JCU > Research Portfolio > Prof Andreas Lopata

About

Prof Andreas Lopata leads the Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory in the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Division of Tropical health and Medicine, James Cook University, where he leads the Molecular Immunology Program in the Centre for Biodiscovery & Molecular Development of Therapeutics. Prof Lopata graduated in biological sciences from the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf , Germany, and undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he completed his doctorate and worked in the Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine. His research focused on the molecular characterisation of allergens and their impact on our immune system. In 2006, he moved to Australia, where he works now as a researcher at the JCU.

Prof Lopata’s research team uses cutting-edge approaches in characterising the interactions of immunogenic proteins from different food sources including marine invertebrates and parasites with the human immune system leading to allergic and inflammatory reactions. He has published over 120 journal articles and presented at over 200 national and international conferences [H-index=35]. The outcomes of his research activities translate into the development of novel diagnostics and platform knowledge for immunotherapeutics. He consults to various organisations including the National Measurement Institute, the National Institute of Occupational Health and the International Union of Immunological Societies sub-committe on allergen nomenclature.

Teaching

BC2024: Cell Biology (Level 2; TSV)
BC3102: Molecular Basis of Disease (Level 3; TSV)
BC3202: Special Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Level 3; 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)
PC2001: Molecular Basis of Therapeutics 2 (Level 2; TSV)

Interests

Professional

Molecular Medicine; Occupational Medicine; Nanomedicine

Research

Molecular Allergology; Occupational Allergy; Diagnostics; Tropical Health; Immunotherapeutics

Teaching

Molecular Immunology; Biochemistry; Professional Doctorate

Experience

2016 to present - Professor, James Cook University (Townsville)
2007 to present - Ajunct Member, Infectious Diseases and Development of Molecular Medicine (South Africa)
2014 to 2016 - Associate Dean of Research, James Cook University (Townsville)
2013 to 2015 - Honours program coordinator, James Cook University (Townsville)
2011 to 2015 - Associate Professor, James Cook University (Townsville)
2011 to 2012 - Academic Advisor-Molecular Sciences, James Cook University (Townsville)
2010 to 2011 - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Townsville)
2009 to 2010 - Associate Professor, RMIT University (Melbourne)
2007 to 2008 - Senior Lecturer, RMIT University (Melbourne)
2004 to 2006 - Head of Department of Immunology, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
2002 to 2006 - Senior Lecturer, Department of Immunology; University of Cape Town (South Africa)
1992 to 2002 - Natural Medical Scientist, National Health Laboratory Services (South Africa)
1991 to 1992 - Research Fellow, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2012 - Winner of UniQuest Trailblazer-James Cook University
2011 - Winner of UniQuest Trailblazer-James Cook University

Fellowships

2012 to 2016 - ARC Future Fellow

Memberships

2014 - Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Allergologie und Klinische Immunologie (DGAKI)
2014 - Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA)
2009 - Australasian Society for Immunology
2008 - Australasian Society for Parasitology (ASP)
2008 - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)
2007 - European Associaton of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)

Other

2016 - Associate Editor---Allergo Journal International (Springer)
2016 - Reperio Innovation Competition-AITHM People’s Choice Award
2016 - Regional Associate Editor --- Asia Pacific--World Allergy Association (WAO) Journal (BioMed Central)
2016 - Review Editor---Frontier Microbial Immunology
2016 - Editorial Board---Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology (Croatia)
2015 - Associate Editor---Clinical & Experimental Allergy (Wiley)
2014 - Associate Editor---Molecular Immunology (Elsevier)
2014 - NATA assessor for laboratories in Australia quantifying allergens
2011 - Adjunct Associate Professor of the School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne
2010 - Appointed External academic reprentative for the Major Course Review Panel of the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Deakin University
2010 - Adjunct Professor of the School of Publica Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa
2007 - Adjunct of the 'Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine', University of Cape Town, South Africa
2006 - Appointed External Advisor to the National Institute of Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
2009 to 2018 - Honorary Research Associate-Centre for Environmental and Occupational Health Research (CEOHR) and Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town
2016 - Reperio Innovation Competition- AITHM People’s Choice Award
2015 - Member of the 'National Allergy Strategy'-an initiative of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy and Anaphylaxis and Allergy Australia
2014 to 2015 - Elected member on the draft proposal on the 'National Allergy Strategy' for Australia
2004 to 2005 - Scientific Evaluator for the European Framework Program FP6 and FP7 "Food Quality and Safety" and "Health", European Union

Publications

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

Jacob M, Malkawi A, Albast N, Al Bougha S, Lopata A, Dasouki M and Rahman A (2018) A targeted metabolomics approach for clinical diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1025. pp. 141-153
Koeberl M, Clarke D, Allen K, Fleming F, Katzer L, Lee N, Lopata A, Said M, Scheelings P, Shepherd N, Sherlock R and Roberts J (2018) Food allergen management in Australia. Journal of Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) International, 101 (1). pp. 60-69
Pomés A, Davies J, Gadermaier G, Hilger C, Holzhauser T, Lidholm J, Lopata A, Mueller G, Nandy A, Radauer C, Chan S, Jappe U, Kleine-Tebbe J, Thomas W, Chapman M, van Hage M, van Ree R, Vieths S, Raulf M and Goodman R (2018) WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature: Providing a common language. Molecular Immunology, 100. pp. 3-13
Ruethers T, Taki A, Johnston E, Nugraha R, Le T, Kalic T, McLean T, Kamath S and Lopata A (2018) Seafood allergy: a comprehensive review of fish and shellfish allergens. Molecular Immunology, 100. pp. 28-57
Ruethers T, Raith M, Sharpe M, Koeberl M, Stephen J, Nugraha R, Le T, Quirce S, Nguyen H, Kamath S, Mehr S, Campbell D, Bridges C, Taki A, Swoboda I and Lopata A (2018) Characterization of Ras k 1 a novel major allergen in Indian mackerel and identification of parvalbumin as the major fish allergen in 33 Asia-Pacific fish species. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 48 (4). pp. 452-463
Abramovitch J, Lopata A, O'Hehir R and Rolland J (2017) Effect of thermal processing on T cell reactivity of shellfish allergens - discordance with IgE reactivity. PLoS One, 12 (3). pp. 1-18
Asnoussi A, Aibinu I, Gasser R, Lopata A and Smooker P (2017) Molecular and immunological characterisation of tropomyosin from Anisakis pegreffii. Parasitology Research, 116 (12). pp. 3291-3301
Kamath S, Johnston E, Iyer S, Schaeffer P, Koplin J, Allen K and Lopata A (2017) IgE reactivity to shrimp allergens in infants and their cross-reactivity to house dust mite. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 28 (7). pp. 703-707
Kannan M, Moore C, Saptarshi S, Somasundaram S, Rahuma M and Lopata A (2017) Biocompatibility and biodegradation studies of a commercial zinc alloy for temporary mini-implant applications. Scientific Reports, 7.
Liang J, Tan C, Taylor S, Baumert J, Lopata A and Lee N (2017) Quantitative analysis of species specificity of two anti-parvalbumin antibodies for detecting southern hemisphere fish species demonstrating strong phylogenetic association. Food Chemistry, 237. pp. 588-596

Book Chapters

Kuehn A, Radauer C, Lopata A, Kleine-Tebbe J and Swoboda I (2017) Extract-based and molecular diagnostics in fish allergy. In: Molecular Alergy Diagnostics: innovation for a better patient management. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 381-397
Lopata A, Kleine-Tebbe J and Kamath S (2017) Allergens and molecular diagnostics of shellfish allergy. In: Molecular Allergy Diagnostics: innovation for a better patient management. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 399-414

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 119+ research outputs authored by Prof Andreas Lopata from 1992 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation - Research Grant

Improved allergy diagnostics for adults and children in Far North Queensland with shellfish allergy

Indicative Funding: $3,000
Summary: Food allergy to shellfish is a growing health concern. Diagnostic tests used to confirm the allergy are based on a few European species, and do not represent the food sources in Australia. The aim of this research is to establish novel allergy tests for improved diagnosis of shellfish allergy.
Investigators: Sandip Kamath, Andreas Lopata, Robyn O'Hehir and K Allen (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, Monash University and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute)
Keywords: Food Allergy; Diagnostics; Children; Shellfish; In vitro testing; ImmunoCAP

NHMRC - Project Grant

Bio-molecular studies for improved diagnosis and management of Australian children with fish allergy

Indicative Funding: $476,794 over 4 years
Summary: Allergy to fish among children is emerging as a significant healthcare issue in Australia and worldwide, with prevalence rates among children with food allergy as high as 16% in Australia. Our strong clinical-laboratory interface, bringing together a highly experienced senior team in the areas of molecular and immunological allergen characterization with leading clinicians in paediatric allergy, will significantly improve the management of fish-allergic children in Australia.
Investigators: Andreas Lopata, Dianne Campbell, Norelle Daly and Katrina Allen (College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine and Royal Childrens Hospital)
Keywords: Paediatric; allergy testing; clinical diagnosis; Proteomics; allergen

QLD Department of Science, Information, Technology and Innovation - Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund

The Development of Procedures for Quantifying Prawn Allergens

Indicative Funding: $21,000
Summary: There is an increasing prevalence of food allergies world-wide with shellfish being one of the main food groups that provoke serious IgE-mediated adverse reactions. Shellfish allergy affects up to 2% of the world population, with higher prevalence seen in areas with high seafood consumption. Because of the high incidence of allergic reactions to prawns, the study focuses on this highly consumed shellfish species. The major allergenic proteins from prawns will be purified and monoclonal antibodies will be developed against them. These antibodies will be used to establish a sensitive and reproducible ELISA based quantification method for the prawn allergens.
Investigators: Elecia Johnston, Andreas Lopata and Swati Iyer (College of Public Health and Medical & Vet Sciences)
Keywords: Allergy; Food allergy; IgE antibody; Immunotherapy; Recombinant protein; Vaccine

