Christian Doerig

Christian Doerig obtained his PhD in molecular virology at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in Lausanne, Switzerland. After a post-doctoral training on herpes simplex virus in the USA, he turned his attention to malaria and pioneered the study of protein phosphorylation inPlasmodium falciparum, the most virulent of the parasites causing human malaria. He is "Directeur de Recherches" at the French biomedical research agency Inserm and Honorary Professor of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He established the first Inserm units in the UK, at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow, and subsequently in Switzerland at the Inserm-EPFL joint laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne (EPFL). In 2011, he joined Monash University as Head of the Department of Microbiology.

The research programme of our team is aimed at defining the role of protein phosphorylation in the life cycle of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The long term objectives are (i) to elucidate the organisation and function of phosphosignalling pathways controlling proliferation and development of the parasite in the human host, and (ii) to identify protein kinase inhibitors that can represent leads for antimalarial drug discovery. The laboratory has brought internationally recognised contributions to the field of signal transduction, cell cycle control, and kinomics in malaria parasites, and has extensive expertise in protein kinase biochemistry and reverse genetics. We recently identified the complement of protein kinases that are essential for parasite survival in the human blood, as well as kinases from the host red blood cell that are activated by infection with the parasite, and whose activity is required for parasite proliferation. We are now focusing our attention on the cellular function of essential parasite and host erythrocyte kinases. Active collaborations have been established with pharmacology and structural biology laboratories with the purpose of developing drug discovery activities based on inhibition of these essential host and parasite signaling protein kinases.

Deputy Convenor MIC3041