from active research not because I could not get grants but because I decided no longer to apply.

But what replaced that buzz I got from active research? Initially, from 2006, with much encouragement from Christina Mitchell who was by then Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences, I became engaged in the organisational aspects of education, eventually becoming Director of Education from 2009–12. In this role, I enjoyed mentoring several talented educationists to help them navigate the newly introduced teaching-focussed academic staff category, enabling them to

Great Expectations

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/biochem/biochem-history-part-two.pdf

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/biochem/biochem-history-part-two.pdf


prosper through promotions and awards. I am very proud to have organised in 2007 the first National Forum on Education in Biomedical Sciences held in Australia.

During this period, I had extended my involvement with ASBMB from being Editor of the Australian Biochemist 1998–2003 to becoming President during 2005–06. It was a privilege to be President during the ASBMB Golden Jubilee celebrations Adelaide in 2005. My active involvement in the ASBMB had long been encouraged by Tony Linnane, but I deferred this until later in my career. Nick Hoogenraad got me involved as Editor during his presidency and I am grateful for his forthright mentoring!

Involvement in ASBMB has been a highlight of my life. Being on the Council and the Executive of ASBMB has presented me with unmatched opportunities to learn about leadership and management, as well how to prioritise expenditure of limited resources on the widest possible set of beneficial outcomes. One learns to listen and to value the opinions and strategies suggested by others. One thereby appreciates how consensus can be reached amongst a group of diverse individuals committed to a shared cause. ASBMB also provided for me an excellent entrée into areas I would not have been able to access, such as through Science Meets Parliament events and national committees of the Australian Academy of Science. I have made great and enduring friendships with many scientists and educationists from around Australia and more broadly throughout the world, especially Asia.

Nick and I jointly chaired the OzBio2010 Conference in Melbourne and, in delivering the bids to both FAOBMB and IUBMB in the mid-2000s, I became interested in the international aspects of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology organisations. To promote the bid for OzBio2010 and subsequent international liaison, I became ASBMB representative to FAOBMB for a few years and I continued my earlier role of delegate of the Australian Academy of Science and ASBMB to the General Assembly of IUBMB (held every three years in association with the Congresses of IUBMB). As with ASBMB nationally, these international organisations promote research in biochemistry and

molecular biology, especially for young and early career scientists. Furthermore, they advocate passionately for education and training in our field, particularly in less developed countries and regions of the world.

I became Secretary General of FAOBMB in 2012, having been mentored forthrightly once again, this time by John de Jersey, the outgoing Secretary General. I enjoyed the six years in this role, especially since I retired at Monash in 2012. All the above activities and involvements have enabled me to keep in touch with scientists all over the world and to regularly attend Conferences and Congresses of FAOBMB and IUBMB.

I became the Archivist of FAOBMB in 2018. I continue to manage the FAOBMB webpage. Writing articles on historical and reflective topics and mentoring colleagues is still a pleasure. I also enjoy those physical skills imparted by my first mentor, my dad, so many years ago in Liverpool. Thus, cycling and swimming form a serious part of my active life these days as I continue along the long road to fulfilment.

Great Expectations

After a bike ride, 2019.

Australian colleagues at the 19th FAOBMB Conference held in Seoul, Korea, in 2007. From left: Phillip,

Susan Howitt, Susan Hamilton and John de Jersey.

Phillip receives an award for six years of service as Secretary General from FAOBMB President Zengyi

Chang, with Past President Kiyoshi Fukui (right), at the 26th FAOBMB Conference held in Kobe, Japan, in 2017.

http://www.faobmb.com


For further information visit

FA O B M B 2 0 2 1 . O R G

We are excited to welcome you to

Christchurch, New Zealand for the

16th Congress of the Federation of

Asian and Oceanian Biochemists

and Molecular Biologists.

This will also be ASBMB’s annual

meeting in 2021.

Peak Bodies

Hosts

22–25 NOVEMBER 2021


When Melbourne Fringe ‘Living Legend’ Rinske Ginsberg told me that we were headed to New York to present ‘The Performing Sciences’ on Broadway, I was giddy with excitement.

The term Broadway is synonymous with the pinnacle of theatrical performance. It means your name will be up in lights, with your show running in one of the major theatres in Midtown Manhattan, near Times Square.

However, the reality was somewhat different. If ‘On Broadway’ is the big time and ‘Off-Broadway’ is the next step down, then we were best described as ‘Off-Off-Broadway’. We presented ‘The Performing Sciences’ to a small, but enthusiastic audience of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educators from around the world at the New York Institute of Technology, which is on Broadway halfway between Columbus Circle and the Lincoln Centre. This was CESTEMER, the most inspiring and fun conference I’ve ever attended. To give some context and to explain what ‘The Performing Sciences’ is, I’d better take you back to where it all began…

For decades, I’ve been explaining the structure and function of biomolecules by physically embodying them. For me, there is a seamless connection between the cognitive and the physical worlds. When I start talking about molecules, I am suddenly inside them and I become them. I enjoy it and so do my students. But a few years ago, I experienced a career defining moment.

In 2016, along with a dozen teaching colleagues from across the Biomedical Sciences, I attended a two-day Acting Skills Workshop for Lecturers run by Rinske Ginsberg, Lecturer in Theatre at the Victorian College of

the Arts. Rinske and I hit it off immediately. By morning tea time on the second day, we had hatched a plan to turn my embodied approach to teaching into something bigger. And so, our first collaboration, ‘Physical Biochemistry’, was born. Rinske directed me in this one man show, where I perform all twenty naturally occurring amino acids and students vote on which one is which using their smart phones. Our next production was ‘The Electron Transport Chain’, where a cast of black-clad academics acted out oxidative phosphorylation using hats and coloured plastic balls, again with students trying to work out what the hell we were doing! You know you’re onto something when the Head of Department auditions for the role of Complex IV. For the last two years, we have harnessed student creativity in ‘The Performing Sciences’ where students devise, script and present short performances illustrating biochemical concepts. We’ve had ballet, musicals, pop song parodies and a spoof nature documentary. The students continually surprise and impress us with their imaginative and hilarious takes on Biochemistry.

Rinske and I have presented on our projects at numerous teaching and learning symposia and I’ve even been ‘half-time entertainment’ at a 3-minute thesis competition. Our performance-based teaching has featured on the pages of the ASBMB Australian Biochemist magazine several times. My amino acids featured briefly in the documentary film ‘It Started in the Sunderland’ about medical education at the University of Melbourne starring comedy great (and Melbourne Medical School alumnus) Rob Sitch. We have published papers and been invited to speak at local, national and now international science education conferences. Which brings us back to CESTEMER and New York.

ASBMB Shimadzu Education Award Report

West 15th

Street, New York City,

from the High Line.

Rinske Ginsberg(left) and

Terry Mulhern.For further information visit

FA O B M B 2 0 2 1 . O R G

We are excited to welcome you to

Christchurch, New Zealand for the

16th Congress of the Federation of

Asian and Oceanian Biochemists

and Molecular Biologists.

This will also be ASBMB’s annual

meeting in 2021.

Peak Bodies

Hosts

22–25 NOVEMBER 2021

http://www.cestemer.org/


CEMESTER 2019 participants.

CESTEMER stands for Cultivating Ensembles in STEM Education and Research and the theme of the 2019 conference was The Power of Connection: Performance, Play, and Creativity. This is STEAM – the fusion of the visual and performing arts with science communication and education. It was great to meet others from around the world who use drama, dance and movement in their university teaching. Among many other things, CESTEMER 2019 also explored another interest of mine – storytelling. On the first morning, Holly Walter Kerby

from the University of Wisconsin taught us how to tell stories better by using the process of ‘storyboarding’. On the second day, Marion Leary from the University of Pennsylvania showed us how explicit training in story telling has helped in nursing education. The storytelling theme was continued later in the day by Chelsea Collison from the Florida Museum of Natural History. She presented an inspiring session showing how communication training can turbo charge public outreach by ‘back room’ scientists working at museums. However, the most impactful and fun workshop I attended was on how to devise humorous Far Side-like cartoons to engage students. Marisa Holzapfel from the University of Duisburg-Essen showed us a simple process to create the conceptual incongruity at the heart of what makes a cartoon funny.

Rinske and I came away from CESTEMER with so many ideas and connections that it will be difficult to choose which one to pursue in our next project. In New York City, I found my ‘tribe’ and it will be full STEAM ahead!

TerryMulhernistheDirectorofTeachingandLearningforBiochemistryand

Molecular Biology in the School of Biomedical SciencesattheUniversityofMelbourne.

ASBMB Shimadzu Education Award Report

In 2019, John Ballard, James Camakaris, Ross Davey and Geoff McKenzie reached the milestone of 50 years of membership to the Society. They received certificates

in recognition of their outstanding loyalty.

John Ballard. James Camakaris.

ASBMB Honours Loyal Members

Geoff McKenzie.


Screaming the F Word!

Fluoride! Not the F word you were thinking of, right? As the winner of the 2019 Fred Collins Award and an ASBMB Fellowship recipient, I was able to attend Mechanisms of Membrane Transport, a Gordon Research Conference (GRC) held at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire, USA. This particular GRC had an associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which is a recent innovation held for early career researchers and students as an opportunity for them to present their work and generate discussion before the GRC commences.

Because I hadn’t been to this part of the USA before, I decided to step out of my comfort-zone (wet lab work) and do some computer analyses (Google searches). Some of the most striking results included the many odd laws New Hampshire has retained. You are not allowed to run machinery on Sundays, which is probably a nice excuse to avoid mowing the lawn. In White Mountain National Forest, you are not allowed to pick up trash or otherwise maintain the forest (without a permit) – can you imagine getting the US$150 fine that goes with committing this offence? You may not tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern or cafe. Did I pick the wrong place? Some of the stranger laws aren’t even written, like not being required to wear motorcycle helmets or seatbelts in vehicles; I guess there’s a reason their number plate slogan is ‘Live Free or Die’.

After three flights, I landed in Boston (24.5 hours in transit!) and got the GRS coach to the conference site. When we arrived, what greeted us were the pouring rains of a clearly depressed College missing its students. This quickly turned into bright rays of sunshine: weather that fellow Melbournians would be quite familiar with. The GRS was spread out over one-and-a-half days and the GRC continued for the remaining four-and-a-half days. I presented my poster, and in addition to getting some important feedback on my work, I was also able to meet some of the big-shots in the beta-barrel field and socialise with members of their labs. While the days are long and intense (7:30am breakfast to 9:30pm finish and then socials until late), there is a brief reprieve in the middle of the day, where I did some sightseeing: I visited the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog and climbed Mt Kearsarge.

On the last day, dinner was a bit more formal and each participant was given a lobster to eat. As we were eating, Kaspar Locher visited every table and told us about something we would all do for the final speaker, Chris Miller: we would do a Mexican wave whenever Chris said fluoride. Because it was going to be his last GRC, there was a very nice homage to him at the start by both chairs and one of his former grad students, Joseph Mindell. Joseph asked for Chris’ former students to stand up, and their students, and so on until most of the audience was up-standing in celebration of Chris’ legacy. Then Chris began his presentation, and to our dismay, there was no mention of the fluoride keyword. We heard chloride, bromide, iodide, and were half-expecting to be left disappointed until the very end of his ion-channel presentation, that is, until he said fluoride and we did that Mexican wave. A few more fluorides and waves later, he started saying “my favourite ion,” “that halide” and “the F word.” As he got more impassioned, he would sometimes slip and say the forbidden word; we probably ended up doing the wave about 20 times. It was a great way to conclude a conference and probably the only time the audience didn’t care that a presentation went overtime.

The volume of emails I sent back to the lab with ideas about different projects and new concepts/techniques in the field is a testament to the quality of research at the GRS/GRC. I am very grateful to the ASBMB for giving me this opportunity to attend the conference and loved sharing my work with my peers.

Christopher Stubenrauch is a Research Fellowin the Infection and Immunity Program at

theMonashBiomedicineDiscoveryInstitute.@ChrisTheMicrobe

Chris admires the view at Winslow State Park on Mt Kearsarge.

ASBMB Fellowship Report

Left: Cotton grass amongst the Tamarack at the Alpine Bog onMt Kearsarge.

Right: Can you see what this Pitcher plant

from the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog is eating?

https://twitter.com/christhemicrobe


Nippon, Lipids, Shark Livers and ShibuyaUpon receiving an ASBMB Fellowship, my supervisor

and I planned how I could best utilise it. Eventually, I registered for the 60th International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids in Tokyo, Japan. This is one of the longest running lipid conference worldwide, first held in 1953 in Brussels, with different themes in different locations each year.

It was the first time I’ve attended a specialised conference. It was akin to saying, ‘Let’s have a conference on proteins’ – specialised, yet very broad. This meeting discussed different lipids, not just the infamous cholesterol (what I work on), and showcased far-reaching approaches to study them – spanning lipidomics, biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, just to name a few. While I was there, it was an honour to have been a delegate of the laboratory and speak to our collaborators from the University of Tokyo and RIKEN. Suffice to say, the entire experience was intimidating but exciting. Why? It was a specialised conference where I did not have to introduce cholesterol because everyone knew – but it also invited some tough critical questions of my work which were insightful. Establishing communication and working on a collaboration where my supervisor was not present was a great learning experience. Throughout the conference, I managed to engage with local Japanese scientists of various stages, learning their culture of how science operates – and I believe cross-cultural understanding, especially when English is not the first language, is necessary in the collaborative nature of science.

I met lipid researchers I have only heard of on Twitter, cited or read their work. My PhD focus, squalene monooxygenase, was also built upon a lot of earlier work of the Japanese. The sensation was surreal as I was in Japan, the roots of its discovery. Squalene was first extracted by Japanese scientists from sharks (the abundant squalene in the liver oil from sharks helps with

buoyancy). The cloning and characterisation were also carried out by Japanese in labs of Nobel Prize Laureates, and these Japanese scientists continued the research after returning to Japan. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise that I came across some of those connected to these legendary Japanese scientists at the meeting until I’d returned from the trip! The conference also highlighted many historical discoveries in the lipid field, especially in Japan – which I believe is always an important part of science, an appreciation of others.

In my spare time after the conference and in between meetings, I visited places of childhood memories. I visited real life locations of Japanese Anime which were famous. Little did I know the Japanese creators of anime were quite clever, leaving trails so one would visit real life locations where you can experience the daily life of the local Japanese in Tokyo. Another childhood memory was the Pokémon Center which was a famous tourist

attraction. Tokyo was full of amazing Japanese cuisine – and as a foodie, I enjoyed my fair share of Japanese delicacies including sweets, seafood and street food. If you watched or know of the emotional tale Hachiko; near the infamously crowded Shibuya crossing is where you can find a statue of the legendary dog. I am incredibly grateful to the ASBMB for the opportunity I was given for this memorable and beneficial experience.

NgeeKiat(Jake)ChuaisaPhDstudent who has recently submitted histhesisattheUniversityofNew

SouthWales,Sydney.


Left: Bernd Helms (Utrecht University) discusses Ngee Kiat’s poster.Right: Ngee Kiat with Daniel Nomura (UC Berkeley).

Left: At Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo.Right: At the Tsukiji fish market with a tuna head.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01797-0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D


SynBio at EMBL: a Heidelberg Story

As a little girl growing up on a small island with stories of magical kingdoms, enchanted castles and forbidden forests, I was convinced that the cities with castles, rivers and marketplaces in these stories only existed in fiction. I suppose it is not surprising that I still find visiting places with centuries long histories that look like they are straight out a fairy tale an awe-inspiring and somewhat fantastical experience. So, I was delighted to be awarded an ASBMB Fellowship in 2018 to contribute towards attending a workshop held in the picturesque city of Heidelberg.

Not only does Heidelberg have a beautiful 13th century castle right in the middle of the city just like in the children’s stories, it is also home to the world renowned European Molecular Biology Laboratories (EMBL) that hosts workshops and training courses funded by the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). The EMBO workshop I attended was titled ‘Creating is Understanding: Synthetic Biology Masters Complexity’. It was held from 22 to 25 September 2019 at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre, a building that is literally designed like a DNA double helix! The institute is nestled deep within a forest about five kilometres from the city, strangely reminiscent of where mysterious wizards with misunderstood but essential knowledge to save a kingdom would also live in a fairy tale story. However, the state-of-the-art venue and the futuristic synthetic biology presentations made the workshop itself feel rather

science fictional in stark contrast to the rest of the city, making the whole trip feel a bit surreal and very exciting.

Some of the scientific highlights of the workshop included learning about ‘everything you need to know about RNA but preferred to ignore’, the currently unpredictable nature of the effects of mRNA 5’ untranslated region sequences on gene expression, incorporating artificial base pairs into DNA and RNA, and how to design and build an artificial carbon fixation cycle linked to photosynthesis without RuBisCO. I also learned a lot about gene regulatory networks and how to use synthetic biology to probe, model and understand them, as well as about the synthetic biology techniques behind engineering mammalian cells, which are both topics that I haven’t had the chance to be familiar with before.

