Prof Ian Wicks, Centre Head | WEHI Researcher Profile

About

My lab research is focused on molecular analysis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We use murine and human experimental systems and apply ‘omics’ technologies in order to improve understanding of disease pathogenesis, find better biomarkers and develop targeted therapeutics.

Our primary focus has been on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but we’ve found that experimental systems and techniques used to study RA are relevant to many other inflammatory diseases, and we now have active research programs in vasculitis, myositis and lupus. We also have a strong interest in developing therapeutic antibodies and several of these have gone into clinical trials. In addition to engineered antibodies, we have formed a collaboration with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to study the naturally occurring human antibody repertoire in hemolytic disease of the newborn.

A major research theme of my lab is to investigate how the cytokines G-CSF and GM-CSF promote inflammatory diseases. This has led to collaborations with the biotechnology sector (CSL, MedImmune and Kiniksa) and the development of antibody-based therapies to the G- and GM-CSF receptors that are currently in clinical trials.

Skills and expertise:
– Human inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, including clinical trials
– Experimental models of inflammatory diseases
– Antibody-based therapies

Education

Joint appointments

Grants and funding

Awards

Fellowships

Publications

Selected publications from Prof Ian Wicks

Maxwell S, Ross L, Oon S, Wicks IP, Day J. Muscle biopsy practices in the evaluation of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: An international survey of expert clinicians. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2024;68:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2024.152519

Chiou S, Al-Ani AH, Pan Y, Patel KM, Kong IY, Whitehead LW, Light A, Young SN, Barrios M, Sargeant C, Rajasekhar P, Zhu L, Hempel A, Lin A, Rickard JA, Hall C, Gangatirkar P, Yip RK, Cawthorne W, Jacobsen AV, Horne CR, Martin KR, Ioannidis LJ, Hansen DS, Day J, Wicks IP, Law C, Ritchie ME, Bowden R, Hildebrand JM, O’Reilly LA, Silke J, Giulino-Roth L, Tsui E, Rogers KL, Hawkins ED, Christensen B, Murphy JM, Samson AL. An immunohistochemical atlas of necroptotic pathway expression. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2024;16(7):10.1038/s44321-024-00074-6

Wicks I. Vagus. BioScience. 2024;:10.1093/biosci/biae021

Aymonnier K, Bosetta E, Leborgne NGF, Ullmer A, Le Gall M, De Chiara A, Salnot V, Many S, Scapini P, Wicks I, Chatfield S, Martin KR, Witko-Sarsat V. G-CSF reshapes the cytosolic PCNA scaffold and modulates glycolysis in neutrophils. Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2024;115(2):10.1093/jleuko/qiad122

Martin KR, Gamell C, Tai TY, Bonelli R, Hansen J, Tatoulis J, Alhamdoosh M, Wilson N, Wicks I. Whole blood transcriptomics reveals granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor as a mediator of cardiopulmonary bypass‐induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Clinical & Translational Immunology. 2024;13(2):10.1002/cti2.1490

Garnish SE, Martin KR, Kauppi M, Jackson VE, Ambrose R, Eng VV, Chiou S, Meng Y, Frank D, Tovey Crutchfield EC, Patel KM, Jacobsen AV, Atkin-Smith GK, Di Rago L, Doerflinger M, Horne CR, Hall C, Young SN, Cook M, Athanasopoulos V, Vinuesa CG, Lawlor KE, Wicks IP, Ebert G, Ng AP, Slade CA, Pearson JS, Samson AL, Silke J, Murphy JM, Hildebrand JM. A common human MLKL polymorphism confers resistance to negative regulation by phosphorylation. Nature Communications. 2023;14(1):10.1038/s41467-023-41724-6

Mian M, Lim BG, Hossain N, Wicks I, Day J. Retrospective comparison of ultrasound guided percutaneous and open skeletal muscle biopsies. Internal Medicine Journal. 2023;53(8):10.1111/imj.15885

Monaghan KA, Hoi A, Gamell C, Tai TY, Linggi B, Jordan J, Cesaroni M, Sato T, Ng M, Oon S, Benson J, Wicks I, Morand E, Wilson N. CSL362 potently and specifically depletes pDCs in vitro and ablates SLE-immune complex-induced IFN responses. iScience. 2023;26(7):10.1016/j.isci.2023.107173

Mulazzani E, Kong K, Aróstegui JI, Ng AP, Ranathunga N, Abeysekera W, Garnham AL, Ng S-L, Baker PJ, Jackson JT, Lich JD, Hibbs ML, Wicks IP, Louis C, Masters SL. G-CSF drives autoinflammation in APLAID. Nature Immunology. 2023;24(5):10.1038/s41590-023-01473-6

Tovey Crutchfield EC, Garnish SE, Day J, Anderton H, Chiou S, Hempel A, Hall C, Patel KM, Gangatirkar P, Martin KR, Li Wai Suen CSN, Garnham AL, Kueh AJ, Wicks IP, Silke J, Nachbur U, Samson AL, Murphy JM, Hildebrand JM. MLKL deficiency protects against low-grade, sterile inflammation in aged mice. Cell Death & Differentiation. 2023;30(4):10.1038/s41418-023-01121-4