Professor Alan Baxter is a medical graduate who completed a PhD in immunogenetics at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute under the supervision of Tom Mandel. He has worked as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and at Cambridge University, where he was a Supervisor in Pathology for Trinity College. He was president of the Australasian Society for Immunology from 2006-2008, a member of the Council of the Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania 2012-2015, the Council of the International Union of Immunological Societies 2013-2017, and the MSRA Research Management Council since 2013. He established the Autoimmunity Research Group at the Centenary Institute, where he worked for nine years before taking up his current appointment as Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology and Director of the Comparative Genomics Centre of James Cook University. His work is funded by James Cook University,  the MSRA, Townsville Hospital and Health Service and the Queensland Department of Health.

Specialties

He is known internationally for his contributions to the genetics of autoimmune disease and has published on the genetics of gastritis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and the role of NKT cells in autoimmunity, and made major contributions to our understanding of gene/environment interactions in autoimmune disease.

 

Teaching

• BC3102: Molecular Basis of Disease (Level 3; TSV)
• BC3202: Special Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Level 3; TSV)
• BC5001: Advanced Readings in Molecular and Cell Biology (Level 5; TSV)
• BC5002: Advanced Research in Molecular and Cell Biology 1 of 2 (Level 5; TSV)
• BC5003: Advanced Research in Molecular and Cell Biology 2 of 2 (Level 5; TSV)
• BC5102: Advanced Molecular Basis of Disease (Level 5; TSV)
• BC5202: Advanced Laboratory Practice in Molecular and Cell Biology (Level 5; TSV)
• BC5312: Research and Dissertation in Molecular and Cell Biology (Level 5; TSV)
• BM1000: Introductory Biochemistry and Microbiology (Level 1; TSV)
• TV1102: Cell Biology and Biochemistry for Veterinary Science and Agriculture (Level 1; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Immunogenetics of autoimmune disease
• Innate immunity
• Genetics of immune regulation
• Multiple sclerosis
• Type 1 diabetes
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Autoimmune gastritis

Research Disciplines

• Immunology (1107)
• Neurosciences (1109)
• Genetics (0604)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Clinical Health (9201)

Awards

• 2011 to 2015 - NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (B)
• 2006 to 2010 - NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (B)
• 2001 to 2005 - NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (A)
• 1997 to 2000 - NHMRC RD Wright Fellowship
• 1992 to 1995 - NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship

Memberships

• 2013 - Elected member of the Council for the International Union of Immunological Societies.
• 2012 - Elected member of the Council for the Federation of Immunological Societies for Asia/Oceania.
• 2012 - Senior Editorial Board, American J Clinical and Experimental Immunology
• 2010 - Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia Research Management Council
• 2006 - Board of the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine
• 2004 to 2007 - Professional Review Panel, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
• 1999 to 2003 - Professional Advisory Panel, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia
• 1997 to 2002 - Editorial Board, Autoimmunity

Other

• 2007 - Associate Editor, Immunology and Cell Biology
• 2004 - Associate Editor, The Review of Diabetic Studies
• 2006 to 2008 - President, Australasian Society for Immunology
• 2004 to 2008 - Associate Editor, Journal of Immunology
• 2005 to 2006 - Vice-President, Australasian Society for Immunology