At the conference, I had the opportunity to present my work on riboswitch structure and function as a flash-talk and poster presentation, and got some great tips and suggestions from RNA experts attending the meeting. Specifically, my poster was on designing a caffeine specific riboswitch using in silico modelling, which is a project we have been working on for the past year. We eventually want to develop a workflow for riboswitch design using molecular dynamics simulations followed by testing them experimentally, and hope to get a better understanding of riboswitches along the way.

Of course, the best part of the workshop was meeting like-minded early career researchers and tossing about crazy ideas from science fiction and fantasy that could one day be possible due to synthetic biology. I was the only participant from Australia, and it was fantastic to be exposed to a different pool of scientists and hear about their projects and approaches to solve the challenges


Hafna at the Neckar River in Heidelberg.

TheDNA

helix-shaped

interior of the EMBL Advanced

Training Centre.

Heildelberg Castle viewed from the marketplace.


Deadly Road Trip in the USA

Having finished my PhD, I was ready to embark on the next journey of my research career. Having gratefully received an ASBMB Fellowship, I was able to start this journey by attending the International Cell Death Society meeting in New York, USA, from 27–30 June. Like the host city, the conference was full of excitement. The conference explored many aspects of cell death, including molecular machinery, new forms of cell death and targeting cell death in disease settings. Through the presentations on the first day of the conference, we were inspired by early discoveries in the field, many of which have translated into frontline cancer therapies. The following evening, we had the opportunity to mingle with invited speakers as well as other early career researchers in a casual roof top welcome party. I had the opportunity to present my work at a poster session which was well attended. Here, I presented my PhD work on extracellular vesicles in cell death and received helpful feedback and new perspectives. Through the presentations and fellow ECR posters I was exposed to the innovative research in the field of cell death and its impact on multidisciplinary fields including immunology, cancer and developmental biology. The conference ended on a high note with a cruise dinner. Here, we enjoyed the New York skyline as we discussed science, life in NY and the changing NY

skyline. I even broke into a few dance moves by the end of the night. I had the chance to visit the new World Trade Centre and memorial infinity fountains paying tribute to the many lives lost in the tragedy.

Next, I embarked aboard the Amtrak train to Charlottesville, Virginia. Here, I had the opportunity to visit Dr Ravichandran, a leading scientist in the field of cell clearance. During my visit, I learned about the exciting research carried out in his laboratory and had an opportunity to share my work with lab members. I also received a tour of the University courtesy of Dr Sanja Arandjelovic and visited Edgar Allan Poe’s dorm room. I believe Poe and I share a common obsession for death, however, my obsession is on a microscopic level studying cell death. My last pit stop was Boston to meet Dr Leonora Balaj at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr Balaj’s research focuses on developing extracellular vesicles as novel diagnostic markers. I was introduced to the unique translational research carried out at MGH, which helped me see how my work can be developed as translational tools. I also visited the famous MGH surgery suite, the Ether Dome, where the first surgery was carried out with ether as an anaesthetic.

My journey ended here, but it has opened new roads to take as I continue in my research career. I am truly grateful to the ASBMB for their support through the travel fellowship.

DrRochelleTixeiraisapostdoctoralfellowintheDepartmentofBiochemistryandGenetics,

LaTrobeInstituteforMolecularScience.


The Ether Dome, Massachusetts

General Hospital.

New York City from the new World Trade Centre.

in the field. Overall, the trip was incredibly inspirational, which, in the words of the organiser, means that the workshop was a great success!

After the last session of the workshop, as I strolled through the Heidelberg market place overlooked by the enormous castle, I couldn’t help but marvel at the way 21st century technology and services were efficiently incorporated into the old city while still preserving the

heritage and character of the area. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learnt there too for a budding synthetic biologist like me as we create biological parts to help us unravel nature’s complexity.

Dr Hafna Ahmed is a postdoctoral fellowatCSIROLandandWater,withtheSynthetic

BiologyFutureSciencePlatform(SynBioFSP).


Palaces and Crystals

Vienna has everything you could possibly want in a big city: amazing public transport ✓ high density living without being overbearing ✓ green spaces ✓ so clean ✓ history ✓ culture ✓ gorgeous buildings and palaces ✓ cycle paths away from the road ✓ no one jay walking ✓ (a bit weird when you’re waiting with a bunch of people at an empty intersection). To me, Melbourne will always win on the food and the coffee (although I did find a stellar place), but I can see why Vienna has taken over from Melbourne as the world’s most liveable city.

Thanks to support from an ASBMB Fellowship, I was in this magnificent city to present my research at the European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM32). I managed to spend a little time acquainting myself with the city when I first arrived, including exploring the many palaces and museums. The Natural History Museum was impressive, with the first floor full of spectacular minerals, gemstones and meteorites. But the upper floor was a bit of an eye opener. As a New Zealander, there was something a bit odd about seeing extinct moa bird specimens on display. Nevertheless, the museum held a pretty impressive collection of animal specimens from all walks of life.

The conference was held at the University of Vienna, and boy do they know how to put on a conference. The university is simply stunning, and there was something quite surreal about attending lectures in a building at least 130 years old. ECM32 was full of excellent talks and with 44 microsymposia, two plenary talks and 16 keynote talks, it was often difficult to choose which talks to attend. The conference began with the incredible Elspeth Garman winning the 11th Max Perutz Prize from the European Crystallographic Association, a well-deserved recognition for her achievements in the

field of crystallography. Jan Löwe also gave an epic plenary talk on bacterial filaments and conformational switching upon polymerisation. Other notable keynote talks included Naomi Chayen (of Naomi’s Nucleants) and the EMBO Keynote Lecture from Luca Jovine – who gave a fascinating talk on understanding the processes of mammalian fertilisation using structural biology. The quality of the research had my head brimming with new ideas for when I got back to the lab. The conference also had a ‘women in crystallography’ session, which I found particularly inspiring. Elspeth opened the session, talking through her life and acknowledging the mentors that inspired and supported her along the way. I did not know of the influential role the Braggs had in shaping the crystallography field to be particularly inclusive for women. I hope that this stays for many years to come, with leaders always actively encouraging and supporting inclusivity and diversity.

It was hard not to miss Robert Krickl’s impressive model of sodium chloride that formed the centrepiece of the exhibition tent. Standing at over 3 m high, and made from about 40,000 balls and 10 km of sticks, it is the world’s biggest crystal structure model. The Science Slam was a fun event, with both young and old coming up with creative ways to describe the power of X-ray crystallography in terms that would be suitable for a public audience.

I was fortunate to give an oral presentation on some of my latest research, and I received valuable feedback from the audience. I am grateful to the ASBMB for the support that allowed me to attend ECM32 and connect with European crystallographers.

GabrielleWatsonisaResearchFellowattheMonashUniversityBiomedicineDiscoveryInstitute.

Belvedere Palace, one of many palaces in Austria.


The world’s largest model of a crystal, sodium chloride.


We were extremely honoured to receive IUBMB–FAOBMB Young Scientist Program (YSP) Travel fellowships to attend the YSP and the 27th FAOBMB and 44th MSBMB Conference in August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The YSP was hosted by the impressive Taylor’s University at its leafy Lakeside Campus, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The YSP event was a huge success that instigated collaborative networks among the 36 early career scientists from five different regions including Asia, Oceania, America, Africa and Europe, of which female attendees made up more than 50% of the participants. Australia was well represented in this year’s program, including three YSP awardees and one student observer. In addition, a number of participants, although not directly representing Australia, have had PhD/postdoc training in Australia or have collaborated extensively with Australian universities.

The organising committee, led by Adeline Chia Yoke Yin of Taylor’s University, put up an excellent program and arranged a warm welcome for all the YSP participants. The event kicked off with two invited lectures. Paul Gleeson from the University of Melbourne shared his research on the role of Golgi apparatus as a cell sensor and Carmay Lim from the Institute of Biomedical Science, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, discussed the importance of metal ions in brain signalling. The YSP program continued with two days of scientific sessions where participants gave oral and poster presentations to share ground-breaking research in their respective fields. The topics covered in the YSP were extremely broad, ranging from proteomics, molecular biology, plant biochemistry and structural biology, to cancer biology and immunology. The oral presentations were divided into five sessions, providing an excellent opportunity for all YSP participants to showcase their research and to learn about each of the projects in detail. The oral

sessions were very interactive as the chairs allowed the participants to ask lots of questions. Day 1’s session also included a half-day tour to the Malaysia Genome Institute (MGI), a non-profit organisation that provides the nation with core research infrastructure. The visit to MGI was a thrilling experience, where we got the chance to see the state-of-the-art DNA sequencers and the cutting-edge protein characterisation equipment suite, including high-end mass spectrometry, NMR and X-ray crystallography facilities. The laboratory visit ended with a tour to the institute’s on-site stingless bee farm, where we all got to taste some fresh sour honey.

