Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
I am a Research Fellow within the Department of Microbiology,
Biomedicine Discovery Institute, and my team is co-located alongside
the World Mosquito Program (WMP) at Monash University, Clayton. My
team aims to develop and support the application of novel intervention
strategies for mosquito-borne viruses.
Over the last decade WMP has established the use of the insect
symbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, as a biocontrol tool: Wolbachia
reduces the risk of transmission of important human pathogenic
viruses, like dengue, from the Aedes aegypti mosquito species to
humans. WMP has deployed Wolbachia in regions of 12 dengue-prone
countries to date. The efficacy of their approach was recently
demonstrated in a randomised controlled trial in Yogyakarta,
Indonesia, where a 77% reduction in dengue incidence was reported in
regions of the city where Wolbachia was established in Ae. aegypti
populations (Utarini et al., NEJM 2021).
I run an NHMRC- and ARC-funded research program focussed on
understanding the molecular mechanisms that underpin Wolbachia's
antiviral activity in Ae. aegypti. Using novel in vivo and in vitro
systems, we apply a range of molecular technologies including high
resolution imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics and deep sequencing,
to probe how Wolbachia modifies mosquito cells and how viruses like
dengue may adapt to this antiviral pressure. Building this knowledge
bank will help support the application and longevity of Wolbachia as
an intervention strategy and may guide development of new applications
for its use in other viral vector species.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Understanding and exploiting the mechanism of action of a novel dengue virus inhibitor
Eyre, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Abell, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chataway, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Nair, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fraser, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), MacKenzie, J. M. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Bull, R. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/24 → 1/01/27
Project: Research
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Defining the antiviral effects of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Fraser, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), MacKenzie, J. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Simmons, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Adelman, Z. (Partner Investigator (PI))
ARC - Australian Research Council
1/03/23 → 28/02/26
Project: Research
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Dengue virus resistance to Wolbachia
Fraser, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Eyre, N. (Chief Investigator (CI))
NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
1/01/20 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Characterisation and validation of retinoic acid p-hydroxanilide (4-HPR) as a potent anti-dengue agent.
Jans, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Fraser, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Morton, C. J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/08/13 → 30/06/14
Project: Research
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Twelfth scientific biennial meeting of the Australasian Virology Society: AVS12 2024
Monson, E. A., Loterio, R. K., Roby, J. A., Adhikari, A., Bull, R. A., Carr, J. M., Chatzileontiadou, D. S. M., Cheng, C. X., Coulibaly, F., Davis, S. K., Deerain, J. M., Douglas, M. W., Drummer, H. E., Eyre, N. S., Freppel, W., Gowripalan, A., Grant, E. J., Gras, S., Guthmiller, J. J. & Herrero, L. J. & 19 others, , May 2025, In: Journal of Virology. 99, 5, 14 p., e02255-24.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access -
Antiviral Wolbachia strains associate with Aedes aegypti endoplasmic reticulum membranes and induce lipid droplet formation to restrict dengue virus replication
Loterio, R. K., Monson, E. A., Templin, R., de Bruyne, J. T., Flores, H. A., Mackenzie, J. M., Ramm, G., Helbig, K. J., Simmons, C. P. & Fraser, J. E., 14 Feb 2024, In: mBio. 15, 2, 20 p., e0249523.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
Enhancing the scalability of Wolbachia-based vector-borne disease management: time and temperature limits for storage and transport of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti eggs for field releases
Allman, M. J. (Leading Author), Lin, Y.-H., Joubert, D. A., Addley-Cook, J., Mejía-Torres, M. C., Simmons, C. P., Flores, H. A. (Leading Author) & Fraser, J. E. (Leading Author), 2023, In: Parasites & Vectors. 16, 13 p., 108.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Citations (Scopus) -
Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse”
Speck, P., Mackenzie, J., Bull, R. A., Slobedman, B., Drummer, H., Fraser, J., Herrero, L., Helbig, K., Londrigan, S., Moseley, G., Prow, N., Hansman, G., Edwards, R., Ahlenstiel, C., Abendroth, A., Tscharke, D., Hobson-Peters, J., Kriiger-Loterio, R., Parry, R. & Marsh, G. & 100 others, , 31 May 2023, In: Journal of Virology. 97, 5, 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other › peer-review
Open Access -
Statement in Support of: "Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse"
Speck, P., Mackenzie, J., Bull, R. A., Slobedman, B., Drummer, H., Fraser, J., Herrero, L., Helbig, K., Londrigan, S., Moseley, G., Prow, N., Hansman, G., Edwards, R., Ahlenstiel, C., Abendroth, A., Tscharke, D., Hobson-Peters, J., Kriiger-Loterio, R., Parry, R. & Marsh, G. & 100 others, , 27 Jun 2023, In: mBio. 14, 3, 3 p., e00815-23.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other › peer-review
Open Access
Activities
- 2 Patents
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MONASH UNIVERSITY (Organisational unit)
Fraser, J. E. (Inventor), Taneja De Bruyne, J. T. (Inventor), Iturbe-Ormaeche, I. (Inventor), Flores, H. A. (Inventor) & O'Neill, S. (Inventor)
3 Jan 2019Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Patents › Patent
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MONASH UNIVERSITY (Organisational unit)
Fraser, J. (Inventor), Jans, D. (Inventor) & Wagstaff, K. (Inventor)
31 Oct 2014Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Patents › Patent