Biochemistry

The role of malaria in physiological response to co-occurring diseases in Southeast Asia’s past and present

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: bioarchaeology, palaeoepidemiology, paleopathology, infectious disease, pathophysiology, immune response

Project availability: Semester 30, 2026, Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

This project aims to review archaeological and modern data sets to explore interactions between malaria and other tropically significant infectious diseases. The research will focus on reconstructing epidemiological patterns in the present and the past, as well as physiological explanations for differential disease severity of malaria and co-occurring infectious diseases.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

Reconstructing infant palaeodemography using proteomic approaches

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: biochemistry, demography, mortality, bioarchaeology, proteomics

Project availability: Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

Southeast Asian prehistoric archaeological human skeletal assemblages typically have excellent infant preservation. Biological sex is well known to factor into infant mortality with males presenting a higher risk of death in early life. Traditional osteological techniques, however, cannot determine the biological sex of archaeological infants as the methods rely on the development of secondary sex characteristics that emerge during puberty. This project applies the use of proteomic methods on determining sex from an early agricultural site in mainland Southeast Asia to assess whether this sex bias in mortality is represented in ancient cemetery populations.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

Bone marrow conversion and reconversion timings in childhood anaemia and thalassaemia in ancient Southeast Asia

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: bioarchaeology, anaemia, osteology, palaeopathology, genetic disease

Project availability: Semester 30, 2026, Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

This project aims to review the timings of the development of skeletal pathological features that have been attributed to anaemia. Specifically, this project will review the potential role of various forms of anaemia in causing skeletal pathology, biomechanical and age-related factors that interplay with lesion development, and the potential role of marrow reconversion in delaying marrow conversion windows. The timing of skeletal lesion development in bioarchaeological cases of generalized anaemia and thalassemia in ancient Southeast Asia will be re-evaluated.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

Micronutrient Deficiency during the Metal Period Philippines

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: bioarchaeology, nutritional disease

Project availability: Semester 30, 2026, Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

In 2025, an individual with disability from the Metal Period in the Philippines (~2000 years ago) was identified to have suffered from scurvy. This project aims to assess whether scurvy was unique to this individual’s circumstances or whether the condition was ubiquitous in the community. The project will involve paleopathological diagnosis and assessment of the impacts of mortality related to the disease in a cemetery sample.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

The impact of sorghum phenolic compounds on risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Primary Supervisor: Dr Boris Budiono & A/Prof Abishek Santhakumar
Location: Wagga Wagga
Keywords: cardiovascular disease, ischaemia reperfusion injury, mitochondrial dynamics, antioxidants, polyphenols
Research Group: Food as Medicine (FAM) Research Group

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of global mortality, largely driven by modifiable factors such as diet and exercise. Integrating bioactive-rich cereal grains into the diet is an emerging strategy to support cardiovascular health.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a climate-resilient staple in Africa and Asia that promotes food security. While its general health benefits are well documented, its role in reducing CVD risk—especially in protecting against ischemia-reperfusion injury, preserving cardiac mitochondrial function, and maintaining endothelial integrity—remains underexplored. Moreover, the influence of sorghum on neutrophil extracellular traps, key mediators in CVD progression, is not yet fully understood.

This study will fill these gaps by examining how sorghum-derived phenolic compounds impact CVD risk factors. Polyphenols will be extracted from whole grain sorghum and identified using UHPLC-Online ABTS and LC-MS/QTOF. In vitro models will assess their effects on molecular pathways linked to cardiovascular health using transcriptomic and proteomic techniques.

Findings will support the therapeutic potential of sorghum, expand its agricultural value, and drive innovation in heart-protective functional foods.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Boris Budiono

Development of Synthetic Carbohydrate Biomimetics as Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Prophylactics

Primary Supervisor: Dr David Leaver
Co-supervisors: Dr. Doaa Hanafy
Location: Wagga Wagga
Keywords: UTI, carbohydrates, biomimetics
Study Availability: Available until December 2027
Research Group: Medical Sciences

Synopsis:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by gram-negative uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and present a significant health burden for women with approximately 20 million cases reported annually. Approximately 20-40% of women treated with antibiotics will have at least one recurrence within 6 months of initial diagnosis which results in a loss of 2 billion dollars per year in the US alone. The main goal of this project is to develop novel antagonists of the mannose-binding type I pilus adhesin FimH, which is required to colonize the bladder epithelium during UTIs.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr David Leaver

Design of Cholesterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents

Primary Supervisor: Dr David Leaver
Co-supervisors: Dr Boris Budiono and Dr Ken Chinkwo
Location: Wagga Wagga
Keywords: cancer, cholesterol, enzymes
Study Availability: Available until December 2027
Research Group: Medical Sciences

Synopsis:
Much research over the last several decades has been focused on finding novel anticancer agents that inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis, however, there has been little to no success in this endeavor and the pharmaceutical industry is reluctant to pursue sterol biosynthesis inhibitor drug development. Over the last couple of years structural biology advances have enabled the crystal structures of post-squalene cholesterogenesis enzymes to be solved that can be used to design novel cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors. This project will use a structure guided approach to discover new anticancer drugs that selectively inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes.

Crystal structures of enzymes in the post-squalene segment of cholesterogenesis A: Crystal structure of squalene monooxygenase bound with FAD (black) and “Cmpd 4” (blue), PDB 6C6N; B: Crystal structure of lanosterol synthase bound with lanosterol (black), PDB 1W6K; C: Crystal structure of Emopamil-Binding Protein bound with U18666A (red), PDB 6OHT; D: Crystal structure of sterol 14α-methyl demethylase bound with ketoconazole (red), PDB 3LD6. Figure adapted from Biochemical Pharmacology 2022, 196, 114611.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr David Leaver

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cyclic Peptides

Primary Supervisor: Dr David Leaver
Co-supervisors: Dr. Doaa Hanafy
Location: Wagga Wagga
Keywords: Infectious diseases, peptides, enzymes
Study Availability: Available until December 2027
Research Group: Medical Sciences

Synopsis:
Opportunistic pathogens in humans cause millions of deaths each year and there is an urgent need to find new drugs right now! Macrocyclic peptides were chosen for this project as they bind to their molecular targets with high affinity and selectivity, while exhibiting greater proteolytic stability and membrane permeability in comparison to their linear counterparts. Cyclic peptides designed and synthesized in this project will be screened against enzyme targets in order to discover novel antimicrobial drugs.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr David Leaver