Member SpotlightsVaccine Immunology Studies at University of Melbourne Brendon Chua, Ph.D. A Science Advisory Board Member Since 2007  Brendon Chua, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research scientist at University of Melbourne, Australia, where he conducts research in the department of Microbiology & Immunology. After completing his Bachelors degree, he worked as a research officer in several clinical trial programs at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Chua was the recipient of a Cooperative Research Centre scholarship and a Major Bartlett scholarship during his Ph.D. studies, and is currently a member of the Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers, "…a government supported collaboration to create research synergies between Australian polymer scientists and engineers, and other areas of research and economic strength." Research Interests My research background is in vaccine immunology, particularly in synthetic peptide-based vaccine research and in the evaluation of vaccine efficacies using various biological in vitro and in vivo–based animal and human disease models. My research interest centers on the impact of vaccine design on dendritic cell maturation as well as the subsequent effect on ensuing immune responses. I am currently an investigator on a project adapting micro and nano-particle technology for vaccine use. Career Motivations & Expectations All throughout my education, I have always had an interest in the science of things, but it was perhaps during my undergraduate degree when I had the opportunity to work in a research laboratory that sparked an initial interest to learn more about how the immune system functions; especially in regards to how it fights infection. I remember feeling like a kid in a candy store, bewildered with a sense of wonder, curiosity and excitement. Sharing in a laboratory with people that share the same passion for science was also a highly motivating factor and still is. I don't think I would have ever pursued a career in research if I did not have the peers and mentors that I was very fortunate to have during the course of my education. In a sense I always knew that I would end up doing research in this field but I find myself more involved in industry-based research and commercial pursuits these days, which was unexpected, but at the same time, interesting. Being involved in projects that take successful vaccine strategies from the bench level to the stage of a clinical trial is a fulfilling experience and gives you a great sense of accomplishment when it does happen. Future Plans In the short term, I would love to continue doing what I'm doing and develop an independent career in translational research to turn effective vaccine strategies from the bench into useful clinical and veterinary applications. Stepping out of my comfort zone and learning more about how to develop intellectual property and translating it into practical applications is an ongoing interest for me at the moment and I would like to see myself furthering those aims and to be involved in consultation at a later stage of my career. Life Outside the Lab I am a total sports tragic and enjoy both watching and getting involved. I love running and am a keen cyclist, both on-road and off-road and play a fair bit of volleyball during the week. Pretty much any spare time I have is devoted to some sort of recreational sports and giving my health insurance a real run for its money. I do also enjoy the quieter stuff. A great way to unwind for me is watching a good DVD in the company of close friends with good red wine. Having a guitar to strum is also a fantastic way to relax and put my feet up. If you'd like to comment on this article, or join in discussion on other topics with SAB members, please visit our community forums. Websites The Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the University of Melbourne (http://www.microbiol.unimelb.edu.au/) where I am based is one of the largest in Australia. The department provides high-quality coursework and a breadth of research programs covering areas of bacteriology, virology, immunology and biotechnology. The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Polymers (https://www.crcp.com.au/) is a joint venture that was established by the Australian government to conduct agreed research, commercialization, education and administration programs. Its research focus is on developing 'functional' (i.e. responsive to physical or biological stimuli) and higher value-added specialty polymers for emerging high growth opportunities. Publications Brendon Y Chua, Weiguang Zeng, Yuk Fai Lau, David C. Jackson. "Comparison of lipopeptide-based immunocontraceptive vaccines containing different lipid groups". Vaccine, 2007, 25 (1): 92-101. Brendon Y Chua, Emily M Eriksson, Daniel Poole, Weiguang Zeng & David C. Jackson. "Dendritic cell acquisition of epitope cargo mediated by simple cationic peptide structures". Peptides, 2008, Jun 29 (6): 881-90. Brendon Y Chua, Emily M Eriksson, Weiguang Zeng, Joseph Torresi, Lorena E Brown, Eric J Gowans & David C. Jackson. "A self-adjuvanting lipopeptide vaccine candidate for dendritic-cell based immunotherapy of Hepatitis C Virus infection". Vaccine, 2008, Apr. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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