Lecturer
Overview
I am a microbiologist, molecular cellular biologist, and genetic engineer with expertise in antibody discovery and characterization, yeast and mammalian cell line development, and mass spectrometry proteomics (with a focus on post-translational modifications).
I graduated from Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Argentina. I then obtained a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue my Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology at the University of Minnesota, USA. For my dissertation I studied genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of phenotypic variation in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. I did post-doctoral work in the laboratories of Dr. Jeffrey Brodsky (University of Pittsburgh, USA), Dr. Julio Caramelo (Fundación Instituto Leloir, Argentina), Dr. Benjamin L. Schulz (SCMB, UQ), and the ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (AIBN, UQ). I have received Fellowships from the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, CONICET-Argentina, Endeavour-Australia, and The University of Queensland.
Research Area and Impact
In my team, we believe we can help prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure diseases; and we work every day to design new antibody-based therapies and to develop novel approaches to discovering antibodies against difficult targets.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Minnesota
Publications
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Journal Article: Characterization of novel Rh variant (CETW) associated with haemolytic disease of fetus and newborn using recombinant technology
Zhao, Shen, Radenkovic, Filip, Flower, Robert, Zacchi, Lucia, Jones, Martina, Wilson, Brett, Liew, Yew Wah, Tung, John-Paul and Hyland, Catherine (2024). Characterization of novel Rh variant (CETW) associated with haemolytic disease of fetus and newborn using recombinant technology. Pathology, 56 (Supplement 1), S100-S100. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.336
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Journal Article: SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2016). SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 15 (7), 2435-2447. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M115.056366
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Journal Article: N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2015). N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.. Glycoconjugate Journal, 33 (3), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10719-015-9641-3
Grants
-
Development of reagents for blood product safety
(2023–2028) Australian Red Cross Society
-
Dr Lucia Zacchi - Maternity Funding (Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund)
(2017–2018) Queensland Government Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund
-
Identifying cellular factors controlling early-onset torsion dystonia
(2016) The Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Foundation
Supervision
-
From Target Discovery to Therapeutic Antibodies
Doctor Philosophy
-
Systems biology-guided cell line engineering for production of therapeutic proteins with complex post-translational modifications
Doctor Philosophy
-
(2022) Doctor Philosophy
Available Projects
-
Discovery and characterisation of targets and antibodies
In my team, we believe we can help prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure diseases; and we work every day to design new antibody-based therapies and to develop novel approaches to discovering antibodies against difficult targets. Are you also interested in this?
We are actively looking for enthusiastic, team-oriented, fast-learning, and hard-working students with a background in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or related fields, and an interest in learning molecular and cellular biology, glycobiology, models of disease, proteomics, or antibody discovery. Previous experience in a molecular biology laboratory is required (we may request a reference letter).
Our goal is to provide you with the best experience, both inside and outside the lab, which will contribute to train you for a career in research. An integral part of the experience in our lab will involve active participation in lab meetings and journal club discussions. We will encourage you to present your findings to the group. We will also endeavour to coach you in effective presentation techniques, scientific writing, ethics in research, good laboratory practices, and team-work.
Available projects for RHD, Honours, and Master students:
Identifying novel red blood cell antigens as a basis for development of biopharmaceuticals to treat infectious disease.
Over 2 million malaria cases and about 400,000 related deaths are reported annually worldwide. This is partly due to Plasmodium falciparum’s resistance to some of the antimalarial drugs and the lack of other effective therapies. Alternative interventions like monoclonal antibodies could be useful as both therapeutics and diagnostics for malaria control and prevention. This project aims to use two complementary approaches; Develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against human red blood cells (RBCs) that are used by the parasite during its life cycle, and determine the usefulness of these mAbs as typing reagents, target the malaria ligands in RBCs, to develop blocking monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic agents.
Development of antibodies against human neutrophil antigens and investigation into TRALI.
Transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a severe lung syndrome that can occur during or after transfusion of blood or blood products. TRALI is one of the leading causes of death due to transfusions. Antibodies against human neutrophil antigen (HNA) 3a and biological response modifiers (BRMs) such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been associated with TRALI onset. This project aims to develop monoclonal antibodies against the two alleles of HNA-3 that can then be used in cell-based assays to detect anti-HNA-3a and anti-HNA-3b antibodies in blood donors, in order to prevent transfusions that lead to TRALI. The project also aims to use a combination of purified EVs and bioactive lipids from blood components as well as commercially available lipids in both in vivo mouse and in vitro transfusion models to investigate how BRM-mediated TRALI develops.
Publications
Featured Publications
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SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2016). SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 15 (7), 2435-2447. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M115.056366
-
N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2015). N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.. Glycoconjugate Journal, 33 (3), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10719-015-9641-3
Book Chapter
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Data-independent acquisition for yeast glycoproteomics
Zacchi, Lucía F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2019). Data-independent acquisition for yeast glycoproteomics. Yeast systems biology. (pp. 191-202) New York, NY USA: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9736-7_11
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Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation and protein quality control
Zacchi, L.F., Caramelo, J.J., McCracken, A.A. and Brodsky, J.L. (2016). Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation and protein quality control. Encyclopedia of cell biology. (pp. 596-611) edited by Ralph A. Bradshaw and Philip D. Stahl. Waltham, MA, United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-394447-4.10072-0
Journal Article
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Zhao, Shen, Radenkovic, Filip, Flower, Robert, Zacchi, Lucia, Jones, Martina, Wilson, Brett, Liew, Yew Wah, Tung, John-Paul and Hyland, Catherine (2024). Characterization of novel Rh variant (CETW) associated with haemolytic disease of fetus and newborn using recombinant technology. Pathology, 56 (Supplement 1), S100-S100. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.336
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Pickett, Jess R., Wu, Yuao, Zacchi, Lucia F. and Ta, Hang T. (2023). Targeting endothelial VCAM-1 in atherosclerosis: drug discovery and development of VCAM-1-directed novel therapeutics. Cardiovascular Research, 119 (13), 2278-2293. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvad130
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Panagides, Nadya, Zacchi, Lucia F., Souza, Mitchell J. De, Morales, Rodrigo A. V., Karnowski, Alexander, Liddament, Mark T., Owczarek, Catherine M., Mahler, Stephen M., Panousis, Con, Jones, Martina L. and Fercher, Christian (2022). Evaluation of phage display biopanning strategies for the selection of anti-cell surface receptor antibodies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23 (15) 8470, 8470. doi: 10.3390/ijms23158470
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TorsinA folding and N-linked glycosylation are sensitive to redox homeostasis
Honer, Jonas, Niemeyer, Katie M., Fercher, Christian, Diez Tissera, Ana L., Jaberolansar, Noushin, Jafrani, Yohaann M. A., Zhou, Chun, Caramelo, Julio J., Shewan, Annette M., Schulz, Benjamin L., Brodsky, Jeffrey L. and Zacchi, Lucía F. (2021). TorsinA folding and N-linked glycosylation are sensitive to redox homeostasis. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Molecular Cell Research, 1868 (9) 119073, 119073. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119073
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Jenull, Sabrina, Mair, Theresia, Tscherner, Michael, Penninger, Philipp, Zwolanek, Florian, Silao, Fitz-Gerald S., de San Vicente, Kontxi Martinez, Riedelberger, Michael, Bandari, Naga C., Shivarathri, Raju, Petryshyn, Andriy, Chauhan, Neeraj, Zacchi, Lucia F., -Landmann, Salomé LeibundGut, Ljungdahl, Per O. and Kuchler, Karl (2021). The histone chaperone HIR maintains chromatin states to control nitrogen assimilation and fungal virulence. Cell Reports, 36 (3) 109406, 109406. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109406
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Rubbab, Tehseen, Pegg, Cassandra L., Phung, Toan K., Nouwens, Amanda S., Yeo, K.Y. Benjamin, Zacchi, Lucia F., Muhammad, Amna, Naqvi, S.M. Saqlan and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2021). N-glycosylation on Oryza sativa root germin-like protein 1 is conserved but not required for stability or activity. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 553, 72-77. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.03.024
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Zacchi, Lucia F., Roche-Recinos, Dinora, Pegg, Cassandra L., Phung, Toan K., Napoli, Mark, Aitken, Campbell, Sandford, Vanessa, Mahler, Stephen M., Lee, Yih Yean, Schulz, Benjamin L. and Howard, Christopher B. (2021). Coagulation factor IX analysis in bioreactor cell culture supernatant predicts quality of the purified product. Communications Biology, 4 (1) 390, 390. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-01903-x
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Resolving the TorsinA Oligomerization Conundrum: The Glycan Hypothesis
Fercher, Christian and Zacchi, Lucía F. (2020). Resolving the TorsinA Oligomerization Conundrum: The Glycan Hypothesis. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 7 585643, 585643. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.585643
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Identification of novel glycosylation events on human serum-derived factor IX
Pegg, Cassandra L., Zacchi, Lucia F., Recinos, Dinora Roche, Howard, Christopher B. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2020). Identification of novel glycosylation events on human serum-derived factor IX. Glycoconjugate Journal, 37 (4), 471-483. doi: 10.1007/s10719-020-09922-2
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Glycoproteomic measurement of site-specific polysialylation
Pelingon, Ruby, Pegg, Cassandra L., Zacchi, Lucia F., Phung, Toan K., Howard, Christopher B., Xu, Ping, Hardy, Matthew P., Owczarek, Catherine M. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2020). Glycoproteomic measurement of site-specific polysialylation. Analytical Biochemistry, 596 113625, 113625. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113625
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Zacchi, Lucia F., Roche Recinos, Dinora, Otte, Ellen, Aitken, Campbell, Hunt, Tony, Sandford, Vanessa, Lee, Yih Yean, Schulz, Benjamin L. and Howard, Christopher B. (2020). S-trap eliminates cell culture media polymeric surfactants for effective proteomic analysis of mammalian cell bioreactor supernatants. Journal of Proteome Research, 19 (5), 2149-2158. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00106
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Phung, Toan K., Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2020). DIALib: an automated ion library generator for data independent acquisition mass spectrometry analysis of peptides and glycopeptides. Molecular Omics, 16 (2), 100-112. doi: 10.1039/c9mo00125e
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Fortes, M. R.S., Zacchi, L. F., Nguyen, L. T., Raidan, F., Weller, M. M.D.C.A., Choo, J. J.Y., Reverter, A., Rego, J. P.A., Boe-Hansen, G. B., Porto-Neto, L. R., Lehnert, S. A., Cánovas, A., Schulz, B. L., Islas-Trejo, A., Medrano, J. F., Thomas, M. G. and Moore, S. S. (2018). Pre- and post-puberty expression of genes and proteins in the uterus of Bos indicus heifers: the luteal phase effect post-puberty. Animal Genetics, 49 (6), 539-549. doi: 10.1111/age.12721
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Adipose tissue proteomic analyses to study puberty in Brahman heifers
Nguyen, L. T., Zacchi, L. F., Schulz, B. L., Moore, S. S. and Fortes, M. R. S. (2018). Adipose tissue proteomic analyses to study puberty in Brahman heifers. Journal of Animal Science, 96 (6), 2392-2398. doi: 10.1093/jas/sky128
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Zacchi, Lucia F., Dittmar, John C., Mihalevic, Michael J., Shewan, Annette M., Schulz, Benjamin L., Brodsky, Jeffrey L. and Bernstein, Kara A. (2017). Early-onset torsion dystonia: a novel high-throughput yeast genetic screen for factors modifying protein levels of torsinA Delta E. Disease Models & Mechanisms, 10 (9), 1129-1140. doi: 10.1242/dmm.029926
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N-glycosylation triggers a dual selection pressure in eukaryotic secretory proteins
Medus, Maximo L., Gomez, Gabriela E., Zacchi, Lucia F., Couto, Paula M., Labriola, Carlos A., Labanda, Maria S., Bielsa, Rodrigo Corti, Clérico, Eugenia M., Schulz, Benjamin L. and Caramelo, Julio J. (2017). N-glycosylation triggers a dual selection pressure in eukaryotic secretory proteins. Scientific Reports, 7 (1) 8788, 8788. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-09173-6
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SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2016). SWATH-MS glycoproteomics reveals consequences of defects in the glycosylation machinery. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 15 (7), 2435-2447. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M115.056366
-
N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.
