The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Professor Warren Alexander

Details

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Division: Cancer & Haematology

Research Overview

The body’s resilience to infection, its capacity to respond to injury and bleeding, and its need to continually supply oxygen to tissues and organs relies on the precise regulation of the production and function of blood cells. When numbers of blood cells are low, such as during chemotherapy for cancer treatment or immunodeficiency, the risk of severe infection or bleeding is high. Conversely, when the production of blood cells occurs unchecked, or results in overactive cells, diseases such as leukaemia or autoimmunity arise. We aim to understand the molecular regulation of blood cell production and function providing new leads for treatments of blood cell diseases.

Research Interests

• Genetic dissection of blood cell production and function
• Negative regulation of cytokine signaling in inflammation

Selected Publications

1. ALEXANDER WS, Starr, R, Fenner, J, Scott C, Handman E, Sprigg N, Corbin J, Cornish A, Owczarek C, Kay T, Nicola NA, Hertzog P, Metcalf D, Hilton DJ.  SOCS1 is a critical regulator of cellular sensitivity to interferon and prevents the fatal neonatal effects of this cytokine.  Cell 98:597-608, 1999. PMID: 10490099
2. Metcalf D, Greenhalgh CJ, Viney E, Willson TA, Starr R, Nicola NA, Hilton DJ, ALEXANDER WS.  Gigantism in mice lacking suppressor of cytokine signalling-2.  Nature 405:1069-1073, 2000. PMID: 10890450
3. Croker BA, Krebs DL, Zhang JG, Wormald S, Willson TA, Stanley EG, Robb L, Greenhalgh CJ, Forster I, Clausen BE, Nicola NA, Metcalf D, Hilton DJ, Roberts AW, ALEXANDER WS.  SOCS3 negatively regulates IL-6 signaling in vivo.  Nat Immunol 4:540-545, 2003. PMID: 12754505
4. Carpinelli MR, Hilton DJ, Metcalf D, Antonchuk JL, Hyland CD, Mifsud SL, Rago L, Hilton AA, Willson TA, Roberts AW, Ramsay RG, Nicola NA, ALEXANDER WS.  Suppressor screen in Mpl-/- mice: c-Myb mutation causes supraphysiological production of platelets in the absence of thrombopoietin signaling.  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101:6553-6558, 2004. PMID: 15071178
5. Loughran SJ, Kruse EA, Hacking DF, de Graaf CA, Hyland CD, Willson TA, Henley KJ, Ellis S, Voss AK, Metcalf D, Hilton DJ*, ALEXANDER WS,* and Kile BT.*  Ets related gene (Erg) is essential for definitive hematopoiesis and adult hematopoietic stem cell function. *Joint Senior Authors.  Nat Immunol 9:810-819, 2008. PMID: 18500345

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Current Laboratory Members

Faculty Member: Warren Alexander, BSc(Hons) PhD Melb

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Leigh Coultas, BSc(Hons) Adelaide PhD Melb

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Tracy Willson, BSc(Hons) PhD Mon (Jointly with Molecular Medicine Division)

Postdoctoral Fellow: Maria Kauppi, PhD Helsinki

Postdoctoral Fellow: Rowena Lewis, BSc(Hons) PhD Deakin

Postdoctoral Fellow: Bill Tan, BSc Nanjing, MSc Auckland, PhD Auckland

Postdoctoral Fellow: Takashi Ushiki, MD Niigata University, Japan, PhD Niigata University, Japan

Research Assistant: Jason Corbin, BAppSc Swinburne

Research Assistant: Adrienne Hilton, BAppSc RMIT

Research Assistant: Craig Hyland, BAppSc RMIT

Research Assistant: Janelle Lochland, BSc Deakin

Research Assistant: Dina Stockwell, BSc LaT

Research Assistant: Evelyn Trounson, BSc(Hons) VUT

Postgraduate Student: Elizabeth Kruse, BSc(Hons) Melb (Jointly with Molecular Medicine Division)

Postgraduate Student: Stanley Lee, BSc(Hons) Auckland

Postgraduate Student: Ashley Ng, BMedSc Melb FRACP MB BS(Hons) Melb FRCPA