The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Dr Margaret Littlejohn

Dr Margaret Littlejohn

Dr Margaret Littlejohn

(03) 9342 9331 | margaret.littlejohn@mh.org.au

Position:
Senior Medical Scientist
Theme(s):
Viral Infectious Diseases, Hepatitis
Discipline(s):
Discovery Research, Indigenous Health, Public Health
Unit(s):
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL)
Lab Group(s):
Revill Group

Dr Margaret Littlejohn is a Senior Medical Scientist within the Molecular Research and Development laboratory at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). Her current role in the laboratory includes both work on research projects and a diagnostic component. Margaret’s main research focus relates to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Indigenous Australians. Other research interests include HBV viral evolution, antiviral resistance, transmission studies and HIV/HBV co-infection. Margaret’s contribution to the diagnostic work in the laboratory includes development and continuing use of diagnostic tests involved in diagnosis, identification and characterisation of clinically significant mutations of HBV.

  • Key Achievements
    • Margaret’s qualifications include a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1996. She is currently Chief Investigator on a National Health and Medical Research Council grant studying HBV in Indigenous Australians and was Chief Investigator on the initial grant for this work from the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Research. Margaret has co-organised a national cross-translational workshop held at VIDRL on the effects of HBV in the Indigenous population, bringing together clinicians, researchers and Indigenous health advocates, and recently she was co-organiser for a very successful one day symposium held at the Doherty Institute to mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of HBV. 

    Publications
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    Research Groups
    • Revill Group

      Peter’s group investigates the role of different HBV genotypes and variants in the HBV life cycle, disease progression and treatment response. This includes the role of splice variants, which his team has shown are predictive of liver cancer.


      Lab Team

      Revill Group

      • Section Head, Molecular Virology Group, Division of Research and Molecular Development
      • Tina Sozzi
        Senior Research Assistant
      • Dr Liz Bannister
        PhD candidate
      • Dr Zina Valaydon
        PhD candidate
      • Miss Thao Huynh
        Honours student
      • Mr Hugh Mason
        Research Assistant