In addition to science, we enjoyed the delicious food throughout the YSP event. Spending time with YSP participants during our stay in the SAMA Living guesthouse helped us to build a close friendship that will be invaluable for our career development.

The last day of the YSP event was a social program. We went on a Kuala Lumpur city tour which gave us a taste of Malaysia’s diverse and inclusive culture. We visited the famous Batu Caves and Petronas Towers. There was a charming Malaysian cultural dance during a delightful lunch. We had discussions about our science, career paths, future collaborations and on visiting each other’s country. We feel very proud and fortunate to have been a part of such an inspiring event. Thank you to the ASBMB, FAOBMB and the YSP organisers for giving us the opportunity to travel to Kuala Lumpur for the YSP and the FAOBMB Conference.

SushmaAnand,MonashUniversityandNanHao,UniversityofAdelaide

Aspiring Meeting of Young Researchers in Kuala Lumpur

From left: Nan Hao (University of Adelaide), Kai Dun Tang (Queensland University of Technology), Sushma Anand (Monash University), Paul Gleeson (University

of Melbourne) and Crystall Swarbrick (Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore and Griffith University).

YSP awardees and organising committee.

YSP participants in front of thePetronas Towers,Kuala Lumpur.


Paul Gleeson and Terrence Piva report on the FAOBMB Conference and Council meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The 27th FAOBMB and the 44th Annual Malaysian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biologists (MSBMB) Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur from 19–22 August 2019. The four-day joint conference was located in the excellent and very well-appointed Convention and Exhibition Centre at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and walking distance to restaurants, local markets and wonderful city life. A Young Scientist Program was held, from 15–18 August at the Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus.

The theme of the meeting was ‘Biomolecules: Networks and Systems’ and was in conjugation with the IUBMB

Special Symposium on ‘Mosquito-borne illnesses’. The meeting was very successful and attracted over 350 delegates from 36 countries. It was lively, very engaging and the quality of science presented was excellent. Of particular note was the exceptional hospitality of the local organisers. The friendly atmosphere promoted vibrant interactions between students, early career researchers and senior scientists.

The local organising committee was chaired by Lim Yang Mooi (President, MSBMB), and the committee assembled an excellent program of ten Plenary and Award lectures, an Education Symposium, Women in Science Forum, 18 current sessions covering broad aspects of molecular sciences including Molecular Parasitology, Genetics, Viral Diseases, Immunology, Cell Biology, and included 102 posters as well as a Career Developmental Forum. There were three concurrent sessions each morning and afternoon of 19 and 20 August and one concurrent session on each of the other two days. The organising committee included an MC for the conference Muhammad Fazril Mohamad Razif, a very entertaining and articulate early career researcher and a previous PhD student of the University of Western Australia. There were two Australian plenary speakers, John Mackenzie (Mahathir Science Lecture) and Leann Tilley, while Christian Doering was an invited Symposium speaker.

27th FAOBMB- 44th MSBMB Conference

Award LecturesMahathir Science Award Lecture: John Mackenzie (Australia)One Health: breaking down the professional silos and responding to emerging zoonotic and mosquito-borne diseasesFEBS Lecture: Dominique Soldati-Favre (Switzerland)Functional and computational genomics reveal unprecedented versatility in stage specific Toxoplasma gondii metabolismFAOBMB Research Excellence Award Lecture: Jin-Soo Kim (South Korea)CRISPR genome editing in plants, animals and human cellsFAOBMB Education Award Lecture: Xiaoyun Lu (China)Teaching now, facing the futureMSBMB President – Tan Sri Dato’ Kong Hon Kong Award Lecture: Sheila Nathan (Malayasia)Resolving B. pseudomallei pathogenesis from a biochemistry–microbiology perspective

Plenary LecturesBalbir Singh Mohan Singh (Malaysia)Plasmodium knowlesi: past, present and futurePatrick Tan (Singapore)Genomic and epigenomic profiles of Asian endemic malignanciesMadan Babu (UK)Understanding variation in the GPCR signalling systemLeann Tilley (Australia)New technologies that provide insights into malaria parasite virulence and anti-malarial drug designNoboru Mizushima (Japan)Physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of autophagyBrad Nelson (Canada)Deciphering and re-engineering the immune response to cancer

From left: Yang Mooi Lim

(Conference Chair), Andy

Wang (President, IUBMB) and Anthony Ho Siong Hock

(Conference Secretariat).


The opening lecture delivered by John Mackenzie was a tour de force in understanding the factors driving the emergence and spread of zoonotic and vector borne virus diseases. John highlighted his talk with four examples which have emerged this millenunium, namely Nipah virus, the spread of West Nile virus, SARS and the emergence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. The study of the origin of these pathogenic diseases led to identification of various wildlife species which harbour a range of novel viruses, particularly bats from Africa and Asia. Given the relevance of the zoonotic nature of viruses, he argued for the importance of a One Heath concept to combat these diseases, with integration of the previous disparate fields of human medicine, veterinary science and wildlife ecology. Cooperation among human, animal, and environmental sciences to combat emerging public health threats has become an important issue under the One Health Initiative.

The winner of the 2019 FAOBMB Award for Research Excellence, given annually to a distinguished biochemist or molecular biologist for work carried out in the FAOBMB region, was Jin-Soo Kim who gave an outstanding summary of his work developing new CRISPR genome systems to introduce base editing in plants, animals and human cells. His lab has developed improved RNA-guided endonucleases derived from CRISPR-Cas9 and the Cas9/Cpf1/Base Editor ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery system to introduce defined mutations into genomes. He has developed rapid sequencing methods (Digenome-seq) to identify off target sites of Cas9 nucleases and Cas9-fused deaminases and has designed novel strategies to avoid off-target effects, which were described in his lecture.

The FEBS-sponsored lecture was delivered by Dominique Soldati-Fauvre. Her group has created many genetic tools for manipulating and studying eukaryotic parasites. Dominique’s talk focused on Toxoplasma

gondii, the obligate intracellular parasite that leads to a chronic infection toxoplasmosis, a major veterinary and human disease. She described her systems approach using computational metabolic models combined with CRISP-Cas9 screens of the metabolic genes to understand how the obligate parasite reshapes its metabolic network to survive different host environments where nutrient availability differs. The study revealed a fascinating insight into a variety of metabolic pathways, including purine nucleotides, vitamins, co-factors and fatty acids. In addition, her studies provide insights into how the parasite interacts with its host to modulate its metabolism under different stages of infection.

The FAOBMB Education Award, given triennially by the FAOBMB to a biochemist or molecular biologist in recognition of outstanding contributions and innovation to education in the FAOBMB region, was awarded to Xiaoyun Lu. Her very lively and engaging talk described her approach to establish independent learning skills and in particular, for students to figure out themselves how to discover what should be learned for their development of an effective skill set. In addition to novel teaching methods such as the flipped class room, she described the ‘rain classroom’ approach which incorporates traditional sources of information with social media interactions to maximise student engagement. She was able to demonstrate the positive influence of her approach to the outcomes of her student classes. This was followed by the FAOBMB Education Symposia, chaired by Grace Fe Yu and Janet Macaulay (Monash University)

Sheila Nathan received the MSBMB President’s Award and gave the final plenary lecture on her long-term studies of infections by Burkholderia bacteria and identification of the bacterial effectors, which switch off the host inflammatory response by targeting and degrading host transcription factors that drive an inflammatory response.

The themes of many of the other plenary talks integrated systems biology and genomic approaches, for example in the discovery of Plasmodium knowlesi (Balbir Singh),


Jin-Soo Kim (right) receives the

FAOBMB Award for Research

Excellence from Zengyi Chang

(FAOBMB President).

Xiaoyun Lu receives the FAOBMB Award for Education Excellence from Zengyi Chang (FAOBMB President).


Plasmodium virulence and anti-malarial drug design (Leann Tilley), epigenetic drivers of malignancies with high prevalence in Asia (Patrick Tan), and polymorphisms associated with G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the impact of these polymorphisms on signalling and the variable drug responses to GPCRs in individuals (Madan Babu).

