UQCCR Seminar Series - Dr Kerry Roper and Professor Katharina Ronacher

Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology – Services to Support Clinical Research with Dr Kerry Roper

After completing a BSc at the University of Victoria (Canada), including a year abroad at UQ, I returned to Australia to complete my postdoctoral studies. My doctorate thesis branched into many research areas from molecular ecology of marine invertebrates, to developing microarray technology, to screening novel compounds for potential anti-cancer activity. This diversity in research interests continued throughout my post-doctorate career and took me to Stanford University to study steam cell biology, back to Brisbane to study the evolution of multicellularity and a number of other roles in between! However it was during my time at UQCCR where I was first introduced to working within clinical trials, sparking a keen interest in the translation of research to medical practice. 

I switched career paths in 2021 and moved to Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, starting out as a Clinical Trials Coordinator and was promoted later that year to my current role as Clinical Trials and Commercial Testing Manager. In this role, I manage a portfolio of ~2000 research and corporate clients each with their own unique requirement of pathology services. SNP continues to provide some central laboratory services to multinational clinical trials; however that last two years has seen enormous growth in supporting early phase clinical trials and pre-clinical research. 

Oxidised Cholesterols Drive Macrophage Infiltration and Inflammation the Lung during Respiratory Infections with Professor Katharina Ronacher

Prof Katharina Ronacher is Head of the Infection, Immunity and Metabolism Group at the Mater Research Institute – The University of Queensland. She also holds an appointment as Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. There she has worked on several large clinical research trials funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Union, and the US National Institutes of Health. Prof Ronacher has attracted substantial funding from the NIH, NHMRC and other national and international funders.

Prof Ronacher’s current research investigates the underlying immunological mechanisms contributing to more severe bacterial and viral respiratory infections in obesity and diabetes. Her research provides critical insights into the role of cholesterol and its derivatives in regulation of inflammation in the lung and how this knowledge can be exploited for novel therapeutic approaches to treat respiratory infections.