Professor Roy Hall

Prof Roy Hall
Prof Roy Hall

BSc (UQ) Microbiology; PhD (James Cook University) Virology
Position: Professor

Room: 553
Building: 76 Moleclar Biosciences
Phone: +61 7336 54647
Email: roy.hall@uq.edu.au

Biography

I received my BSc with Hons from the Department of Microbiology at UQ in 1980. I then joined QIMR as a research associate and later enrolled as a PhD student through James Cook University of Nth Queensland, studying the antigenic structure of mosquito-borne flaviviruses and developing novel methods for their detection and diagnosis. After receiving my PhD in 1989, I spent 5 years at UWA working with Prof John Mackenzie studying the structure and function of viral proteins, and developing recombinant viral vaccines and rapid diagnostics for mosquito-borne viruses.

I joined UQ as an NHMRC Senior Research Officer in 1995 and continued to work in the area of mosquito-borne viruses. I am currently Reader in Virology at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

Research Focus and Collaborations

A major research interest in my lab has been the study of the structure and function of flavivirus proteins with a focus on their role in viral pathogenesis and their potential as targets for antivirals. These studies focus on two globally important mosquito-borne pathogens, West Nile virus and Chikungunya virus. These studies have recently led to the development of novel vaccine candidates, potent immunotherapy agents and potential new targets for antivirals against West Nile virus infection.

Another major theme of my research is viral ecology and epidemiology. This includes isolation and genetic characterisation of new arthropod-borne viruses and assessment of their distribution and activity by serological surveys and surveillance. These studies have also spawned major projects for the development of novel reagents and methodologies to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of flavivirus and alphavirus detection and diagnosis in humans and animals and for monitoring the activity of these viruses in mosquito vectors.

Collaborating institutions include:
QIMR, IMB, UWA, JCSMR (ANU), Columbia University (New York), University of Iowa, UTMB (Texas), Berrimah Vet Labs (Darwin), AAHL (Geelong).

Research Projects

  • Exploiting new targets for antivirals against West Nile virus (NHMRC)
  • Improving diagnostics against West Nile virus and Chikungunya viruses (ARC and AB-CRC)
  • Identifying markers of virulence and attenuation in encephalitic flaviviruses (NHMRC)
  • Assessment of novel vaccine formulations against Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in mice and large animals (NIH, UQ Strategic funds)

Selected Publications

Hall-Mendelin, S., Ritchie, S.A., Johansen, C.A., Zborowski, P., Cortis, G., Dandridge, S., Hall, R.A. and van den Hurk, A.F. (2010). Exploiting mosquito sugar feeding to detect mosquito-borne pathogens. PNAS: 11255-11259.

Prow TW, Chen X, Prow NA, Fernando GJ, Tan CS, Raphael AP, Chang D, Ruutu MP, Jenkins DW, Pyke A, Crichton ML, Raphaelli K, Goh LY, Frazer IH, Roberts MS, Gardner J, Khromykh AA, Suhrbier A, Hall RA, Kendall MA. (2010) Nanopatch-Targeted Skin Vaccination against West Nile Virus and Chikungunya Virus in Mice. Small. 2010 Aug 16;6(16):1776-84.

R.A. Hall, Tan SE, Selisko B, Slade R, Hobson-Peters J, Canard B, Hughes M, Leung JY, Balmori Melian E, Hall-Mendelin S, Pham KB, Clark DC, Prow NA, Khromykh AA. (2009). Monoclonal antibodies to the West Nile virus NS5 protein map to linear and conformational epitopes in the methyl transferase and RNA-dependant RNA polymerase domains. J Gen Virol, 90(Pt 12):2912-22.

D.C. Chang, W.J. Liu, I. Anraku, D. C. Clark, C.C. Pollitt, A. Suhrbier, R.A. Hall, and A. A. Khromykh. (2008). Single-round infectious particles enhance immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine against West Nile virus. Nature Biotechnology, 26, 571-577.

R.A. Hall, D.J. Nisbet, K. B. Pharm, A.T. Pyke, G. Smith, A.A. Khromykh. (2003) DNA vaccine coding for the full-length infectious Kunjin virus RNA protects mice against the New York strain of West Nile virus. PNAS, 100, 10460-10464.

Teaching

Co-ordinate:

  • MICR2000 – Microbiology and Immunology
  • BIOC6006 - Postgraduate Molecular Genetics


Teach into:

Awards

2000 - James H, Nakano Award for outstanding Scientific paper describing the initial discovery and characterisation of the West Nile outbreak in North America (Lanciotti, R.S., Roehrig, J.T., Deubel, V., Smith, J., Parker, M., Steele, K., Volpe, K.E., Crabtree, J.H., Scherret, J.H., Hall, R.A., Mackenzie, J.S., Et Al. - Science, 1999).

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