The FAOBMB Council meeting was held on 18 August 2019, with Terrence Piva as the Australian delegate (ASBMB Representative) and Paul Gleeson, Chair of Fellowships Committee. The meeting was attended by delegates from 17 of the 21 constituent member societies/countries, the six members of the executive committee, the Honorary Member and Past President of FAOBMB Andrew Wang (now IUBMB President) and observers from Malaysia and other countries in the FAOBMB region, including the Treasurer Elect, Shannon Au. The Council meeting was chaired by the FAOBMB President, Zengyi Chang (Japan) (2017–2019) and the Secretary-General, Shiela Nathan (Malaysia). In his President’s report, Zengyi called for suggestions of other national societies that could be eligible to join FAOBMB, where strengths in education and scientific training are considered alongside research. Zengyi has encouraged strategies for closer ties with IUBMB and FEBS and has also initiated strategies to obtain stable funding for the FAOBMB awards and he encouraged delegates to be proactive in working with local community to support nominations for the various FAOBMB awards. The President Elect of FAOBMB is Akira Kikuchi, who will assume the role as President at the beginning of 2020, and will serve in this role until the end of 2021.

In August, Shannon Au (Hong Kong Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) was elected to the role of FAOBMB Treasurer and will take up the role from Piamsook Pongsawasdi (Thailand) whose 6-year term as Treasurer finishes at the end of 2019. Shannon will

serve in the role of FAOBMB Treasurer from 2020–2022.At the Council meeting, reports on the FAOBMB

Council Meeting in Seoul (June 2018) and FAOBMB Executive Committee Meeting in Shenzhen (March 2019) were tabled. Reports from the 15th FAOBMB–24th IUBMB Congress held in Seoul (2018), 27th FAOBMB Conference in Kuala Lumpur (2019), 28th FAOBMB Conference in Colombo (2020), 16th FAOBMB Congress in Christchurch (2021), 29th FAOBMB Conference in Shenzhen (2022) and 17th FAOBMB–26th IUBMB Congress in Melbourne (2024) were also tabled. There were two bids for the 30th FAOBMB Conference in 2023 and Council voted to hold the conference in Bangkok, hosted by the Thai-BMB Society.

One of the main points discussed at the council meeting was the terms of the GN Ranachandran Lecture at FAOBMB Congresses, which remained unresolved following discussions. Changes to the fee structure for member countries was also discussed and was agreed to, however, it was noted and that membership numbers on which the fees are based will not include students.

The next FAOBMB Conference will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 11–13 June 2020.

FAOBMB Executive Committee, FAOBMB Council Delegates and Observers at the Council meeting.

Jalan Alor street restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.


Entrance to the Batu Caves.


Forthcoming Meetings28th FAOBMB and 2nd CBSL Conference11–13 June 2020Colombo, Sri LankaThe 28th FAOBMB and 2nd College of Biochemists of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Conference has the theme Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for the Future. This conference will bring together the biochemists and Molecular Biologists as well as researchers of related disciplines from Asia and Oceania to a single platform where knowledge will be exchanged on how best the potential scientific research needs of the region could be addressed. Come visit the beautiful island of Sri Lanka; the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ named as the best destination for tourism in 2018 and 2019.Further informationhttps://faobmb20.comEmail: [email protected]

ComBio202029 September–2 October 2020Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Early Registration and Abstract Deadline: 26 June 2020

The conference is the combined meetings of the ASBMB, ASPS (Australian Society of Plant Scientists), ANZSCDB (Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology), GSA (Genetics Society of AustralAsia) and NZSBMB (New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).

We extend a warm invitation to you to be part of ComBio2020 to be held in the recently completed and spectacular extension of the MCEC which offers the latest and state-of-the-art convention and exhibition facilities.

The program will feature a number of overseas plenary presentations from some of the best international scientists together with a number of society speciality lectures. Two poster sessions are also planned. The scientific program of the conference will include the themes:• Plant Biology• Development, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine• Proteins, Peptides and Structural Biology• Biochemistry and Metabolism• Cell Biology and Signalling• Genomics, Genome Editing and Systems Biology• Evolutionary and Ecological Genetics• Infection and Immunity• Education

Further informationwww.combio.org.au/combio2020

Conference ChairJackie Wilce – [email protected]

Conference Program ChairMark Hulett – [email protected]

Registration/ExhibitionSally Jay – [email protected]

16th FAOBMB Congress22–25 November 2021Christchurch, New ZealandThe 16th Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) Congress will be hosted by five life science societies from New Zealand and Australia. Reflecting the breadth and depth of the five partner societies, indicative session topics include: computational biology; gene regulation and signal transduction; genetics and genomics; molecular basis of disease; molecular evolution; molecular microbiology; plant biology and biochemistry; and proteins – structure, function and engineering. The Congress will also be preceded by a Young Scientist Program.Further informationwww.faobmb2021.orgEmail: [email protected]

Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology IncPUBLICATIONSCHEDULEFORAUSTRALIAN BIOCHEMIST,volume51,2020

Issue

April 2020 51(1)

August 2020 51(2)

December 2020 51(3)

ASBMB Content

Profiles of medal, award and fellowship winnersNominations for Executive/Council

Nominations for medals, awards and fellowshipsNotice of AGM/proposed constitutional changes

Annual reports/financesComBio2020 reports

Copy Deadline

Monday 10 February

Monday 8 June

Monday 5 October

The Program for ComBio2020 (Melbourne) will be placed on the ASBMB website www.asbmb.org.au The Proceedings of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is published in conjunction with the

Annual Conference of the Society. The electronic version of the Proceedings (Volume 52) will be made available online.

Issue Date

Monday 6 April

Monday 3 August

Monday 30 November

https://faobmb20.com

http://www.faobmb2021.org


ASBMB 2019This year marked the first installment of a new initiative

for ASBMB – a move to making ComBio meetings biennial and holding an ASBMB-only meeting of some type in the alternate years. The main idea behind these ASBMB-focused meetings was to create a meeting of a size that was able to run in a more intimate setting than the capital city conference centres that we are restricted to in ComBio conferences, allowing the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology community to get together and discuss science (and other things) with fewer large venue and large meeting distractions.

Nic Taylor from UWA was the person brave enough to take on the role as conference chair for the first of these ASBMB-focused meeting. The conference was held at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, WA in the first week of October. Not only did Nic have to contend with an untested style of meeting for ASBMB (or at least one that hasn’t been tested since the ComBio meeting was instigated in 1999 on the Gold Coast – we have otherwise been holding ASBMB-focused meetings since 1956!), as well as with the geographic challenge of holding the meeting on the west coast, but he also did it without having Sally and Chris Jay – our long-time professional conference organising crew.

Despite these obvious impediments, Nic led a team that put together an excellent program. The meeting had approximately 150 attendees, and the venue was very well matched to this size, allowing people to mix easily at the breaks. There were some great talks and some excellent discussion about topical issues like gene editing. I very much look forward to further installments of these ASBMB-focused meetings.

Because the purpose of these meetings is to serve our members, we will also organise a survey of members (Fremantle attendees as well as non-attendees) to gauge attitudes to the new meeting style and to help us to shape plans for future ASBMB meetings.

ComBio2020There is little doubt that the best thing that I have done

in my role on the ASBMB Executive so far has been to convince Jackie Wilce (Monash University) to chair the ComBio2020 meeting in Melbourne. With Program Chair, Mark Hulett (La Trobe University), and the team they have recruited (including Marc Kvansakul and Tatiana Soares da Costa from the ASBMB Executive), they have been way ahead of the curve in their preparations for this conference and it is shaping up to be a very strong meeting indeed. They have secured Cynthia Kenyon (the biology-of-ageing superstar), Jennifer Doudna (the CRISPR/Cas superstar) and Roy Parker (the RNA biology superstar) among others to headline the meeting. We have also recruited a local star in the education

sector for an Education plenary – Martin Westwell (formerly Professor of Science Education at Flinders and now Chief Executive of the South Australian Education board) – who I can guarantee will give a thoughtful and engaging presentation.

Meetings on the further horizonIn 2021, ASBMB will join with the NZSBMB in their

hosting of the 16th FAOBMB Congress in Christchurch; Wayne Patrick (Victoria University of Wellington) is the Chair of this meeting. The meeting will be held from 22–25 November in the new Convention Centre (Te Pae), which will open later this year. I know Wayne well and I’m very confident that he will organise an excellent meeting. I hope we can get the Australian community to support the venture and head over to Christchurch.

2022 and 2023 are currently unbooked – but the cities that would be due to host meetings on those years would be Canberra and Brisbane, respectively. 2022 will be a ComBio meeting and 2023 will be an ASBMB-focused meeting.

