O'Brien, Bronwyn - University of Technology Sydney

个人简介

Bronwyn is an Associate Professor of Immunology and Director of Undergraduate Programs (Faculty of Science). She is a core member of the Centre for Health Technologies (Key University Research Strength). Bronwyn's major research interest is investigating the role of macrophages in the development of autoimmunity. She is currently conducting expression and functional studies of SLC11A1, a gene specifically expressed in antigen-presenting cells (macrophages and dendritic cells) that modulates the immune cell balance to influence the development of autoimmune disease. A greater understanding of the expression and function of this gene may provide novel avenues for modulating macrophage and dendritic cell function and consequently stop the development of autoimmune disease. With funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Bronwyn is currently investigating the use of novel parasite antigens to prevent the initiation of autoimmunity. This work was prompted by epidemiological observations that in regions where parasitic worm infections are endemic there is a very low incidence of autoimmune disease. Our group has been able to prevent autoimmune diabetes in a rodent model using parasite secretions and we are now planning to test individual molecules within the secretions for their efficacy in preventing autoimmune disease. This project may ultimately lead to novel therapeutic strategies to prevent diabetes, and perhaps more broadly, autoimmunity per se. Bronwyn is also conducting preliminary research to identify novel biomarkers of hypoglycaemia in exhaled air with the objective of developing a reliable, noninvasive means of detecting impending hypoglycaemia. This work was prompted by anecdotal evidence that some dogs owned by Type 1 diabetics can alert there owners to impending hypoglycaemia even when the dogs cannot see their owners. The stimulus for the dog‚Äôs behaviour is likely compounds that transit from the blood into exhaled air to provide a breath signature of hypoglycaemia.

研究领域

Bronwyn‚Äôs research area is the immunology of autoimmune disease. Bronwyn is investigating the role of macrophages in the development of autoimmune disease, specifically type 1 (juvenile-onset, insulin-dependent) diabetes. She is also involved in NHMRC-funded research investigating the liver-directed gene therapy of diabetes. With funding from JDRF Bronwyn is currently investigating the use of novel parasite antigens to prevent the initiation of autoimmunity in Type 1 diabetes. Bronwyn is also conducting preliminary research to identify novel biomarkers of hypoglycaemia in exhaled air with the objective of developing a reliable, noninvasive means of detecting impending hypoglycaemia.

