Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor Melinda Coughlan has a BSc (Biology) with Honours in Nutrition from Deakin University, and a PhD in Metabolism from the University of Melbourne. Her PhD focused on mediators of inflammation and oxidative stress in the development of gestational diabetes (Mercy Hospital for Women). After completing her PhD, Melinda joined the Baker Heart Research Institute as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof Mark Cooper’s Diabetes Complications Division. In 2012, she became the Head of the Glycation, Nutrition and Metabolism Laboratory at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. In Nov 2016, she was recruited to Monash University’s School of Translational Medicine as one of the key recruits to help establish the Department of Diabetes. Associate Professor Coughlan holds a REDI Fellowship from the MRFF and has research grants from the NHMRC, JDRF and Diabetes Australia.
Research interests
Dietary factors in the initiation of diabetes and its complications:
- Maillard reaction products/advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).
- Dietary constituents and incretins (GLP-1).
- Ultraprocessed foods and gut microbial ecology.
Mitochondrial health in diabetes:
- Mapping the mitochondrial bioenergetic signature of individuals with diabetic kidney disease.
- Investigating pathways of mitochondrial quality control.
- Validation of mitochondria-targeted therapies in pre-clinical models.
Identification of novel targets of therapy for chronic kidney disease:
- Multiomic profiling of human renal biospecimens from subjects with diabetes and kidney disease.
University Service
Achievements and Awards
- REDI Fellowship (MRFF)
- JDRF Career Development Award
- Nutrition Society of Australia Mid Career Research Award
- Roche-Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology Senior Scientist Career Development Award
- Australian Diabetes Society Skip Martin Early Career Fellowship
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) New Investigator Project Grant
- Registered Nutritionist (Nutrition Society of Australia)
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):
Education/Academic qualification
Obstetrics & Gynaecology, PhD, Pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus., University of Melbourne
External positions
Member, National Committee for Nutrition, Australian Academy of Science
Mar 2108 → …
Member of Council, Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology
28 Aug 2022 → …
Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
15 Aug 2022 → …
Honorary Baker Affiliate, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
16 Nov 2016 → …
Research area keywords
- Diabetes
- Diet and nutrition
- mitochondria
- advanced glycation end products
- processed food
- dietary modification
- Kidney
- Diabetic Nephropathy
- Metabolism
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Understanding the metabolic landscape in the human kidney in diabetes
Coughlan, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Watt, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Stroud, D. A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Ramm, G. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Schittenhelm, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Lazarou, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), McLean, C. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Lawton, P. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Ekinci, E. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/24 → 31/12/28
Project: Research
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Splice switching oligonucleotides for the treatment of chronic kidney disease
Thomas, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Wilton, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wraight, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pickering, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cooper, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Coughlan, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tesch, G. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Kitching, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Jupp, B. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Targeting Renal Energy Metabolism in Kidney Injury and Disease
Mount, P. F. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Power, D. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kemp, B. E. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Loh, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Coughlan, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Tull, D. L. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/22 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Targeting mitochondria in kidney diseases
Coughlan, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
1/07/23 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Inhibiting Complement C5a Receptor1 to Improve Heart Function in Type 2 Diabetes
Sharma, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Coughlan, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Woodruff, T. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Donner, D. G. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/02/23 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
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Does the expression of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor on bone marrow derived cells influence the onset and progression of diabetic kidney disease?
Sourris, K. C., Bertuzzo Veiga, C., Kantharidis, P., Rosado, C., Bose, M., Dimitropoulos, A., Xu, Y., Coughlan, M. T., Aziz, M., Morgan, P., Drucker, D. J., Murphy, A. J., Jandeleit-Dahm, K. A. M. & Cooper, M. E., Sept 2024, In: Diabetologia. 67, S1, p. S106 1 p., OP198.Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor signaling modifies the extent of diabetic kidney disease through dampening the receptor for advanced glycation end products–induced inflammation
Sourris, K. C., Ding, Y., Maxwell, S. S., Al-Sharea, A., Kantharidis, P., Mohan, M., Rosado, C., Penfold, S., Haase, C. G., Xu, Y., Forbes, J. M., Crawford, S. A., Ramm, G., Harcourt, B. E., Jandeleit-Dahm, K. A. M., Advani, A., Murphy, A. J., Timmermann, D. B., Karihaloo, A. & Knudsen, L. B. & 4 others, , Jan 2024, In: Kidney International. 105, 1, p. 132-149 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access46 Citations (Scopus) -
Guidelines for microbiome studies in renal physiology
Muralitharan, R. R., Snelson, M., Meric, G., Coughlan, M. T. & Marques, F. Z., 1 Sept 2023, In: American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology. 325, 3, p. F345-F362 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access8 Citations (Scopus) -
The postprandial actions of GLP-1 receptor agonists: The missing link for cardiovascular and kidney protection in type 2 diabetes
Thomas, M. C., Coughlan, M. T. & Cooper, M. E., 7 Feb 2023, In: Cell Metabolism. 35, 2, p. 253-273 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access36 Citations (Scopus) -
Therapeutic Potential of Targeting Complement C5a Receptors in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Trambas, I. A. (Leading Author), Coughlan, M. T. & Tan, S. M. (Leading Author), May 2023, In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 24, 10, 19 p., 8758.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access10 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Australian Diabetes Society (ADS) Skip Martin Early Career Fellowship
Coughlan, Melinda (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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JDRF-Australian Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network Career Development Award
Coughlan, Melinda (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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Nutrition Society of Australia Mid Career Research Award
Coughlan, Melinda (Recipient), 27 Nov 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Nutrition Society of Australia Mid Career Travel Award
Coughlan, Melinda (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) Fellowship
Coughlan, M. (Recipient), 1 Jul 2023
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
Activities
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Bladder and Kidney Health Discovery Program Leadership Team- Theme Leader: Chronic Kidney Diseases
Melinda Coughlan (Fellow)
2023 → …Activity: External Academic Engagement › Committees and working groups
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Honours Supervision (BMedSc): Dietary fibre as an adjunct therapy for reducing kidney injury in diabetes
Melinda Coughlan (Supervisor) & Arpeeta Sharma (Supervisor)
2023Activity: Other Teaching Engagements and non-HDR Supervisions › Non-HDR Supervisions
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Council Member, Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology
Melinda Coughlan (Fellow)
Aug 2022 → …Activity: External Academic Engagement › Committees and working groups
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Honours Supervision (BMedSc): An exploration of use of Resistant Starch in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Melinda Coughlan (Supervisor) & Matthew Snelson (Supervisor)
2022Activity: Other Teaching Engagements and non-HDR Supervisions › Non-HDR Supervisions
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Master's Supervision (Master of Biomedical Science and Health Sciences): Mapping the Mitochondrial Signature in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Coughlan, M. (Supervisor) & Tan, M. (Supervisor)
Jul 2022 → Jun 2023Activity: Other Teaching Engagements and non-HDR Supervisions › Non-HDR Supervisions
Press/Media
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Can supplements lower blood sugar levels and improve diabetes? Here's what the science says
12/12/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Ten News Melbourne interview- New Founds Benefits of Ozempic for Kidney & Heart Disease
Melinda Coughlan & Mark Cooper
12/12/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview
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7NEWS interview- Surprise health benefits linked to weight-loss drug
Melinda Coughlan & Mark Cooper
12/12/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview
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Radio Interview- Joy FM Drive Program- Processed foods
8/04/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview