OR

Browse By

Professor Denise Doolan

Deputy Director (Research)

Institute for Molecular Bioscience
d.doolan@imb.uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 62159

Overview

Professor Denise Doolan is Director of Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. She joined IMB in 2022 and was previously Deputy Director of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, and Director of the JCU Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, at James Cook University.

She is a molecular immunologist, working on the development of vaccines, diagnostics and host-directed therapeutics for infectious and chronic diseases that impact global public health, with a particular focus on malaria. Her cross-disciplinary research program spans host-pathogen immunity, antigen discovery, vaccine engineering, and biomarker discovery. A particular interest is the application of state-of-the-art genome-based technologies and human models of disease system to identify novel targets for intervention against disease or that predict risk of disease.

She is a recognized world expert in malaria immunology, vaccinology, and omic-based approaches for therapeutic and diagnostic development. She has been honoured as a Fellow of the International Society for Vaccines (2017) and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Parasitology (2019) in recognition of her leadership and contribution to health and medical science in Australia and internationally.

Professor Doolan serves on a number of Executive Boards and Advisory Boards. Most recently, she has been elected as President of the International Society for Vaccines (2021-2023), and has been appointed to the Federal Government’s Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB; 2021-2026) to provide specialist insights into Australia’s medical research and innovation priorities.

Qualifications

  • PhD (Molecular Immunology), The University of Queensland
  • M Phil (Life Sciences), Griffith University
  • B Sc Hons (Biochemistry), The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland

Publications

  • Journal Article: Evaluating the stability of host-reference gene expression and simultaneously quantifying parasite burden and host immune responses in murine malaria

    Browne, Daniel J., Kelly, Ashton M., Brady, Jamie, Proietti, Carla, Sarathkumara, Yomani D., Pattinson, David J. and Doolan, Denise L. (2023). Evaluating the stability of host-reference gene expression and simultaneously quantifying parasite burden and host immune responses in murine malaria. Scientific Reports, 13 (1) 21071, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48066-9

  • Journal Article: Association of serum microRNAs with abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis and growth

    Thanigaimani, Shivshankar, Iyer, Vikram, Bingley, John, Browne, Daniel, Phie, James, Doolan, Denise and Golledge, Jonathan (2023). Association of serum microRNAs with abdominal aortic aneurysm diagnosis and growth. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 65 (4), 573-581. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2022.12.028

  • Journal Article: Comparative analysis of the humoral immune response to the EBV proteome across EBV-related malignancies

    Argirion, Ilona, Pfeiffer, Ruth M., Proietti, Carla, Coghill, Anna E., Yu, Kelly J., Middeldorp, Jaap M., Sarathkumara, Yomani D., Hsu, Wan-Lun, Chien, Yin-Chu, Lou, Pei-Jen, Wang, Cheng-Ping, Rothman, Nathaniel, Lan, Qing, Chen, Chien-Jen, Mbulaiteye, Sam M., Jarrett, Ruth F., Glimelius, Ingrid, Smedby, Karin E., Hjalgrim, Henrik, Hildesheim, Allan, Doolan, Denise L. and Liu, Zhiwei (2023). Comparative analysis of the humoral immune response to the EBV proteome across EBV-related malignancies. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 32 (5), OF1-OF10. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-22-0452

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN EBV AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

    An opportunity exists for a PhD position in molecular immunology, where cutting-edge technologies will be applied to understand the molecular basis of the link between EBV and Multiple Sclerosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the top identified causative agent of Multiple Sclerosis, but how this occurs is not known. This project aims to apply an innovative approach using proteome-wide screening of EBV to identify the subset of EBV proteins from the complete EBV proteome that triggers MS. It will compare responses in individuals with different stages of MS and apply sophisticated computational analytics to identify specific EBV proteins that predict MS disease. This EBV signature of MS could be translated into a clinic-friendly point-of-care test. If successful, this project could revolutionize the diagnosis and management of MS, providing patients with a quicker and more accurate diagnosis and enhanced quality of life.

    Subject areas: Immunology, Molecular immunology, Systems biology, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmunity, EBV

    Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan & Dr Carla Proietti

  • MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY OF MALARIA

    An opportunity exists for a PhD position in the molecular immunology of malaria. The focus of this project will be to apply cutting-edge technologies to understand the molecular basis of protective immunity to malaria. It will take advantage of controlled human infection models and as well as animal models to explore the mechanisms underlying protective immunity to malaria and immune responsiveness. Using a range of interdisciplinary approaches, including immune profiling, transcriptomics, proteomics, and small molecule characterization, the project aims to define the critical cells and signalling pathways required for protective immunity against malaria. It is anticipated that this research will have broad application to a wide range of infectious and chronic diseases, with important implications for vaccination.

    Subject areas: Immunology, Molecular immunology, Systems biology, Vaccinology, Malaria

    Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan (IMB) & Dr Carla Proietti (IMB)

  • SYSTEMS IMMUNOLOGY AND MULTI-OMICS APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY TO HUMAN MALARIA

    This PhD project aims to develop and apply computational approaches that integrate systems biology and molecular immunology to understand host-pathogen immunity and predict immune control of malaria. The project will utilise systems-based immunology and multi-omics approaches to profile the host immune response in controlled infection models of malaria at molecular, cellular, transcriptome and proteome-wide scale.

    The overall aim will be to develop and apply omics-based technologies and computational tools, including network theory and machine learning, to integrate multiple high-dimensional datasets and reveal novel insights into host-pathogen immunity and predict immune responsiveness and parasite control. Modelling of large-scale existing datasets, including those generated by single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies, may also be a feature of this project. The opportunity to identify new knowledge and integrate this with experimental data produced by our laboratory will be instrumental to extending the impact of these bioinformatics analyses. This project will provide an opportunity to be at the forefront in cutting-edge technologies and advances in computational analysis of integrated high-dimensional omic data.

    Methodologies: Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Immunology, Systems Immunology, Systems Biology, Genomics/Proteomics/Transcriptomics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Statistics

    Eligibility: Entry: BSc Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: Experience with programming languages, mathematics, statistics and/or background in immunology and molecular sciences, with an interest in integrating the fields of immunology and bioinformatics.

    Excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required. Forward thinking, innovation and creativity are encouraged.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan (IMB) & Dr Carla Proietti (IMB)

    Associate Professor Jessica Mar (AIBN)

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Protein microarrays for parasite antigen discovery

    Driguez, Patrick, Doolan, Denise L., Molina, Douglas M., Loukas, Alex, Trieu, Angela, Felgner, Phil L. and McManus, Donald P. (2015). Protein microarrays for parasite antigen discovery. Parasite genomics protocols . (pp. 221-33) edited by Christopher Peacock. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1438-8_13

  • Schistosomiasis Vaccines - New Approaches to Antigen Discovery and Promising New Candidates

    Loukas, Alex, Gaze, Soraya, Pearson, Mark, Doolan, Denise, Felgner, Philip, Diemert, David, Mcmanus, Donald P., Driguez, Patrick and Bethony, Jeffrey (2012). Schistosomiasis Vaccines - New Approaches to Antigen Discovery and Promising New Candidates. Parasitic Helminths: Targets, Screens, Drugs and Vaccines. (pp. 421-433) Wiley-VCH. doi: 10.1002/9783527652969.ch25

  • Assessing antigen-specific CD8+ CTL responses in humans

    Doolan, Denise L. (2002). Assessing antigen-specific CD8+ CTL responses in humans. Malaria Methods and Protocols. (pp. 445-456) edited by Denise L. Doolan. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-271-6:445

  • DNA vaccination

    Hedstrom, Richard C. and Doolan, Denise L. (2002). DNA vaccination. Malaria methods and protocols. (pp. 347-59) edited by Denise L. Doolan. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-271-6:347

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Dissecting T cell or antibody immunodominance in a complex host-pathogen system

    Proietti, Carla, Krause, Lutz, Roddick, Joanne, Trieu, Angela and Doolan, Denise L. (2012). Dissecting T cell or antibody immunodominance in a complex host-pathogen system. Challenges in Malaria Research, Basel, Switzerland, 10-12 October 2012. London, United Kingdom: BioMed Central. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-s1-o23

  • Development and immunoscreening of an immunomics protein microarray to investigate schistosomiasis

    Driguez, Patrick, Ellis, Magda, McWilliarn, Hamish, Trieu, Angela, Gaze, Soraya, Jones, Malcolm K., Gobert, Geoff, Loukas, Alex, Doolan, Denise L., Felgner, Philip L. and McManus, Donald P. (2010). Development and immunoscreening of an immunomics protein microarray to investigate schistosomiasis. 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), Atlanta, GA, United States, 3-7 November, 2010. Deerfield, IL, United States : American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene .

  • Proteome-wide screening of antigens targeted by cell mediated immune responses

    Cardoso, F. C., Trieu, A., Groves, P. and Doolan, D. L. (2010). Proteome-wide screening of antigens targeted by cell mediated immune responses. 14th International Congress of Immunology, Kobe, Japan, 22-27 August 2010.

  • Proteome-wide screening of complex pathogens to identify antigens targeted by T-cell mediated immune responses

    Cardoso, F. C., Groves, P., Roddick, J. and Doolan, D. L. (2010). Proteome-wide screening of complex pathogens to identify antigens targeted by T-cell mediated immune responses. XII International Conference for Parasitology, Melbourme, Australia, 15-20 August 2010.

  • Third meeting on Novel Adjuvants Currently in or Close to Clinical Testing World Health Organization - Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Fondation Mérieux, Annecy, France, 7-9 January 2002

    Engers, Howard, Kieny, Marie Paule, Malhotra, Pawan, Pink, J. Richard, Davies, Gwyn, Kensil, Charlotte Read, Jeannin, Pascale, Aubry, Jean-Pierre, Goetsch, Liliane, Delneste, Yves, Bonnefoy, Jean-Yves, Revets, Hilde, De Baetselier, Patrick, Steward, Michael, Fritchley, Sarah J., Bright, Jeremy R., Oldroyd, Rodney G., Affleck, Louise J., Ross, Ted M., Holder, Anthony A., Smith, Richard A.G., Kenney, Richard, Glenn, Gregory, Czerkinsky, Cecil, Del Giudice, Giuseppe, Zurbriggen, Rinaldo, Glück, Reinhard, Drane, Debbie, Pearse, Martin ... Sedegah, M. (2003). Third meeting on Novel Adjuvants Currently in or Close to Clinical Testing World Health Organization - Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Fondation Mérieux, Annecy, France, 7-9 January 2002. Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/S0264-410X(03)00164-6

  • Malaria DNA vaccines in Aotus monkeys

    Gramzinski, Robert A., Maris, Dorina C., Doolan, Denise, Charoenvit, Yupin, Obaldia, Nicanor, Rossan, Richard, Sedegah, Martha, Wang, Ruobing, Hobart, Peter, Margalith, Michal and Hoffman, Stephen (1997). Malaria DNA vaccines in Aotus monkeys. doi: 10.1016/S0264-410X(96)00270-8

  • Strategy for development of a pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum DNA vaccine for human use

    Hoffman, Stephen L., Doolan, Denise L., Sedegah, Martha, Aguiar, Joao C., Wang, Ruobing, Malik, Anita, Gramzinski, Robert A., Weiss, Walter R., Hobart, Peter, Norman, Jon A., Margalith, Michal and Hedstrom, Richard C. (1997). Strategy for development of a pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum DNA vaccine for human use. doi: 10.1016/S0264-410X(96)00273-3

  • Trace element and macro electrolyte behaviour during inflammatory diseases in cattle and sheep

    Murphy, G. M., St. George, T. D., Guerrini, V., Collins, R. G., Broadmeadow, A. C., Uren, M. F. and Doolan, D. L. (1988). Trace element and macro electrolyte behaviour during inflammatory diseases in cattle and sheep. Sixth International Symposium on Trace Elements in Man and Animals, Pacific Grove, CA, United States, 31 May-5 June 1987. New York, NY, United States: Plenum Press.

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Defining the molecular basis of immune heterogeneity between individuals using immunoproteomics

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

Completed Supervision

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.

  • UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN EBV AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

    An opportunity exists for a PhD position in molecular immunology, where cutting-edge technologies will be applied to understand the molecular basis of the link between EBV and Multiple Sclerosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the top identified causative agent of Multiple Sclerosis, but how this occurs is not known. This project aims to apply an innovative approach using proteome-wide screening of EBV to identify the subset of EBV proteins from the complete EBV proteome that triggers MS. It will compare responses in individuals with different stages of MS and apply sophisticated computational analytics to identify specific EBV proteins that predict MS disease. This EBV signature of MS could be translated into a clinic-friendly point-of-care test. If successful, this project could revolutionize the diagnosis and management of MS, providing patients with a quicker and more accurate diagnosis and enhanced quality of life.

    Subject areas: Immunology, Molecular immunology, Systems biology, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmunity, EBV

    Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan & Dr Carla Proietti

  • MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY OF MALARIA

    An opportunity exists for a PhD position in the molecular immunology of malaria. The focus of this project will be to apply cutting-edge technologies to understand the molecular basis of protective immunity to malaria. It will take advantage of controlled human infection models and as well as animal models to explore the mechanisms underlying protective immunity to malaria and immune responsiveness. Using a range of interdisciplinary approaches, including immune profiling, transcriptomics, proteomics, and small molecule characterization, the project aims to define the critical cells and signalling pathways required for protective immunity against malaria. It is anticipated that this research will have broad application to a wide range of infectious and chronic diseases, with important implications for vaccination.

    Subject areas: Immunology, Molecular immunology, Systems biology, Vaccinology, Malaria

    Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan (IMB) & Dr Carla Proietti (IMB)

  • SYSTEMS IMMUNOLOGY AND MULTI-OMICS APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY TO HUMAN MALARIA

    This PhD project aims to develop and apply computational approaches that integrate systems biology and molecular immunology to understand host-pathogen immunity and predict immune control of malaria. The project will utilise systems-based immunology and multi-omics approaches to profile the host immune response in controlled infection models of malaria at molecular, cellular, transcriptome and proteome-wide scale.

    The overall aim will be to develop and apply omics-based technologies and computational tools, including network theory and machine learning, to integrate multiple high-dimensional datasets and reveal novel insights into host-pathogen immunity and predict immune responsiveness and parasite control. Modelling of large-scale existing datasets, including those generated by single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies, may also be a feature of this project. The opportunity to identify new knowledge and integrate this with experimental data produced by our laboratory will be instrumental to extending the impact of these bioinformatics analyses. This project will provide an opportunity to be at the forefront in cutting-edge technologies and advances in computational analysis of integrated high-dimensional omic data.

    Methodologies: Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Immunology, Systems Immunology, Systems Biology, Genomics/Proteomics/Transcriptomics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Statistics

    Eligibility: Entry: BSc Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: Experience with programming languages, mathematics, statistics and/or background in immunology and molecular sciences, with an interest in integrating the fields of immunology and bioinformatics.

    Excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required. Forward thinking, innovation and creativity are encouraged.

    Supervisors:

    Professor Denise Doolan (IMB) & Dr Carla Proietti (IMB)

    Associate Professor Jessica Mar (AIBN)

  • VACCINE ENGINEERING

    An opportunity exists for a PhD position in vaccine engineering. Vaccines are one of the most effective health care interventions but remain a challenge for many diseases, and in particular intracellular pathogens such as malaria where T cell responses are particularly desirable. We have been exploring novel approaches to rationally design an effective vaccine against challenging disease targets. By taking advantage of recent advances in genomic sequencing, proteomics, transcriptional profiling, and molecular immunology, we have discovered unique targets of T cell responses or antibody response. This project will test these antigens as vaccine candidates by assessing immunogenicity, protective capacity and biological function using different vaccine platforms. By designing an effective vaccine from genomic data, this project is expected to result in significance advances in vaccinology as well as immunology, with important public health outcomes.

    Subject areas: Immunology, Vaccinology, Molecular immunology, Malaria, Vaccine engineering, Vaccine design

    Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

    Supervisor:

    Professor Denise Doolan (IMB) & Professor Carla Proietti (IMB)

For Media assistance please contact The Office of Marketing and Communications, (07) 3365 1120

Links

ResearcherID: F-1969-2015

ORCID: 0000-0001-7354-8817

Scopus ID: 7003459354

Personal Profile: Link

Unit Links
Other Media

Related Resources

Similar Staff
Researchers in Associated Units
Fields of Research