近期论文

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Gerace, D, Martiniello-Wilks, R, Habib, R, Ren, B, Nassif, NT, O'Brien, BA & Simpson, AM 2019, 'Ex Vivo Expansion of Murine MSC Impairs Transcription Factor-Induced Differentiation into Pancreatic -Cells', STEM CELLS INTERNATIONAL.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Ren, B, La, QT, O'Brien, BA, Nassif, NT, Tan, Y, Gerace, D, Martiniello-Wilks, R, Torpy, F, Dane, AP, Alexander, IE & Simpson, AM 2018, 'Partial pancreatic transdifferentiation of primary human hepatocytes in the livers of a humanised mouse model.', The journal of gene medicine, vol. 20, no. 5.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Alvarado, R, To, J, Lund, ME, Pinar, A, Mansell, A, Robinson, MW, O'Brien, BA, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, S 2017, 'The immune modulatory peptide FhHDM-1 secreted by the helminth Fasciola hepatica prevents NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inhibiting endolysosomal acidification in macrophages.', FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 85-95.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Tanaka, A, To, J, O'Brien, B, Donnelly, S & Lund, M 2017, 'Selection of reliable reference genes for the normalisation of gene expression levels following time course LPS stimulation of murine bone marrow derived macrophages.', BMC Immunology, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1-12.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Donnelly, S, Huston, WM, Johnson, M, Tiberti, N, Saunders, B, O'Brien, B, Burke, C, Labbate, M & Combes, V 2017, 'Targeting the master regulator mTOR: a new approach to prevent the neurological of consequences of parasitic infections?', Parasites & Vectors, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1-6.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Lund, ME, Greer, J, Dixit, A, Alvarado, R, McCauley-Winter, P, To, J, Tanaka, A, Hutchinson, AT, Robinson, MW, Simpson, AM, O'Brien, BA, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, S 2016, 'A parasite-derived 68-mer peptide ameliorates autoimmune disease in murine models of Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, pp. 1-11.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Lund, ME, To, J, O'Brien, BA & Donnelly, S 2016, 'The choice of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate differentiation protocol influences the response of THP-1 macrophages to a pro-inflammatory stimulus', JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGICAL METHODS, vol. 430, pp. 64-70.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Ren, B, Tao, C, Swan, MA, Joachim, N, Martiniello-Wilks, R, Nassif, NT, O'Brien, BA & Simpson, AM 2016, 'Pancreatic Transdifferentiation and Glucose-Regulated Production of Human Insulin in the H4IIE Rat Liver Cell Line', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, vol. 17, no. 4.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Gerace, D, Martiniello-Wilks, R, O'Brien, BA & Simpson, AM 2015, 'The use of beta-cell transcription factors in engineering artificial beta cells from non-pancreatic tissue', GENE THERAPY, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 1-8.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Alvarado, R, O'Brien, B, Tanaka, A, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, S 2015, 'A parasitic helminth-derived peptide that targets the macrophage lysosome is a novel therapeutic option for autoimmune disease', IMMUNOBIOLOGY, vol. 220, no. 2, pp. 262-269.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Archer, NS, Nassif, NT & O'Brien, BA 2015, 'Genetic variants of SLC11A1 are associated with both autoimmune and infectious diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis', GENES AND IMMUNITY, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 275-283.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Lawandi, J, Tao, C, Ren, B, Williams, P, Ling, D, Swan, MA, Nassif, NT, Torpy, FR, O'Brien, BA & Simpson, AM 2015, 'Reversal of diabetes following transplantation of an insulin-secreting human liver cell line: Melligen cells', MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT, vol. 2.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Lund, ME, O'Brien, B, Hutchinson, AT, Robinson, MW, Simpson, AM, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, SM 2014, 'Secreted proteins from the helminth Fasciola hepatica inhibit the initiation of autoreactive T cell responses and prevent diabetes in the NOD mouse', PLoS One, vol. 9, no. 1, p. e86289.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Simpson, AM, Ren, B, O'Brien, BA & Nassif, NT 2013, 'Response to the letter to the editor by M. Elsner et al: "Comment on Binhai Ren et al (2013;15:28-41). Long term reversal of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice by liver-directed gene therapy"', Journal of Gene Medicine, vol. 15, no. 8-9, pp. 309-310.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Robinson, MW, Dalton, JP, O'Brien, B & Donnelly, SM 2013, 'Fasciola hepatica: The therapeutic potential of a worm secretome', International Journal For Parasitology, vol. 43, no. 3-4, pp. 283-291.