Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Simon Foster is an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Simon is an emerging leader in molecular pharmacology and cardiovascular physiology, with a particular research interest in cell signalling and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology. He received his BA/BSc (Hons) degrees from the University of Melbourne (Australia) and his PhD from the University of Queensland (Australia) for studies on odorant and taste receptors in the heart. He was an independently-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) from 2015-18, where he discovered novel peptide ligands for orphan receptors. Simon then returned to Australia in 2018 to investigate new aspects of chemokine receptor signalling in the Stone Lab at Monash University, before joining the Cardiac Bioengineering Group at QIMR Berghofer, where he is a Senior Research Officer. Simon is continuing to work closely with Prof Martin Stone on chemokine signalling, funded by an NHMRC Ideas Grant. His work at QIMR Berghofer focusses on the signalling pathways that underpin cardiac fibrosis using stem-cell derived human cardiac organoids.
Research interests
Inflammation is the response of a tissue and its microvascular system to injury or infection. A hallmark of inflammation is the accumulation of leukocytes (white blood cells), which remove pathogens and necrotic tissue by phagocytosis and proteolytic degradation. However, excessive leukocyte recruitment or activity leads to the release of toxic substances and degradation of healthy tissue, i.e. inflammatory disease.
Leukocyte recruitment in inflammation is controlled by the expression and secretion of small proteins called chemokines at the site of inflammation and by the subsequent interaction of those chemokines with chemokine receptors located on the surfaces of circulating leukocytes. A detailed understanding of chemokine-receptor interactions is required in order to rationally develop novel therapeutic agents against inflammatory diseases. Our group is investigating several important aspects of chemokine and chemokine receptor biochemistry with the overall goals of better understanding and ultimately controlling their biological functions.
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
Biomedical Sciences, PhD, University of Queensland
Dec 2009 → Mar 2014
Award Date: 12 Mar 2014
External positions
Senior Research Officer, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Jul 2021 → …
Research Officer, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Oct 2020 → Jul 2021
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Københavns Universitet (University of Copenhagen)
1 Jun 2015 → 31 Jul 2018
Research area keywords
- G Protein-Coupled Receptors
- Chemokine receptors
- Cell Signalling
- Orphan receptors
Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Decoding fibrotic signalling mechanisms to identify new heart failure therapeutic targets
May, L., Foster, S. & Porrello, E. R.
1/01/21 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
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Decoding monocyte signalling networks
Foster, S., Stone, M., Harper, B. & Schittenhelm, R.
1/07/20 → 30/06/21
Project: Research
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Discovery of Human Signaling Systems: Pairing Peptides to G Protein-Coupled Receptors
Foster, S. R., Hauser, A. S., Vedel, L., Strachan, R. T., Huang, X. P., Gavin, A. C., Shah, S. D., Nayak, A. P., Haugaard-Kedström, L. M., Penn, R. B., Roth, B. L., Bräuner-Osborne, H. & Gloriam, D. E., 31 Oct 2019, In: Cell. 179, 4, p. 895-908 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile110 Citations (Scopus) -
Calcium-Sensing Receptor Internalization Is β-Arrestin-Dependent and Modulated by Allosteric Ligands
Mos, I., Jacobsen, S. E., Foster, S. R. & Bräuner-Osborne, H., 1 Oct 2019, In: Molecular Pharmacology. 96, 4, p. 463-474 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile20 Citations (Scopus) -
Investigating internalization and intracellular trafficking of GPCRs: New techniques and real-time experimental approaches
Foster, S. R. & Bräuner-Osborne, H., 1 Jan 2018, Targeting Trafficking in Drug Development. Ulloa-Aguirre, A. & Tao, Y-X. (eds.). Springer, p. 41-61 21 p. (Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology; vol. 245).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Other › peer-review
24 Citations (Scopus) -
Extrasensory perception: Odorant and taste receptors beyond the nose and mouth
Foster, S. R., Roura, E. & Thomas, W. G., 1 Apr 2014, In: Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 142, 1, p. 41-61 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile88 Citations (Scopus) -
Expression, Regulation and Putative Nutrient-Sensing Function of Taste GPCRs in the Heart
Foster, S. R., Porrello, E. R., Purdue, B. W., Chan, H. W., Voigt, A., Frenzel, S., Hannan, R. D., Moritz, K. M., Simmons, D. G., Molenaar, P., Roura, E., Boehm, U., Meyerhof, W. & Thomas, W. G., 15 May 2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 5, e64579.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access110 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
Activities
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Frontiers in Physiology (Journal)
Simon Foster (Peer reviewer)
2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Science Signaling (Journal)
Simon Foster (Peer reviewer)
2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Journal of Biological Chemistry (Journal)
Simon Foster (Peer reviewer)
2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Drug Discovery Special Interest Group Committee Victorian representative, ASCEPT (2019)
Simon Foster (Member)
2019Activity: External Academic Engagement › Committees and working groups
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Nature Communications (Journal)
Simon Foster (Peer reviewer)
2016Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
Press/Media
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Hot Topics: GPR139 as a potential target for increasing opioid safety
30/08/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment