Professor Mark Walker

Prof Mark Walker
Prof Mark Walker

BSc & BSc Hons 1 Microbiology (Queensland); PhD Microbiology (Queensland)
Position: NHMRC Principal Research Fellow

Room: 115
Building: 76 Molecular Biosciences Building
Phone: +61 7 334 61623
Email: mark.walker@uq.edu.au
Web: cidr.uq.edu.au/?page_id=588

Research Interests and Collaborations

My research focuses on the mechanism by which the group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes; GAS) causes invasive disease and GAS vaccine development. S. pyogenes is the etiologic agent of numerous suppurative diseases, ranging from mild skin infections such as pharyngitis, scarlet fever, impetigo and cellulitis, to severe invasive diseases such as septicemia, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. GAS is placed within the “top 10″ infectious disease causes of human deaths worldwide. Indigenous Australians suffer the highest rates of affliction with GAS diseases in the World. Of the over 100 M serotypes, the M1T1 clone which emerged in the mid-1980s and disseminated globally, causes most deaths and morbidity. 

Selected Publications

Cole, J.N., McArthur, J.D., McKay, F.C., Sanderson-Smith, M.L., Cork, A.J., Ranson, M., Rohde, M., Itzek, A., Sun, H., Ginsburg, D., Kotb, M., Nizet, V., Chhatwal, G.S., Walker, M.J. (2006) Trigger for group A streptococcal M1T1 invasive disease. FASEB Journal 20: 1745-1747.

Walker, M.J., Hollands, H., Sanderson-Smith, M., Cole, J.N., Kirk, J.K., Henningham, A., McArthur, J.D., Dinkla, K., Aziz, R.K., Kansal, R.G., Buchanan, J.T., Simpson, A.J., Chhatwal, G.S., Kotb, M., Nizet, V. (2007) Selection pressure by the innate immune system switches Streptococcus pyogenes M1T1 into a hyperinvasive pathogen. Nature Medicine 13: 981-985.

Sanderson-Smith, M.L., Dinkla, K., Cole, J.N., Cork, A.J., Maamary, P.G., McArthur, J.D., Chhatwal, G.S., Walker, M.J. (2008) M protein mediated plasminogen binding is essential for the virulence of an invasive Streptococcus pyogenes isolate. FASEB Journal 22: 2715-2722.

McArthur, J.D., McKay, F.C., Ramachandran, V., Shyam, P., Cork, A.J., Sanderson-Smith, M.L., Cole, J.N., Ringdahl, U., Sjobring, U., Ranson, M., Walker, M.J. (2008) Allelic variants of streptokinase from Streptococcus pyogenes display functional differences in plasminogen activation. FASEB Journal 22: 3146-3153. Venturini, C., Beatson, S.A., Djordjevic, S.P., Walker, M.J. (2010) Multiple antibiotic resistance gene recruitment onto the enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli virulence plasmid. FASEB Journal 24: 1160-1166.

Cole, J.N., Pence, M.A., von Kockritz-Blickwede, M., Hollands, A., Gallo, R.L., Walker, M.J., Nizet, V. (2010) M protein and hyaluronic acid capsule are essential for the genetic switch underlying hypervirulence in M1T1 group A Streptococcus. mBio 1: e00191-10.

Maamary, P.G., Sanderson-Smith, M.L., Aziz, R.K., Hollands, A., Cole, J.N., McKay, F.C., McArthur, J.D., Kirk, J.K., Cork, A.J., Keefe, R.J., Kansal, R.G., Sun, H., Taylor, W.L., Chhatwal, G.S., Ginsburg, D., Nizet, V., Kotb, M., Walker, M.J. (2010) Parameters governing invasive disease propensity of non-M1 serotype group A streptococci. Journal of Innate Immunity 2: 596-606.

Hollands, A., Pence, M.A., Timmer, A.M., Osvath, S.R., Turnbull, L., Whitchurch, C.B., Walker, M.J., Nizet, V. (2010) A genetic switch to hypervirulence impairs colonization phenotypes of the globally disseminated group A Streptococcus M1T1 clone. Journal of Infectious Diseases 202: 11-19.

Patents

1991   High level expression of unfused Bordetella pertussis filamentous haemagglutinin for production of acellular and live oral vaccines against whooping cough. D4111531 A1 German patent application filed, PCT/EP92/00814 international patent filed. Inventors: Dr. M.J. Walker, Dr. C.A. Guzman and Prof. K.N. Timmis.

1991  High level expression of Bordetella pertussis pertussis holotoxin in Bvg-negative Bordetella bronchiseptica for production of acellular vaccines against whooping cough. D4113385 A1 German patent application filed, PCT/EP92/00910 international patent filed, inventors: M.J. Walker, K.N. Timmis.

1992  Antigen-containing liposomes for oral immunization. D4136553 A1 German patent application filed, PCT/2729/59 international patent application filed, inventors: M.J. Walker, H. Brahmbhatt, R.M. Brownlie, D.C. White, J. Wehland, M.W. Fountain, C. Guzman and K.N. Timmis

2008   Group A streptococcal pharmaceutical compositions and methods thereof. PCT/AU2008/0011236 Australian Patent (filed 22nd August 2008) Inventors: M.J. Walker, A. Henningham, J. Cole

Funded Projects

ARC Discovery Project 2009-2010
Mapping cell wall and surface structures of gram-positive cocci
Total value of grant: $142,000

NHMRC Project Grant 2010-2013
Does viral programming cause group A streptococcal invasive disease? 
Total value of grant: $544,843

NHMRC Research Fellowship 2010-2015
Total value of grant $677,500

NHMRC Development Grant
Preclinical studies of group A streptococcal vaccine candidates
Total value of grant: $483,600

Teaching

Professor Walker primarily contributes to the undergraduate subject MICR3001, giving a series of lectures on bacterial pathogenesis and vaccine development.

Teaching awards:

  • 2000: Australian College of Education (Illawarra/South Coast NSW Chapter) excellence in tertiary teaching
  • 2003: University of Wollongong Vice Chancellor's award for outstanding teaching and learning in science
  • 2003: Australian Society of Microbiology David White excellence in teaching

Research awards and fellowships

  • 1998: Alexander Von Humboldt fellowship
  • 2005-6: Fulbright Senior Scholar fellowship (UCSD and University of Tennessee)
  • 2009: University of Wollongong Vice Chancellor's senior researcher award

On this site

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