Australian Research Council - Linkage - Projects

Deciphering the molecular and environmental determinants of sex-change in barramundi

Indicative Funding: $523,092 over 4 years, in partnership with Mainstream Aquaculture ($244,740 over 3 yrs)
Summary: Barramundi breeding programs to boost productivity and international competitiveness are hindered by a lack of reproductive control. Barramundi change sex from male to emale at 3-5 years of age, requiring hatcheries to maintain male broodstock for several years before they can be bred as females. This increases required infrastructure and decreases the rate of genetic improvement that can be achieved. This project will elucidate genetic mechanisms regulating barramundi sex change and will develop approaches allowing hatcheries to efficiently control broodstock sex. The ability to obtain reproductive control
Investigators: Dean Jerry, Kyall Zenger and Andreas Lopata in collaboration with Paul Harrison (College of Science & Engineering, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences and Mainstream Aquaculture Pty Ltd)
Keywords: Aquaculture; sex development; Barramundi

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Future Fellowships

Adverse reactions to seafood: Molecular and immunological approaches in managing an Australasian epidemic

Indicative Funding: $667,878 over 5 years
Summary: Over 4 million Australians suffer from allergies with a financial burden in excess of $7 billion. Seafood is an increasingly important food allergy worldwide and is typically life-long, affecting about 5% of children and 2% of adults in Australia. This research will characterise allergenic proteins from crustacean and molluscs, leading to the design of recombinant proteins. Allergenicity of modified food allergens through heating will be studied using state-of-the-art in-vivo and in-vitro systems. This fellowship will considerably advance our knowledge on the influence of structure and chemical modifications on the immunoreactivity of seafood allergen, thus providing platform knowledge for better diagnostics and future therapeutics.
Investigators: Andreas Lopata (College of Public Health and Medical & Vet Sciences)
Keywords: Allergy; Allergens; diagnostics

CAESIE - Priming Grant

Developing better diagnostics and immunotherapeutics for allergy in Australia

Indicative Funding: $7,000
Summary: The rates of allergy have ore than tripled in the last decade and over 30% of the world population has some type of allergy. Particularly there is a considerable increase in food allergy and p to 5% of the general population in Australia have some type of seafood allergy. Despite this, there are significant restrictions on the ability to adequately diagnose the manage this life threatening disease in Australia. The anticipated cooperation between Lopata and Inmunotek will result in the development of better diagnostics and immunotherapeutics for seafood allergy in Australia.
Investigators: Andreas Lopata and Enrique Fernandez-Caldas (College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences and Inmunotek)
Keywords: Food Allergy; Diagnostics assay; IgE Antibody; Immunotherapy

Supervision

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

Sulfated polysaccharides (ulvan) from Ulva ohnoi (Chlorophyta): Identifying parameters for structureactivity relationships (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Immunological and Moleculear Differences Between Parvalbumin, The Major Fish Allergen, From Bony and Cartilaginous Fish Species (Masters , Primary Advisor/AM)
Biomarker and Therapeutic Target Discovery in patients with Hyper lgE Conditions (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
Bio Molecular Studies on Allergenic Proteins Causing Fish Allergy in Australian Children for Improved Diagnosis (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
Identification and Molecular Characterization of Food Allergens in Aquatic Products from Vietnam (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
Biochemical and Immunological Characterisation of the Major Allergens in Australian Molluscs (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
Novel Biopharmaceuticals for Food Allergy (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
Current Approaches in Manageing Food Allergy Among North Queensland Public Health Sectors (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)

Completed

Development of a mouse model to evaluate the degree of immunological cross-reactivity between prawns and abalone (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
Evaluation of IgE and non-IgE mediated inflammatory pathways generated through exposure to prawn proteins (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)
Identification and quantification of allergenic tropomyosin from shellfish (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
Parvalbumin: characterisation of the cross-reactive major fish allergen (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
Nanoparticle-protein corona formation and immunotoxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
Identification and characterisation of novel shellfish allergens for improved diagosis (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)

Data

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit the JCU Research Data Catalogue.

Lopata, A. (2017) cDNA sequences of major allergenic proteins in Australian seafood species. James Cook University
Lopata, A. (2017) In solution digestion and mass spectrometry identification of major proteins in various mollusc species. James Cook University
Lopata, A. (2017) In solution digestion and mass spectrometry identification of major proteins in various crustacean species. James Cook University
Lopata, A. (2017) Potential allergens of the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas). James Cook University
Lopata, A. (2017) Proteome data of the raw and the heated Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). James Cook University
Lopata, A. (2017) Identified proteins in the IgE-reactive spots. James Cook University
Kamath, S. (2017) Proteomic analysis of allergenic proteins in King crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Edible crab (Cancer pagurus). James Cook University

Collaboration

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.