Then, in 2024 is the big one – the IUBMB Congress (which will incorporate ComBio, FAOBMB and NZSBMB meetings), which has been secured by a team that includes Leann Tilley, Christina Mitchell, Danny Hatters, Andy Hill and Terry Piva. The team is expecting 2,500–3,000 delegates to descend on Melbourne for the Congress, and again I am confident that we are in very capable hands. Notably, they plan not only to have a program full of excellent science, but also to use the opportunity to discuss the future of biomolecular science more strategically by engaging with industry, government and other stakeholders. I will be very interested to see if they can get this type of activity rolling successfully, because it could serve as a template for the future.

ASBMB award recipientsI would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our

2019 award recipients:TheLembergMedalMaria Kavallaris (Children’s Cancer Institute)TheMerckResearchMedalKate Schroder (University of Queensland)TheBeckmanCoulterDiscoveryScienceAwardAndrew Hill (University of Melbourne)

ASBMB Annual ReportsPresident’s Report

ASBMB President

Joel Mackay.


TheShimadzuEducationAwardTerry Mulhern (University of Melbourne)TheBoomerangAwardGavin Knott (University of California, Berkeley, USA)TheEppendorfEdmanAwardTatiana Soares da Costa (La Trobe University)ASBMB FellowshipsChristopher Stubenrauch (Monash University) – Fred Collins Award recipientJake Chua (UNSW Sydney)Joe Kaczmarski (Australian National University)Rochelle Tixeira (La Trobe University)Gabrielle Watson (Monash University)

At the Fremantle meeting, we also acknowledged the 50-year memberships of John Ballard, James Camakaris, Ross Davey and Geoff McKenzie.

Running the SocietyI would like to thank the current and recent members of

the ASBMB Council for the time and effort they have put into the Society. These are purely voluntary roles and I am very grateful that they give up their time to serve the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology community. Without the efforts of such people, the Society would cease to exist. In particular, I would single out Briony Forbes and Marc Kvansakul, who do a lot of work behind the scenes to keep the Society functioning. Tatiana Soares da Costa is also to be acknowledged for her tremendous effort with the Australian Biochemist (with the valuable assistance of Editorial Officer, Liana Friedman) and with other media platforms. And needless to say, supporting the efforts of the Council are Sally and Chris Jay and the National Office – who are enormously valuable resources for the Society.

I would also like to welcome two new Special Interest Groups to the ASBMB fold – the Canberra Protein Group (headed by Simon Williams, Australian National University) and the Perth Protein Group (headed by Josh Mylne, University of Western Australia). I look forward to these two groups supporting science in their regions and promoting ASBMB to the local populations.

Thenextyear(andbeyond?)Writing this report is an opportunity to reflect on ASBMB

and the role it can and should play in the scientific community. The landscape for academic science has changed considerably over the last 20 years, and several of these changes have the potential to

impact considerably on the Society. One change is the incorporation of Biochemistry Departments into larger School structures – something that has taken place in a number of universities around the country (and the world). An unintended consequence of this change is that there are now relatively few Schools that are predominantly Schools of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I wonder whether this, combined with the rise of a number of technology-driven areas of research such as proteomics, structural biology and gene editing, has perhaps led to some people identify more closely with focused subdisciplines than the broader area encompassed by the Society. It is up to ASBMB to ensure that it is doing the best that it possibly can in supporting the research and teaching aspirations of its members (and its potential members!). An important part of this goal is to carefully consider the nature of the conference that we hold in non-ComBio years, now that we have made a commitment to this path of alternate years of ComBio and ASBMB meetings.

Additional initiatives that I would like to consider as a focus for the coming year:• Considering the re-establishment of an ASBMB-led

annual Heads of School/Discipline meeting as a forum for the exchange of ideas amongst discipline leaders within Australia.

• Strengthening the focus on Biochemistry Education within the Society – I firmly believe that this is an area that links a large fraction of ASBMB members and one in which we could and should be playing a role by bringing together members who are teaching in the areas of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Providing better guidance and support for State Representatives in their roles and considering the introduction of a formal network of institutional representatives to provide deeper engagement in individual institutions.

• Surveying members (and hopefully lapsed members and even non-members) to find out what they think the ASBMB could and should play for them.

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any views about any of the things I’ve said here or any ideas for things that the Society could or should be doing differently. I’d be very pleased to hear from you!

ProfessorJoelMackay,[email protected]

ASBMB Annual Reports


Relevant summaries of the full audited report (1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019) should be read in conjunction with this statement.

The overall position of the Society is substantially better than that of 2018. We recorded a healthy operating profit of $45,455 compared to $14,589 in 2017–18. This year’s outcome builds on the substantial improvement to the Society’s financial position compared to the losses sustained in the 2012–15 period ($94,574 in 2014–15; $84,646 in 2013–14; $88,567 in 2012–13). The major reason for the increase in profit was the success of ComBio2018 in Sydney. The three-day conference format appears to have proven itself, which is great to see.

In addition to the highly positive financial outcome from ComBio2018, we continue to benefit from the cost cutting measures implemented by my predecessor. The Australian Biochemist appears to be well received in its electronic format, and using video call for Council and Executive meetings reduces costs and saves on travel time (and CO2!). A continuing issue remains our membership numbers, which we will need to at least maintain or ideally increase, as we have trimmed all costs to ensure we can maintain the National Office, state branches and Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and be able to fund our awards. With three consecutive years of profit, we are now able to maintain, and hopefully somewhat increase our reserves.

The major sources of income for ASBMB are membership revenue, ComBio profit and bank interests, with only ComBio profits significantly increasing compared to the 2017–18 financial year. Overall, our revenue for 2018–19 was up $30,141 from 2017–18. Membership revenue remains the major source of income for the Society (52% total income in 2018–19), which has decreased compared to last year by $6,970. Advertising income increased to $3,740 compared to $2,480 in 2017–18. Sally Jay is to be commended for maintaining ASBMB’s strong relationship with a large number of companies who exhibit at ComBio, as their presence contributes to the success of this conference. ComBio2018 in Sydney generated income of $103,155 (our profit share was $60,644), which was a significant increase to that generated by ComBio2017 in Adelaide. Corporate support for our named awards remains strong and, on behalf of the Society, I thank them for their support. Interest on our accounts remained steady in 2018–19 due to stable official interest rates.

Net expenditure in the 2018–19 financial year was down $725 compared to the previous period (2017–18). Expenses incurred in running the National Office increased a little compared to 2017–18. We are fortunate that Sally and Chris Jay manage the National Office with a high degree of effectiveness while keeping their costs relatively stable. Our flagship publication is the Australian Biochemist and it is available to members as a downloadable PDF. Suresh Mathivanan and Tatiana Soares da Costa as the

past and current Editors, along with Editorial Officer, Liana Friedman, are to be commended for their work in putting the magazine together. The distribution of funds to the state and SIGs were a little below that in 2017–18.

As the balance sheet indicates, we enjoy total assets of $594,064 and a total equity of $477,176 when liabilities are taken into account, an increase of $45,455. Cash holdings have increased compared to 2017–18 as well as trade and other receivables. During the past year, we have significantly increased our asset base, aided by the profit we made. As indications are that ASBMB 2019 will not return a substantial profit, we will continue to rely on the biannual ComBio meetings to be able to rebuild our financial asset base after several years of recording losses. Nonetheless, with membership income playing a key role in our financial position, it remains imperative that the Society, through its state and SIG representatives, undertakes an active recruitment drive to attract more members.

The audit for ComBio2018 was finalised in April this year. The Sydney meeting returned a profit of $103,155 that was a substantial increase to that generated from ComBio2017 ($44,073). Given the healthy profit generated, the community seems to support a more compact event. Consequently, I remain optimistic that despite issues with frequency and timing of ComBio, we can continue to use income derived from ComBio to support many of our activities. Current projections are that ComBio2020 will be a financial success as have all recent Melbourne based meetings, and thus continue the recent trend of profitable meetings.

While most aspects of the Society’s expenditure have now been minimised, we must look at ways we can generate new sources of income in order to maintain our financial base. One way that all members can help the Society is to actively promote the ASBMB and its benefits, and encourage colleagues and postgraduate students to become members.

In my role as the ASBMB Treasurer I have many people to thank. Members of the ASBMB Executive who are always constructive and supportive, Sally and Chris Jay (ASBMB National Office), Ian Price (ASBMB bookkeeper), Priestleys (ASBMB accountants) and Brian Hiley (ASBMB auditor).

