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Areas
  • Population health and epidemiology
Technologies
Themes / Divisions

About

My team has two major parallel interests: fundamental parasite biology and advanced parasite diagnostics and epidemiology.

On the fundamental side, we use advanced sequencing technologies and bioinformatics to explore the genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics of major human parasites, including soil transmitted helminthes and major diarrhoeal pathogens (Giardia and Cryptosporidium).

We are particularly interested in:

Hosts and parasites interaction at the immunological level
Parasite development in their host
Parasite resistance to common antiparasitic drugs
On the applied side, we develop quantitative real-time PCR assays to test for major parasites and other pathogens/microorganisms of relevance to the local water industry (for example Cryptosporidium and toxigenic cyanobacteria) and/or of relevance to global health (for example human gastrointestinal parasites).

We use these tools to assess transmission risk and to explore parasite epidemiology in developed and resource poor settings.

Publications

Selected publications from A/Prof Aaron Jex

Nelli F, Ge Z, Blackall L, Taheriashtiani N, Henry R, Brumley DR, Grace M, Jex A, Burch M, Lin T-F, Bertelkamp C, Willis A, Gao L, Schmidt J, Crosbie ND, Zamyadi A. Machine learning driven image segmentation and shape clustering of algal microscopic images obtained from various water types. 2024;1:10.1016/j.csbr.2024.100014

Merrett JE, Nolan M, Hartman L, John N, Flynn B, Baker L, Schang C, McCarthy D, Lister D, Cheng NN, Crosbie N, Poon R, Jex A. Highly sensitive wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants by targeted next-generation amplicon sequencing provides early warning of incursion in Victoria, Australia. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2024;90(8):10.1128/aem.01497-23

Baldi A, Braat S, Imrul Hasan M, Bennett C, Barrios M, Jones N, Moir-Meyer G, Abdul Azeez I, Wilcox S, Saiful Alam Bhuiyan M, Ataide R, Clucas D, Harrison LC, Arifeen SE, Bowden R, Biggs B-A, Jex A, Pasricha S-R. Community use of oral antibiotics transiently reprofiles the intestinal microbiome in young Bangladeshi children. Nature Communications. 2024;15(1):10.1038/s41467-024-51326-5

Woodhouse JN, Burford MA, Neilan BA, Jex A, Tichkule S, Sivonen K, Fewer DP, Grossart H-P, Willis A. Long-term stability of the genome structure of the cyanobacterium, Dolichospermum in a deep German lake. Harmful Algae. 2024;133:10.1016/j.hal.2024.102600

Ferguson AA, Inclan-Rico JM, Lu D, Bobardt SD, Hung L, Gouil Q, Baker L, Ritchie ME, Jex AR, Schwarz EM, Rossi HL, Nair MG, Dillman AR, Herbert DR. Hookworms dynamically respond to loss of Type 2 immune pressure. PLOS Pathogens. 2023;19(12):10.1371/journal.ppat.1011797

Floriano AM, Biffignandi GB, Castelli M, Olivieri E, Clementi E, Comandatore F, Rinaldi L, Opara M, Plantard O, Palomar AM, Noël V, Vijay A, Lo N, Makepeace BL, Duron O, Jex A, Guy L, Sassera D. The evolution of intramitochondriality in Midichloria bacteria. Environmental Microbiology. 2023;25(11):10.1111/1462-2920.16446

Borger JG, Ng AP, Anderton H, Ashdown GW, Auld M, Blewitt ME, Brown DV, Call MJ, Collins P, Freytag S, Harrison LC, Hesping E, Hoysted J, Johnston A, McInneny A, Tang P, Whitehead L, Jex A, Naik SH. Artificial intelligence takes center stage: exploring the capabilities and implications of ChatGPT and other AI‐assisted technologies in scientific research and education. Immunology and Cell Biology. 2023;101(10):10.1111/imcb.12689

Siddiq A, Dong G, Balan B, Harrison LG, Jex A, Olivier M, Allain T, Buret AG. A thermo‐resistant and RNase‐sensitive cargo from Giardia duodenalis extracellular vesicles modifies the behaviour of enterobacteria. Journal of Extracellular Biology. 2023;2(9):10.1002/jex2.109

Su Q, Baker L, Emery S, Balan B, Ansell B, Tichkule S, Mueller I, Svärd SG, Jex A. Transcriptomic analysis of albendazole resistance in human diarrheal parasite Giardia duodenalis. International Journal for Parasitology Drugs and Drug Resistance. 2023;22:10.1016/j.ijpddr.2023.03.004

Corsi GI, Tichkule S, Sannella AR, Vatta P, Asnicar F, Segata N, Jex AR, van Oosterhout C, Cacciò SM. Recent genetic exchanges and admixture shape the genome and population structure of the zoonotic pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum. Molecular Ecology. 2023;32(10):10.1111/mec.16556

Lab research projects

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