Research Fellow and Program Head, Immunity and Inflammation
BSc (Hons.) PhD
Phil is a Research Fellow in the Experimental Immunology Research Team and Program Head of the Immunity and Inflammation program and the Telethon Kids Institute. He is also an Associate Professor in Pathology at Murdoch University, where he holds a tenured academic teaching position. He completed his PhD in immunology in 1994 at Murdoch University and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford, University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute.
His research is focused on understanding the regulation of immune defence mechanisms in the lungs, including the role of respiratory dendritic cells in regulating immunological tolerance, the pathogenesis of allergic inflammatory disorders such as allergic asthma, and in protection against, and recovery from, respiratory viral infections including influenza A virus. As part of the Early Environment Research Focus Area at Telethon Kids Institute, and in collaboration with A/Prof Deb Strickland, he also has interests in developing new approaches strategies for enhancing and restoring immune tolerance in early life as an approach to boosting respiratory defence mechanisms to provide enhanced anti-viral defence and prevent damaging inflammatory responses.
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Publications
April 2023
Stimulation of alpha-1 adrenoceptors may intensify cutaneous inflammation in complex regional pain syndrome
Alpha-1 adrenoceptors are overexpressed in the epidermis of a subgroup of patients with complex regional pain syndrome. Activating α 1 -adrenoceptors in epidermal cells increases production of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, a mediator of inflammation.
Published research Sarcoma Translational ResearchJuly 2021Protection against neonatal respiratory viral infection via maternal treatment during pregnancy with the benign immune training agent OM-85
Incomplete maturation of immune regulatory functions at birth is antecedent to the heightened risk for severe respiratory infections during infancy. Our forerunner animal model studies demonstrated that maternal treatment with the microbial-derived immune training agent OM-85 during pregnancy promotes accelerated postnatal maturation of mechanisms that regulate inflammatory processes in the offspring airways.
Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human ImmunologyJuly 2021Protection against neonatal respiratory viral infection via maternal treatment during pregnancy with the benign immune training agent OM-85
Incomplete maturation of immune regulatory functions at birth is antecedent to the heightened risk for severe respiratory infections during infancy. Our forerunner animal model studies demonstrated that maternal treatment with the microbial-derived immune training agent OM-85 during pregnancy promotes accelerated postnatal maturation of mechanisms that regulate inflammatory processes in the offspring airways.
Published research Early Childhood Development Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Systems Immunology -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours
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Active Collaborations