Zacchi, Lucia F. and Schulz, Benjamin L. (2015). N-glycoprotein macroheterogeneity: biological implications and proteomic characterization.. Glycoconjugate Journal, 33 (3), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10719-015-9641-3
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Erratum to: Biocontrol and PGPR features in native strains isolated from saline soils of Argentina
Principe, Analia, Alvarez, Florencia, Castro, Marina G., Zacchi, Lucia F., Fischer, Sonia E., Mori, Gladys B. and Jofre, Edgardo (2014). Erratum to: Biocontrol and PGPR features in native strains isolated from saline soils of Argentina. Current Microbiology, 69 (3), 404-404. doi: 10.1007/s00284-014-0601-0
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Intracellular Complexes of the Early-Onset Torsion Dystonia-Associated AAA+ ATPase TorsinA
Li, Hui, Wu, Hui-Chuan, Liu, Zhonghua, Zacchi, Lucia F., Brodsky, Jeffrey L. and Zolkiewski, Michal (2014). Intracellular Complexes of the Early-Onset Torsion Dystonia-Associated AAA+ ATPase TorsinA. SpringerPlus, 3 (1) 743, 743.1-743.5. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-743
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Zacchi, Lucía F., Wu, Hui-Chuan, Bell, Samantha L., Millen, Linda, Paton, Adrienne W., Paton, James C., Thomas, Philip J., Zolkiewski, Michal and Brodsky, Jeffrey L. (2014). The BiP molecular chaperone plays multiple roles during the biogenesis of TorsinA, an AAA+ ATPase associated with the neurological disease Early-Onset Torsion Dystonia. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 289 (18), 12727-12747. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M113.529123
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Gerami-Nejad, Maryam, Zacchi, Lucia F., McClellan, Mark, Matter, Kathleen and Berman, Judith (2013). Shuttle vectors for facile cloning through gap repair and integration into a neutral locus in Candida albicans. Microbiology, 159 (Part 3), 565-579. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.064097-0
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HOS2 and HDA1 encode histone deacetylases with opposing roles in Candida albicans morphogenesis
Zacchi, Lucia F., Schulz, Wade L. and Davis, Dana A. (2010). HOS2 and HDA1 encode histone deacetylases with opposing roles in Candida albicans morphogenesis. PLoS One, 5 (8), e12171.1-e12171.7. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012171
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Low dosage of histone H4 leads to growth defects and morphological changes in Candida albicans
Zacchi, Lucia F., Selmecki, Anna M., Berman, Judith and Davis, Dana A. (2010). Low dosage of histone H4 leads to growth defects and morphological changes in Candida albicans. PLoS One, 5 (5), e10629.1-e10629.12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010629
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Mds3 regulates morphogenesis in Candida albicans through the TOR pathway
Zacchi, Lucia F., Gomez-Raja, Jonathan and Davis, Dana A. (2010). Mds3 regulates morphogenesis in Candida albicans through the TOR pathway. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 30 (14), 3695-3710. doi: 10.1128/MCB.01540-09
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Biocontrol and PGPR features in native strains isolated from saline soils of Argentina
Principe, Analia, Alvarez, Florencia, Castro, Marina G., Zacchi, Lucia, Fischer, Sonia E., Mori, Gladys B. and Jofre, Edgardo (2007). Biocontrol and PGPR features in native strains isolated from saline soils of Argentina. Current Microbiology, 55 (4), 314-322. doi: 10.1007/s00284-006-0654-9
Conference Publication
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Zacchi, Lucia Florencia, Wu, Hui-Chuan, Niemeyer, Katie, Bell, Samantha, Zolkiewski, Michal and Brodsky, Jeffrey (2012). The ER chaperones BiP and Jem1/Scj1 are genetic modifiers of TorsinA, the AAA plus ATPase associated with the neurological disease primary torsion dystonia. Experimental Biology Meeting, San Diego, CA, United States, 21-25 April 2012. Hoboken, NJ, United States: John Wiley & Sons.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