ProfessorMarcKvansakul,[email protected]

Treasurer’s Report


ASBMB Treasurer

Marc Kvansakul.


REPORTONTHEFINANCIALSTATEMENTSWe have audited the financial report of the Australian

Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Incorporated (the association) which comprises the statement of financial position as at 30 June 2019, the statement of profit or loss, statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity and statement of cash flows for the year then ended, notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information, and the certification by members of the committee on the annual statements giving a true and fair view of the financial position and performance of the association.

EXECUTIVEOFFICERS’RESPONSIBILITYThe committee of the association are responsible for

the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements and the Associations Incorporations Act 1991, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

BASIS FOR OPINIONWe conducted our audit in accordance with Australian

Auditing Standards. Our responsibilities under those

standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Report section of our report. We are independent of the association in accordance with the ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s APES 110: Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) that are relevant to our audit of the financial report in Australia. We have also fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

AUDITOPINIONIn our opinion, the accompanying financial report of the

Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Incorporated is in accordance with the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 including:(i) giving a true and fair view of the association’s financial position as at 30 June 2019 and of its performance for the year then ended; and(ii) that the financial records kept by the association are such as to enable financial statements to be prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements.

MC Andreassen (Partner) Priestleys Chartered Accountants

Your Executive Officers submit herewith the financial statements of the Association for the year ended 30 June 2019, together with the Auditors’ Report thereon and in accordance with Section 73 of the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 report as follows.

EXECUTIVEOFFICERSThe Executive Officers throughout the year were:

Professor Joel Mackay (President); Professor Leann Tilley (Past President); Professor Briony Forbes (Secretary); Professor Marc Kvansakul (Treasurer); Professor Suresh Mathivanan (Editor); Associate Professor Terrence Piva (FAOBMB Representative).

PRINCIPALACTIVITIESThe principal activity of the Association in the course of

the financial year was the advancement of the science and profession of both biochemistry and molecular biology.

OPERATINGRESULTSDuring the year, the Association produced an operating

profit of $45,455 (2018: operating profit $14,589).

STATEMENTBYEXECUTIVEOFFICERSIn the opinion of the Executive Officers the financial

statements, consisting of the Statement of Profit and Loss and other Comprehensive Income, Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows and Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements:(a) Presents a true and fair view of the financial

position of the Association as at 30 June 2019 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements.

(b) At the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Association will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

Signed in accordance with a Resolution of the Executive Officers.

ProfessorJoelMackay,PresidentProfessorMarcKvansakul,Treasurer

ASBMB Annual ReportsExecutive Officers’ Report

Independent Auditor’s Report


AUSTRALIANSOCIETYFORBIOCHEMISTRYANDMOLECULARBIOLOGYINCORPORATED

STATEMENTOFFINANCIALPOSITIONAT30JUNE2019

2019 2018$ $

CURRENTASSETSCash and cash equivalents 506,183 472,633Trade and other receivables 83,808 71,104Other current assets 4,073 112TOTALCURRENTASSETS 594,064 543,849

NON-CURRENTASSETSProperty, plant and equipment - -TOTALNON-CURRENTASSETS - -

TOTALASSETS 594,064 543,849

CURRENTLIABILITIESTrade and other payables 116,888 112,128TOTALCURRENTLIABILITIES 116,888 112,128

TOTALLIABILITIES 116,888 112,128

NETASSETS 477,176 431,721

EQUITYRetained surplus 477,176 431,721

TOTALEQUITY 477,176 431,721

STATEMENTOFCASHFLOWSFORTHEYEARENDED30JUNE2019

2019 2018$ $

CASHFLOWSFROMOPERATINGACTIVITIESReceipts from members 86,932 95,500Conference income 52,673 38,046Other income 17,808 16,077Payments to suppliers and employees (135,024) (140,014)Interest received 11,161 10,661Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

33,550 20,270

CASHFLOWSFROMINVESTINGACTIVITIESNet increase/(decrease) in cash held 33,550 20,270Cash at the beginning of the financial year 472,633 452,363

Cash at the end of the financial year 506,183 472,633

REVENUE2019 2018$ $

Operating activitiesAdministration FundSubscriptions – ordinary, student, retired and Sustaining Members

83,268 90,238

Conference income 60,645 25,382Advertising and insert in proceedings and magazines

3,740 2,480

Other Income 11,990 12,020159,643 130,120

Non-operating activitiesInterest received – Administration Fund 10,971 10,731Donations 505 127

11,476 10,858TotalRevenue 171,119 140,978

EXPENSES2019 2018$ $

Other expenses from ordinary activitiesAffiliate memberships 15,697 14,415Awards and medals 16,900 19,400Conference support costs 8,198 10,351Council expenses 5,699 4,887Insurance 1,176 1,176National Office costs 40,137 38,831Magazine costs 10,281 9,707Other costs 4,326 3,456State allocations 8,000 9,216Remuneration of auditor - audit or review services 2,850 2,850 - other services 2,400 2,100ASBMB Fellowship – Research Fund 10,000 10,000

125,664 126,389

CASHANDCASHEQUIVALENTS2019 2018$ $

Cash at bank – Administration Fund 506,183 472,633506,183 472,633

TRADEANDOTHERPAYABLES2018 2018$ $

CurrentAccrued expenses – Administration Fund 2,216 2,406

ComBio/OzBio conference receivables 45,480 32,720Other deposits paid - 278GST Receivable 412 -Advances to state committees 35,700 35,700

83,808 71,104

RETAINEDSURPLUS2019 2018$ $

Administration FundRetained surplus at beginning of the year 431,721 417,132

Net surplus (deficit) attributable to the Fund 45,455 14,589

Retained surplus at the end of the year 477,176 431,721

All sums given in Australian Dollars.



DisclaimerThe Australian Biochemist is published by the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Inc. The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Inc.

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StemBioSys’s CELLvo™ Matrix is the only commercially available substrate that recapitulates biochemical as well as structural and mechanical cues of the native niche by leaving the extracellular matrix intact. This results in a native three-dimensional microenvironment composed of more than 150 proteins for cell culturing.

CELLvo™ Matrices are carefully created from matrices secreted from human bone marrow stromal cells. After decellularization, the resultant matrix is a biomimetic substrate that provides the cues expected by cells for healthy phenotyping. Furthermore, the matrix is optically clear, suitable for brightfield imaging.

The CELLvo™ Xeno Free variant is produced xeno-free, making it ideal for translational studies.


http://https://www.atascientific.com.au/products/celena-x-high-content-auto-cell-imaging-system/




Microplate Readers: R&Din Cancer Immunotherapy

In a huge cross section of research for the development and improvement of cancer immunotherapies, BMG LABTECH microplate readers play a crucial role. The multimodal, multi-well instruments allow for various absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence measurements, with exceptional sensitivity, speed and accuracy.

Senju et al. (2018)1 used BMG LABTECH’s PHERAstar® to assess cellular toxicity assays using time-resolved fluorescence to analyse the effects of interleukin 18 (IL-18) on natural killer (NK) cells derived from lung cancer patients. IL-18 triggered aggressive proliferation of NK cells, thus conferring an antigen-presenting cell (APC) type phenotype. The APC-like NK cells were able to demonstrate anti-tumour activity and efficiently kill tumour cells. This suggested that stimulation of NK cells could prove to be a beneficial immunotherapy approach in the treatment of lung cancer.

Fan et al. (2018)2 used BMG LABTECH’s CLARIOstar® to demonstrate that encapsulating an mRNA-encoding antigen with a certain nanoparticle triggered the effective stimulation of dendritic cell maturation, and thus promoted the activation and proliferation of antigen-specific T cells equipped with a robust anti-tumour response. Using a mouse model, the approach slowed tumour growth in an aggressive form of lymphoma, proving to be a promising method for the delivery of the mRNA vaccine.

BMG LABTECH’s microplate readers serve as vital tools in making cancer vaccination a reality. To learn more, visit www.bmglabtech.com or email [email protected]

and proteomic applications and Chemstudio for applications requiring highest sensitivity and uncompromising raw data capture.

Please contact [email protected] for more information.

The culmination of years of innovation, the LI-6800 Portable Photosynthesis System is part of a new era of photosynthesis learning and discovery. The sensor head design gives you automated control over all of the environmental conditions to which the leaf is subjected – temperature, CO2 concentration, humidity, light, and flow rate – for unprecedented measurements of plant physiology. Improved plumbing in the sensor head, along with tighter tolerances on gas analyzers and the CO2 mixer, are all part of Rapid Sensing™ Technology. These advancements unlock new research possibilities for you, including:

Fast Survey MeasurementsSystem achieves stability in as

little as 45 seconds, for the fastest survey measurements of any portable photosynthesis system – without sacrificing data accuracy or precision.

