Recipient Of 2011 Australian Liver Foundation-Hospitality Industry Career Development Research Fellowship
Dr Cameron McDonald,
Membrane Transport Laboratory,
Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR)
Since January 2009, Dr McDonald has been working as part of the Membrane Transport Laboratory under the supervision of Associate Professor Nathan Subramaniam at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).
During this time his work has been centred on understanding how the body regulates iron stores, and the role that the regulation of iron by the liver plays in various diseases.
In these areas Dr McDonald has published several research papers making significant contributions to the field of Hepatology.
In January 2011 he became the recipient of the Australian Liver Foundation-Hospitality Industry Career Development Research Fellowship.
Disorders in iron metabolism affect a significant proportion of the world’s population.
Iron deficiency anaemia affects an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, whilst the iron overload disorder hereditary haemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in the world effecting approximately 1 in 200 people of European descent.
Increasing our understanding of how the body controls iron not only has implications for anaemia and iron overload, but for a broad range of diseases. Alterations in the control of body iron contribute to the development and progress of a variety of forms of cancer, development of diabetes, and a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s diseases.
Haemochromatosis is a disorder of increased iron absorption which results in iron accumulation in various tissues and organs. As this iron builds up in organs such as the liver it becomes toxic which can affect both longevity and quality of life. Most haemochromatosis is caused by changes (called mutations) in the DNA which codes for a gene called HFE, however, mutations in a number of other genes can also cause the disease.
The research group where Dr McDonald works has identified a number of mutations in these genes in Australia and within the Asia Pacific region.
Dr McDonald’s focus in the next 3 years will be on understanding the mechanisms which control iron regulation within the body including the identification and study of genes responsible for other iron overload disorders. Cutting edge DNA sequencing technology will be used to analyse the DNA of patients affected by this disease to identify its genetic basis with a causative gene.
Once identified, the role of this gene in controlling body iron can be studied in patients providing greater insight into this disease. The gene will also be studied in laboratory models which have been genetically engineered to replicate the human disorder, allowing more detailed investigation into the mechanisms involved in the normal regulation of iron within the body.
Dr McDonald is also interested in how iron metabolism is regulated in other disorders including cancer, and has recently shown that increased iron levels are present in a model of the genetic disorder Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated.
Future research will be aimed at defining the mechanism of this iron accumulation and the relevance to subjects with the disorder in preventing iron accumulation.
The Career Development Fellowship awarded by the Australian Liver Foundation through the generous support of the Hospitality Industry in Queensland will allow Dr McDonald to continue his important work for a further 3 years.
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