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Ren, B, O'Brien, B, Byrne, M, Ch'ng, E, Gatt, PN, Swan, MA, Nassif, N, Wei, M, Gijsbers, R, Debyser, Z & Simpson, AM 2013, 'Long-term reversal of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice by liver-directed gene therapy.', The Journal of gene Medicine, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 28-41.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Gerace, D, Ren, B, Hawthorne, W, Byrne, M, Phillips, P, O'Brien, B, Nassif, N, Alexander, I & Simpson, AM 2013, 'Pancreatic transdifferentiation in porcine liver following lentiviral delivery of human furin-cleavable insulin', Transplantation Proceedings, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 1869-1874.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Robinson, MW, Alvarado, R, To, J, Hutchinson, AT, Dowdell, SN, Lund, ME, Turnbull, L, Whitchurch, CB, O'Brien, B, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, SM 2012, 'A helminth cathelicidin-like protein suppresses antigen processing and presentation in macrophages via inhibition of lysosomal vATPase', Faseb Journal, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 4614-4627.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Simpson, AM & O'Brien, B 2008, 'Diabetes therapy by lentiviral hepatic insulin gene expression without transofrmation of liver. Reply to Elsner M, Jorns A, Lenzen S (letter)', Diabetologia, vol. 51, pp. 696-696. Feller, JM, Simpson, AM, Nelson, M, Swan, MA, O'Connell, PJ, Hawthorne, WJ, Tao, CZ & O'Brien, B 2008, 'Growth-promoting effect of Rh(D) antibody on human pancreatic islet cells', Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 93, no. 9, pp. 3560-3567.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Archer, NS, Simpson, AM, Torpy, FR & Nassif, N 2008, 'Association of SLC11A1 promoter polymorphisms with the incidence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: A meta-analysis', Journal Of Autoimmunity, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 42-51.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Lawandi, J., O'Brien, B. & Simpson, A.M. 2007, 'An Insulin Secreting Liver Cell Line, Tao, Is Resistant To The Cytotoxic Effects Of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines Via Nf-kb-dependent Pathways', Journal Of Gene Medicine, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 527-527. Ren, B, O'Brien, B, Swan, MA, Koina, ME, Nassif, N, Wei, MQ & Simpson, AM 2007, 'Long-term Correction Of Diabetes In Rats After Lentiviral Hepatic Insulin Gene Therapy', Diabetologia, vol. 50, no. 9, pp. 1910-1920.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Geng, X, Orteu, CH, Huang, Y, Ghoreishi, M, Zhang, Y, Bush, JA, Li, G, Finegood, DT & Dutz, JP 2006, 'A deficiency in the in vivo clearance of apopototic cells is a feature of the NOD mouse', Journal of Autoimmunity, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 104-115.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Ren, B, O'Brien, B, Swan, MA & Simpson, AM 2005, 'In vivo delivery of the human insulin gene results in long-term reversal of streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in rats', Journal Of Gene Medicine, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 1124-1124. Ren, B., O'Brien, B. & Simpson, A.M. 2004, 'Long-term Reversal Of Type 1 Diabetes In Rats After In Vivo Delivery Of The Human Insulin Gene', Immunology And Cell Biology, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 1-1. Zhang, Y, O'Brien, B, Trudeau, J, Tan, R, Santamaria, P & Dutz, JP 2002, 'In situ beta cell death promotes priming of diabetogenic CD8 T lymphocytes', Journal of Immunology, vol. 168, no. 3, pp. 1466-1472.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Huang, Y, Geng, X, Dutz, JP & Finegood, DT 2002, 'Phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by macrophages from NOD mice is reduced', Diabetes, vol. 51, no. 8, pp. 2481-2488.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Finegood, DT, Fieldus, WE & Field, CJ 2002, 'Clearance of apoptotic beta-cells is reduced in neonatal autoimmune diabetes-prone rats', Cell Death and Differentiation, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 457-464.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site Heczko, U, Carthy, CM, O'Brien, B & Finlay, BB 2001, 'Decreased apoptosis in the ileum and ileal Peyer's patches after infection with rabbit enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O103', Infection And Immunity, vol. 69, no. 7, pp. 4580-4589.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Harmon, BV, Cameron, DP & Allan, DJ 2000, 'Nicotinamide prevents the development of diabetes in the cyclophosphamide-induced NOD mouse model by blocking beta cell apoptosis', Journal of Pathology, vol. 191, no. 1, pp. 86-92.View/Download from: UTS OPUS Allan, DJ, Cameron, DP, Harmon, BV & O'Brien, B 1997, 'Apoptosis is the mode of beta-cell death responsible for the development of IDDM in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse', Diabetes, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 750-757.View/Download from: UTS OPUS or Publisher's site O'Brien, B, Harmon, BV, Cameron, DP & Allan, DJ 1996, 'Beta cell apoptosis is responsible for the development of IDDM in the multiple low-dose streptozotocin model', Journal Of Pathology, vol. 178, pp. 176-181.View/Download from: UTS OPUS Kane, E, McCabe, B & O'Brien, B 1987, 'Professional affiliations.', Nursing administration quarterly, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 33-34.