School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Australia
Headed by Professor Mark Schembri
www.scmb.uq.edu.au/staff/mark-schembri
Contact: m.schembri@uq.edu.au
Professor Mark Schembri is an Australian National Health & Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. He is also Deputy Director of the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre. He is a lead international UTI researcher working on the genetics, genomics and virulence of multi-drug resistant uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) clones, and the role of cell-surface factors in UPEC adhesion, aggregation, biofilm formation and colonisation of the urinary tract. Professor Schembri has published more than 200 papers, including seminal research discoveries on the role of UPEC adhesins in disease and the evolution of the multi-drug resistant UPEC clones. He is a founding Director of the UTI Global Alliance – an international society of clinical, research and biomedical professionals (https://utiga.org).
Comprehensive analysis of IncC plasmid conjugation identifies a crucial role for the transcriptional regulator AcaB, August 2020
Discovery promising for millions at risk from antibiotic resistance
An important paper published on the topic of antibiotic resistance, a problem of rapidly increasing significance in UTI treatment. Although this is not UTI-focussed work, the complex mechanism of antibiotic resistance gene transfer described in the study is used by uropathogenic E. coli and many other UTI pathogens.
Population dynamics of an Escherichia coli ST131 lineage during recurrent urinary tract infection, August 2019
A paper describing how bacterial genome sequencing was used to monitor infection dynamics over a five year period in a patient suffering chronic, recurrent UTI, revealing long-term persistence of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in an intestinal reservoir that seeds recurrent UTI.
The Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, Perth, Western Australia
Headed by 2005 Nobel Prize winner, Professor Barry Marshall
www.ic-bps.com and patient forum www.icbpsforum.com
After receiving letters over the years by people diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS), Professor Barry Marshall decided it was time to take on a much neglected area of research at his Perth research centre. The first stage of research commenced in late 2016. His team’s mission is:
“To evaluate the current knowledge about IC-BPS (Interstitial Cystitis Bladder Pain Syndrome), establish baseline measurements in normal persons and then find abnormalities in patients which might generate hypotheses, suggest causes and ultimately result in a cure.” *
Structural, biomechanical and hemodynamic assessment of the bladder wall in healthy subjects, August 2019
“Aim: The aim of this study was to apply and evaluate three ultrasound methods to measure the bladder wall in a healthy population using high-resolution applications and to establish reference points and baselines for future research into lower urinary tract diseases, specifically to understand how lower urinary tract disorders affect the bladder wall and to find objective, non-invasive diagnostic tests.”
*This very important research has been suspended due to lack of funding. To continue with stages II and III of the project, $200,000 needs to be raised. Please contact Dr Antonina Volikova if you are able to help.