Events

At this event Professor Martina Sanderson-Smith from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong will present Unravelling Mechanisms of group A Streptococcal virulence.

About Professor Martina Sanderson-Smith

Professor Martina Sanderson-Smith is a molecular bacteriologist leading a research team at the University of Wollongong. She obtained a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia. Subsequently, she was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to undertake research at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Germany. She returned to UOW as an NHMRC Career Development Fellow in 2009.  Her research is focused on molecular bacteriology, including AMR transmission, virulence mechanisms of the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, with specific interests in interactions between S. pyogenes and the host fibrinolytic system, the role of host glycans in bacterial infection, mechanisms of innate immune resistance, host susceptibility to infection and biofilm formation. Martina teaches Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Immunology at UOW and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research students. She is also a strong advocate for the embedding of principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in teaching, research practice and training.

Abstract

Group A Streptococcus (GAS, Strep A, Streptococcus pyogenes) causes mild human infections such as pharyngitis and impetigo, and serious invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Recurrent GAS infections may trigger autoimmune diseases, including acute rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease. Combined, these diseases account for over half a million deaths per year globally. GAS is a human specific pathogen, and genomic and molecular analyses have identified several GAS virulence determinants, many of which exhibit overlap and redundancy in the processes of adhesion and colonisation, innate immune resistance, and the capacity to facilitate tissue barrier degradation and spread within the human host. Examining the interaction of GAS with host cells and molecules at various stages of infection, this research aims to characterise mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis to assist the development of improved treatment regimens for this formidable pathogen.