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Kling J, Jordan M, Pitt L, Meiners J, Thanh-Tran T, Son Tran L, Nguyen T, Mittal D, Villani R, Steptoe R, Khosrotehrani K, Berzins S, Baxter A, Godfrey D, Blumenthal A and (2018) Temporal regulation of natural killer T cell interferon gamma responses by β-catenin-dependent and -independent Wnt signaling. Frontiers in Immunology, 9.
• Schultz T, Wiesmueller K, Lucas M, Dobos K, Baxter A and Blumenthal A (2018) The N-terminal peptide moiety of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19 kDa lipoprotein harbors RP105-agonistic properties. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 103 (2). pp. 311-319
• Field J, Fox A, Jordan M, Baxter A, Spelman T, Gresle M, Butzkueven H, Kilpatrick T and Rubio J (2017) Interleukin-2 receptor-alpha proximal promoter hypomethylation is associated with multiple sclerosis. Genes and Immunity, 18. pp. 59-66
• Mariño E, Richards J, McLeod K, Stanley D, Yap Y, Knight J, Mckenzie C, Kranich J, Oliveira A, Rossello F, Krishnamurthy B, Nefzger C, Macia L, Thorburn A, Baxter A, Morohan G, Wong L, Polo J, Moore R, Lockett T, Clarke J, Topping D, Harrison L and Mackay C (2017) Gut microbial metabolites limit the frequency of autoimmune T cells and protect against type 1 diabetes. Nature Immunology, 18. pp. 552-562
• Modhiran N, Watterson D, Blumenthal A, Baxter A, Young P and Stacey K (2017) Dengue virus NS1 protein activates immune cells via TLR4 but not TLR2 or TLR6. Immunology and Cell Biology, 95. pp. 491-495
• Binder M, Fox A, Merlo D, Johnson L, Giuffrida L, Calvert S, Akkermann R, Ma G, Perera A, Gresle M, Laverick L, Foo G, Fabis-Pedrini M, Spelman T, Jordan M, Baxter A, Foote S, Butzkueven H, Kilpatrick T and Field J (2016) Common and low Frequency variants in MERTK are independently associated with multiple sclerosis susceptibility with discordant association dependent upon HLA-DRB1*15:01 status. PLoS Genetics, 12 (3). pp. 1-25
• Too L, McGregor I, Baxter A and Hunt N (2016) Altered behaviour and cognitive function following combined deletion of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in mice. Behavioural Brain Research, 303. pp. 1-8
• Gu B, Field J, Dutertre S, Ou A, Kilpatrick T, Lechner-Scott J, Scott R, Lea R, Taylor B, Stankovich J, Butzkueven H, Gresle M, Laws S, Petrou S, Hoffjan S, Akkad D, Graham C, Hawkins S, Bedri S, Glaser A, Hillert J, Matute C, Antiguedad A, Wiley J and ANZgene Consortium inlcuding Alan G. Baxter (2015) A rare P2X7 variant Arg307Gln with absent pore formation function protects against neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis. Human Molecular Genetics, 24 (19). pp. 5644-5654
• Johnson L, Widi A, Rowarth S and Baxter A (2015) Abdominal distension and Escherichia coli peritonitis in mice lacking myeloid differentiation factor 88. Comparative medicine, 65 (2). pp. 123-126
• Gresle M, Schulz K, Jonas A, Perreau V, Cipriani T, Baxter A, Miranda-Hernandez S, Field J, Jokubaitis V, Cherny R, Volitakis I, David S, Kilpatrick T and Butzkueven H (2014) Ceruloplasmin gene-deficient mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis show attenuated early disease evolution. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 92 (6). pp. 732-742
• Quah H, Miranda-Hernandez S, Khoo A, Harding A, Fynch S, Elkerbout L, Brodnicki T, Baxter A, Kay T, Thomas H and Graham K (2014) Deficiency in type I interferon signaling prevents the early interferon–induced gene signature in pancreatic islets but not type 1 diabetes in NOD mice. Diabetes, 63 (3). pp. 1032-1040

Book Chapters

• Jordan M, Field J, Butzkueven H and Baxter A (2014) Genetic predisposition: humans. In: The Autoimmune Diseases. Elsevier, Boston, pp. 341-364

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 102+ research outputs authored by Prof Alan Baxter from 1989 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• The effects of the Ketogenic diet on animal models of schizophrenia (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• The Role of Natural Killer Cell Granule Protein 7 (NKG7) in Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity of Cancer and Virally Infected Cells (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Causes of Multiple Sclerosis: A Functional Genomics Approach. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)

Completed

• Transcriptional analysis of natural killer T cell development (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Evaluation of IgE and non-IgE mediated inflammatory pathways generated through exposure to prawn proteins (2014, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Molecular analysis of innate immunity in type 1 diabetes (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.