Membrane Transport

Group Leader 

Associate Professor Nathan Subramaniam

Summary

The Membrane Transport Laboratory studies how iron metabolism is regulated by the liver and has an interest in both basic and applied studies of membrane biology.  Identification of the molecules involved in iron metabolism and defining the way they work, has major implications for the treatment of iron-related disorders such as hereditary haemochromatosis and anaemia.

The majority of projects in the laboratory focus on defining how the liver and a number of liver-expressed molecules regulate the absorption, recycling and distribution of iron in the body.

Conditions researched

• Haemochromatosis (including juvenile haemochromatosis)
• Anaemia
• Atypical iron disorders
• Cancer-related proteins

Current research

• Hereditary haemochromatosis caused by HFE and non-HFE mutations
• Juvenile haemochromatosis
• Molecular, cellular and functional characterisation of Transferrin Receptor 2
• Ferroportin disease or Type 4 haemochromatosis clinical applications and population studies 

Staff

Group Leader: Associate Professor V. Nathan Subramaniam

Senior Research Officer: Dr Daniel Wallace

Postdoctoral staff: Dr Cameron McDonald

Research Assistant: Lesa Summerville, Patricia Lusby

Students: Denny Muslim, Justin Goh

Visiting Scientist: Ashley Wilkinson

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following funding agencies:

• National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia
• Gastroenterological Society of Australia
• National Institutes of Health, USA
• Haemochromatosis Society of Australia

Collaborators

International

Professor Hong Wanjin, IMCB, Singapore

Dr Ann Walker, University College London, UK

Professor Peter Browett, University of Auckland, NZ

Dr Paul Sharp, King's College London, UK

Prof Carlos Lopez-Otin, University of Oviedo, Spain

Australian

Professor Darrell Crawford, Princess Alexandria Hospital, Brisbane

Professor Lawrie Powell, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane

Professor Greg Anderson, QIMR

Associate Professor Grant Ramm, QIMR

Dr Dianne Watters, Griffith University, Brisbane

Professor Jim Camakaris, University of Melbourne, Melbourne

Professor Sharad Kumar, IVMS, Adelaide

Dr Jonathan Harris, QUT, Brisbane

Dr John Hooper, MMRI, Brisbane

Dr Debbie Trinder and Professor John Olynk, UWA, Fremantle