Current Research Group:

2010

DR. THEA SHAVLAKADZE (Research Associate Professor)

Thea was awarded a PhD with distinction from UWA in 2006. Her PhD project was entitled “Skeletal muscle remodeling in transgenic mice with skeletal muscle specific over-expression of insulin-like growth factor-1.”
Dr. Thea Shavlakadze has considerable expertise on skeletal muscle research especially related to muscle hypertrophy/atrophy and ageing, with a strong focus (and many publications) on all aspects of IGF-1 signalling.
Qualifications
2006 PhD, UWA
1998 Candidate of Science – Tbilisi State University, Georgia
1994 MA - Tbilisi State University, Georgia

DR. AHMED ELSHAFEY (Research Associate)

Ahmed has both industry and academic credentials. He has worked as a senior Chemist at Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, WA), with experience in Developing methodologies for various pharmaceutical compounds and components in compliance with appropriate SOPs and cGMP environment. Ahmed has also worked as Research Associate from Feb. 2004 till April 2006 in Pacific Northwest National Lab (Richland, WA, USA); he improved and optimized novel methodologies for mapping Biomolecules interactions using a new crosslinking approach, HPLC-MS and Biacore 3000. He is also familiar with several other techniques such as protein chemistry, spectrophotometery, capillary electrophoresis, ELISA, Western Blotting and electrophoretic techniques. During his first Postdoctoral period at Chemistry Department (Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA), he developed and improved bioanalytical assays for the characterization and detection of “mad cow” and related prion diseases. In the University sector, he illustrated his broad knowledge teaching general chemistry, inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry courses. Currently, Ahmed is a research associate in Anatomy and human biology department. He is developing and optimizing HPLC and bioanalytical assays for detecting oxidative damage to muscle proteins in mdx mice.

Qualifications
2003 PhD, in Chemistry, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
1990 BSc, Faculty of Sciences, University of Alexandria, Egypt

HANNAH RADLEY-CRABB (PhD Student and Graduate Research Assistant)

Since completing her Honours research project in 2005, she has been employed as a research assistant in the Skeletal Muscle Research Laboratory. Initially this was a full-time position for 2 years but is now only one day a week in combination with her full-time PhD studies - “Therapeutic interventions for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – studies in the dystrophic mdx mouse”. This research involves looking at various dietary and drug interventions to reduce myofibre necrosis in young and old, sedentary and exercised dystrophic mdx mice, which are an animal model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Dietary interventions, dietary supplements and specific anti-inflammatory drugs (such as those which target TNF) are potential alternate therapies for DMD. Hannah is heavily involved with all scientific research produced by the laboratory group and she has extensive laboratory, administrative and organisational skills. Hannah has played a major role in a wide range of successful projects as demonstrated by a total of 9 publications to date since her Honours: these include 4 published research articles, 3 reviews and 2 recently submitted research articles. She is first author on 4 of these and many already have strong citations (see publication list below). Hannah’s research has been very productive as further demonstrated by more than 20 abstracts (where she is a co-author) presented at international and national meetings by herself or collaborators (often as talks).

RUTH CHAI (PhD Student)

Ruth started her PhD with Miranda Grounds, Thea Shavlakadze and John McGeachie in August 2009. Her current research is studying the neuromuscular system and its contribution to sarcopenia with aging. Ruth completed her honours with Miranda and Thea in 2007, to classify the novel transgenic Class2 IGF-1 mice. After this, she worked for 1.5 years in Singapore with Professor Philip Ingham's Lab at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, on the hedgehog signalling pathway in zebrafish development.

PEARL TAN (PhD Student)

Pearl completed her Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in 2008 majoring in Biochemistry. She started her PhD studies in May 2009, researching under the supervision of Prof Miranda Grounds, Dr Thea Shavlakadze and Assoc/Prof Peter Arthur. Pearl’s project aim is to study the effects of oxidative stress on IGF-1 signalling and its implications in age-related skeletal muscle aging.

TINASHE CHINZOU (PhD Student)

JESSICA TERRILL (PhD Student)

HATICE TOHMA (PhD Student)

TAHMINA ANWARI (PhD Student)

LEIGH PEARCE (PhD Student)

Leigh completed a BSc in Biotechnology with first class honours at Murdoch University in 2004 and a Masters of Business Administration at Curtin University in 2009 before starting his PhD in “Proteomic Techniques to assess oxidative stress within in vivo models” in 2010 under the supervision of Miranda Grounds and Peter Arthur.

YA-TZU CHANG (Masters Student)

2009

Dr Gayle Smythe
BSc (Hons), Ph.D Research Officer November 1997 - December 2000
(funded by the Association Francaise contre les Myopathies – AFM)

Studies into Myoblast Transfer Therapy in vivo. Mainly in situ hybridisation analysis of tissue sections with the Y-chromosome-specific probe, using sliced donor male muscle grafts and treatment of female hosts with FK506 immunosuppression, CD4 & CD8 T-cell depletion and anti-inflammatory agents. Gene therapy with viral and non-viral vectors. Transplantation of whole muscle grafts. Corneal micropocket analysis of angiogenesis.