-
Development of reagents for blood product safety
(2023–2028) Australian Red Cross Society
-
Dr Lucia Zacchi - Maternity Funding (Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund)
(2017–2018) Queensland Government Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund
-
Identifying cellular factors controlling early-onset torsion dystonia
(2016) The Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Foundation
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
-
From Target Discovery to Therapeutic Antibodies
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Systems biology-guided cell line engineering for production of therapeutic proteins with complex post-translational modifications
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Completed Supervision
-
(2022) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
-
Messaging with magnesium: Function of yeast Ost3 proteins in glycosylation and magnesium
(2019) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
-
Discovery and characterisation of targets and antibodies
In my team, we believe we can help prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure diseases; and we work every day to design new antibody-based therapies and to develop novel approaches to discovering antibodies against difficult targets. Are you also interested in this?
We are actively looking for enthusiastic, team-oriented, fast-learning, and hard-working students with a background in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or related fields, and an interest in learning molecular and cellular biology, glycobiology, models of disease, proteomics, or antibody discovery. Previous experience in a molecular biology laboratory is required (we may request a reference letter).
Our goal is to provide you with the best experience, both inside and outside the lab, which will contribute to train you for a career in research. An integral part of the experience in our lab will involve active participation in lab meetings and journal club discussions. We will encourage you to present your findings to the group. We will also endeavour to coach you in effective presentation techniques, scientific writing, ethics in research, good laboratory practices, and team-work.
Available projects for RHD, Honours, and Master students:
Identifying novel red blood cell antigens as a basis for development of biopharmaceuticals to treat infectious disease.
Over 2 million malaria cases and about 400,000 related deaths are reported annually worldwide. This is partly due to Plasmodium falciparum’s resistance to some of the antimalarial drugs and the lack of other effective therapies. Alternative interventions like monoclonal antibodies could be useful as both therapeutics and diagnostics for malaria control and prevention. This project aims to use two complementary approaches; Develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against human red blood cells (RBCs) that are used by the parasite during its life cycle, and determine the usefulness of these mAbs as typing reagents, target the malaria ligands in RBCs, to develop blocking monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic agents.
Development of antibodies against human neutrophil antigens and investigation into TRALI.
Transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a severe lung syndrome that can occur during or after transfusion of blood or blood products. TRALI is one of the leading causes of death due to transfusions. Antibodies against human neutrophil antigen (HNA) 3a and biological response modifiers (BRMs) such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been associated with TRALI onset. This project aims to develop monoclonal antibodies against the two alleles of HNA-3 that can then be used in cell-based assays to detect anti-HNA-3a and anti-HNA-3b antibodies in blood donors, in order to prevent transfusions that lead to TRALI. The project also aims to use a combination of purified EVs and bioactive lipids from blood components as well as commercially available lipids in both in vivo mouse and in vitro transfusion models to investigate how BRM-mediated TRALI develops.
