Team Leader, Clinical Epigenetics
BSc PhD
David is an NHMRC biomedical research fellow and Team Leader of Clinical Epigenetics at Telethon Kids Institute. His research explores the links between the molecular determinants of epigenetic control and childhood health and disease. He is engaged in understanding how periconceptual exposures translate into phenotypes with enduring effects on long-term health. He has published extensively on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of immune development and allergic disease.
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Projects
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Publications
March 2021
Children of Asian ethnicity in Australia have higher risk of food allergy and early-onset eczema than those in Singapore
In Western countries, Asian children have higher food allergy risk than Caucasian children. The early-life environmental exposures for this discrepancy are unclear. We aimed to compare prevalence of food allergy and associated risk factors between Asian children in Singapore and Australia.
Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsJuly 2021Mapping the landscape of chromatin dynamics during naïve CD4+ T-cell activation
T-cell activation induces context-specific gene expression programs that promote energy generation and biosynthesis, progression through the cell cycle and ultimately cell differentiation. The aim of this study was to apply the omni ATAC-seq method to characterize the landscape of chromatin changes induced by T-cell activation in mature naïve CD4+ T-cells.
Published research Systems Immunology Clinical Epigenetics Subsite: Genomics WASeptember 2021Risk Factors for Gut Dysbiosis in Early Life
Dysbiosis refers to a reduction in microbial diversity, combined with a loss of beneficial taxa, and an increase in pathogenic microorganisms. Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota can have a substantial effect on the nervous and immune systems, contributing to the onset of several inflammatory diseases.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Experimental Immunology Clinical Epigenetics Immune systemFebruary 2019Children with East Asian-Born Parents Have an Increased Risk of Allergy but May Not Have More Asthma in Early Childhood
Children of East Asian ancestry born in Australia have a higher burden of most allergic diseases in the first 6 years of life, whereas asthma may follow a different pattern
Asthma Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsSeptember 2019Genetic determinants of paediatric food allergy: A systematic review
We systematically reviewed the literature on the genetic basis of food allergy, identifying areas for further investigation
Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsSeptember 2018Early life innate immune signatures of persistent food allergy
Early life innate immune dysfunction may represent a key immunological driver and predictor of persistent food allergy in childhood
Published research ORIGINS Food AllergyAugust 2018Epigenetic dysregulation of naive CD4+ T-cell activation genes in childhood food allergy
Our data indicate epigenetic dysregulation in the early stages of signal transduction through the T cell receptor complex, and likely reflects pathways modified by gene-environment interactions in food allergy
Published research Food AllergyJune 2018Candidate gene testing in clinical cohort studies with multiplexed genotyping and mass spectrometry
We describe a cost-effective tag single nucleotide polymorphism approach using a multiplexed genotyping assay with mass spectrometry
Published research Clinical Epigenetics -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours
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Active Collaborations