Adjunct Professor Andrew Bartholomaeus

Adjunct Professor

Frazer Institute
Faculty of Medicine

Overview

Andrew Bartholomaeus, B.Pharm, PhD, Cert Ag (III), obtained a bachelors degree in pharmacy from the University of Sydney and following professional practice in pharmaceutical manufacturing, hospital and military pharmacy completed a PhD in toxicology at RMIT University in Melbourne. Over the past 30 years Prof Bartholomaeus has worked as a toxicologist across a broad range of chemical regulatory areas including agricultural, veterinary and industrial chemicals, complementary medicines, gene technology products and food. Prior to June 2008 he held the position of Chief Toxicologist with the Prescription Medicines area of the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia with responsibilities in the area of preclinical assessment and in leading the TGAs response to the Australian National Nanotechnology Strategy. Prof Bartholomaeus subsequently took up the position of General Manager of the Risk Assessment Branch at Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Prof Bartholomaeus retired from FSANZ in 2012 to establish his own consultancy and to devote more time to research and teaching. He currently holds extramural appointments with FSANZ as a science fellow, the University of Queensland Medical School as an Adjunct Professor, the University of Canberra as an Adjunct Professor of Toxicology and Pharmacy, is an expert adviser to the FAO/WHO and was a member of the ILSI IFBiC Steering Group. In June 2009 Dr Bartholomaeus chaired the FAO/WHO Expert consultation on the Application of Nanotechnologies in the Food and Agriculture Sectors: Potential Food Safety Implications. Prof Bartholomaeus is a member of the Society of Toxicology and ACTRA.

Research Interests

  • Comparative Toxicology
    Investigation of the relationship between toxicological effects in experimental models with that in humans from a comparative physiology perspective.
  • Toxicology of essential oils
    Human food contains many natural essential oils which provide flavour and aroma. Frequently when tested in classical toxicology studies designed for chemical risk assessment these oils produce effects that would raise concern were they obtained with industrial chemicals. Yet these oils and their constituents are almost ubiquitous in the worlds cuisines and without them the rich sensory experience of food would be lost. Understanding the mechanisms of toxicity and their relevance to humans is a key aspect of the process of human health risk assessment of these oils.

Publications

  • Abrha, Solomon, Christenson, Julia K., McEwen, John, Tesfaye, Wubshet, Vaz Nery, Susana, Chang, Aileen Y., Spelman, Tim, Kosari, Sam, Kigen, Gabriel, Carroll, Simon, Heukelbach, Jorg, Feldmeier, Hermann, Bartholomaeus, Andrew, Daniel, Mark, Peterson, Gregory M. and Thomas, Jackson (2021). Treatment of tungiasis using a tea tree oil-based gel formulation: Protocol for a randomised controlled proof-of-principle trial. BMJ Open, 11 (7) e047380, 1-9. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047380

  • Abrha, Solomon, Heukelbach, Jorg, Peterson, Gregory M, Christenson, Julia K, Carroll, Simon, Kosari, Sam, Bartholomeus, Andrew, Feldmeier, Hermann and Thomas, Jackson (2021). Clinical interventions for tungiasis (sand flea disease): a systematic review. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 21 (8), e234-e245. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30853-7

  • Mathew, Cynthia, Tesfaye, Wubshet, Rasmussen, Phil, Peterson, Gregory M., Bartholomaeus, Andrew, Sharma, Manab and Thomas, Jackson (2020). Mānuka oil—a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties. Pharmaceuticals, 13 (11) 343, 1-23. doi: 10.3390/ph13110343

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Available Projects

  • This project will focus on the investigation of endocrine disruption of male reproductive performance by essential oils in experimental animals. The project will start with a literature review on essential oil endocrine disruption, fertility in the male rat, and differences in their reproductive physiology in comparison to other experimental animals and humans. After that, an experimental program will be developed to identify which physiological pathways are disrupted in experimental animals by oregano oil, and other essential oils of similar or overlapping composition.

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Publications

Book Chapter

Journal Article

Grants (Administered at UQ)

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.

  • This project will focus on the investigation of endocrine disruption of male reproductive performance by essential oils in experimental animals. The project will start with a literature review on essential oil endocrine disruption, fertility in the male rat, and differences in their reproductive physiology in comparison to other experimental animals and humans. After that, an experimental program will be developed to identify which physiological pathways are disrupted in experimental animals by oregano oil, and other essential oils of similar or overlapping composition.