Rapid Response CurvesA patented air flow division inside

the sensor head reduces diffusion and allows for a rapid exchange of air from the leaf chamber to the gas analyzers, making new techniques like the Rapid A-Ci Response (RACiR™) Method possible.

Integrated Gas Exchange and Fluorescence

The LI-6800 is capable of making simultaneous gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements over the same 6 cm2 leaf area, making it possible to study the role of alternative electron sinks and more accurately estimate mesophyll conductance.

[email protected]

References1. Senju, H et al. Effect of IL-18 on the Expansion and Phenotype of Human Natural Killer Cells: Application to Cancer Immunotherapy. International Journal of Biological Sciences 2018;14(3):331-340.

2. Fan, Y et al. Cationic lipid-assisted nanoparticles for delivery of mRNA cancer vaccine. Biomaterials Science 2018;6:3009-3018.

TheAnalytikJenaLifeSciences Range is Available from Bio-Strategy

Analytik Jena has developed innovative technologies in nucleic acid isolation and acquired strong brands in Biometra and UVP, expanding their life sciences portfolio; providing quality, robust and innovative products to molecular biology and biochemistry laboratories.

Analytik Jena’s patented Dual Chemistry technology offers a novel platform for isolation and purification of nucleic acid, using a combination of chaotropic and non-chaotropic salts with low ionic strength to bind DNA to a solid phase. A great advantage for downstream processes.

Biometra is synonymous with quality and robustness for over 30 years. German manufactured thermal cycler models: TOne, TAdvanced and TRIO; gradient and non-gradient systems will cater to any PCR workflow.

The innovative qTower 3 systems from Analytik Jena sets new standards for flexibility and precision for all real-time PCR applications. Take advantage of the peerless temperature control precision, the 6 s minimal scan time (6-fold multiplexing) and the unprecedented 10-year warranty on the optical system.

The UVP range of gel documentation systems is available in 3 tiers: the compact and easy to use GelSolo, the GelStudio for advanced genomic


www.bmglabtech.com


ASBMB Council 2020

TREASURERProfessorMarcKvansakul Department of Biochemistry and GeneticsLa Trobe Institute for Molecular Science La Trobe UniversityBUNDOORA VIC 3086Ph (03) 9479 2263Email: [email protected]

PRESIDENTProfessorJoelMackaySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySYDNEY NSW 2006Ph (02) 9351 3906Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYFORSUSTAININGMEMBERSSallyJayc/- ASBMB National OfficePO Box 2331KENT TOWN SA 5071Ph (08) 8362 0009Email: [email protected]

EDUCATIONREPRESENTATIVEDrNirmaSamarawickremaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityCLAYTON VIC 3800Ph (03) 9902 0295Email: [email protected]

EDITORand CHAIROFCOMMUNICATIONS DrTatianaSoaresdaCostaDepartment of Biochemistry and GeneticsLa Trobe Institute for Molecular Science La Trobe UniversityBUNDOORA VIC 3086Ph (03) 9479 2227Email: [email protected]

FAOBMBREPRESENTATIVEAssociateProfessorTerrencePivaSchool of Medical SciencesRMIT University, PO Box 71BUNDOORA VIC 3083Ph (03) 9925 6503Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYProfessor Briony ForbesMedicinal BiochemistryFlinders UniversityBEDFORD PARK SA 5042Ph (08) 8204 4221Email: [email protected]

PRESIDENTELECTProfessorJacquiMatthewsSchool of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySYDNEY NSW 2006Ph (02) 9351 6025 Email: [email protected]

mailto:ltilley%40unimelb.edu.au%0D?subject=


COUNCILFOR2020PRESIDENTProfessorJoelMackaySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySYDNEY NSW 2006Ph (02) 9351 3906Email: [email protected]

PRESIDENTELECTProfessorJacquiMatthewsSchool of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySYDNEY NSW 2006Ph (02) 9351 6025Email: [email protected]

TREASURERProfessorMarcKvansakulDepartment of Biochemistry and GeneticsLa Trobe Institute for Molecular Science La Trobe UniversityBUNDOORA VIC 3086Ph (03) 9479 2263Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYProfessor Briony ForbesMedicinal BiochemistryFlinders UniversityBEDFORD PARK SA 5042Ph (08) 8204 4221Email: [email protected]

EDITORand CHAIROFCOMMUNICATIONSDrTatianaSoaresdaCostaDepartment of Biochemistry and GeneticsLa Trobe Institute for Molecular Science La Trobe UniversityBUNDOORA VIC 3086Ph (03) 9479 2227Email: [email protected]

EDUCATIONREPRESENTATIVEDrNirmaSamarawickremaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityCLAYTON VIC 3800Ph (03) 9902 0295Email: [email protected]

FAOBMBREPRESENTATIVEAssociateProfessorTerrencePivaSchool of Medical SciencesRMIT University, PO Box 71BUNDOORA VIC 3083Ph (03) 9925 6503Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYFORSUSTAININGMEMBERSSallyJayc/- ASBMB National OfficePO Box 2331KENT TOWN SA 5071Ph (08) 8362 0009Email: [email protected]

STATEREPRESENTATIVESAUSTRALIANCAPITALTERRITORYDrMatthewJohnsonResearch School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityACTON ACT 2601Ph (02) 6127 0049Email: [email protected]

NEWSOUTHWALESDrKateQuinlan School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSYDNEY 2052 NSWPh (02) 9385 8586Email: [email protected]

QUEENSLANDDrBenjaminSchulzSchool of Chemistry & Molecular BiosciencesUniversity of QueenslandST LUCIA QLD 4072Ph (07) 3365 4875Email: [email protected]

SOUTHAUSTRALIADr Melissa PitmanCentre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology & University of South AustraliaADELAIDE SA 5001Ph (08) 8302 7892Email: [email protected]

TASMANIADrKateBrettingham-MooreSchool of MedicineUniversity of TasmaniaHOBART TAS 7008Ph (03) 6226 4609Email: [email protected]

VICTORIADr Erinna LeeOlivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute145 Studley RdHEIDELBERG VIC 3084Ph (03) 9496 5726Email: [email protected]

WESTERNAUSTRALIADrMonikaMurchaARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyUniversity of Western AustraliaCRAWLEY WA 6009Ph (08) 6488 1749Email: [email protected]

ASBMBNATIONALOFFICEPO Box 2331KENT TOWN SA 5071Ph (08) 8362 0009Fax (08) 8362 0009Email: [email protected]://www.asbmb.org.au

SPECIALINTERESTGROUPSADELAIDEPROTEINGROUPChair: Erin BrazelUniversity of AdelaideADELAIDE SA 5005Ph (08) 8313 8259Email: [email protected]

AUSTRALIANYEASTGROUPChair: Dr Alan MunnGriffith University Gold CoastSOUTHPORT QLD 9726Ph (07) 5552 9307Email: [email protected]

BIOCHEMICALEDUCATIONChair:DrNirmaSamarawickremaMonash UniversityCLAYTON VIC 3800Ph (03) 9902 0295Email: [email protected]

CELLARCHITECTUREChair:AssociateProfessorThomasFathDementia Research CentreMacquarie UniversityNORTH RYDE NSW 2109Email: [email protected]

MELBOURNEPROTEINGROUPPresident:DrMichaelGriffinBiochemistry and Molecular BiologyBio21 Institute, University of MelbournePARKVILLE VIC 3010Ph (03) 9035 4233Email: [email protected]

METABOLISMANDMOLECULARMEDICINEGROUPChair:DrNigelTurnerUNSW SydneyKENSINGTON NSW 2052Ph (02) 9385 2548Email: [email protected]

PERTHPROTEINGROUPChair:AssociateProfessorJoshuaMylneUniversity of Western AustraliaPERTH WA 6009Ph (08) 6488 4415Email: [email protected]

QUEENSLANDPROTEINGROUPChair: Dr Brett CollinsInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, UQST LUCIA QLD 4072Ph (07) 3346 2043Email: [email protected]

RNANETWORKAUSTRALASIAChair: Dr Archa FoxHarry Perkins Institute of Medical ResearchNEDLANDS WA 6009Ph (08) 6151 0762Email: [email protected]

SYDNEYPROTEINGROUPPresident: Dr Liza CubedduUniversity of Western SydneyPENRITH NSW 2751Ph (02) 4620 3343Email: [email protected]

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