Immunology and Diabetes - Senior Research Staff - Dr Tom Brodnicki
Dr Tom Brodnicki
Laboratory Head, Human Immunogenetics Laboratory
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P +61 3 9288 2502
Education and Professional Experience
1991 BS, St Johns University, Minnesota, USA
1997 PhD, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, USA
1998-2002 Postdoctoral training, The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, Australia
Achievements
1997 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Postdoctoral Fellowship
1997 New Investigator Award, Immunology Group of Victoria
1999 National Institutes of Health USA, Postdoctoral Fellowship
2004 Syme Fellowship
2009 Mary Jane Krugel Award, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Research Interests
My research group is focused on how genetic and environmental factors increase one's risk for developing autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes. During the course of evolution, it might be assumed that genetic variation conferring susceptibility for autoimmune diseases would undergo negative selection and be removed from the population. One explanation for the continued presence of particular alleles that confer autoimmune susceptibility is that they provide increased resistance to infectious diseases. On the other hand, the hygiene hypothesis suggests that certain childhood infections may temper the immune system and decrease the risk for developing autoimmunity in genetically at-risk individuals. To study this paradox, my group uses a combination of genetic methods, genomic analyses, immunological techniques, and mouse models to facilitate the identification of disease genes, as well as determine if infection can modulate the immune system and prevent autoimmune disease.
Selected Publications
1. J Liu, MP Ashton, H Sumer, MK O’Bryan, TC Brodnicki, PJ Verma (2011) Generation of stable pluripotent stem cells from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse tail-tip fibroblasts. Diabetes 60: 1393-1398
2. N Wang, L Mackin, RA Strugnell, O Wijburg, TC Brodnicki (2011) Measuring bacterial load and immune cells in mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes. Journal of Visual Experiments 54 (http://www.jove.com/details.php?id=3076 doi: 10.3791/3076)
3. KLI Tan, L Mackin, N Wang, AT Papenfuss, C Elso, M Ashton, F Quirk, B Phipson, M Bahlo, TP Speed, G Smyth, G Morahan, TC Brodnicki (2010) A recombination hotspot leads to sequence variability within a novel gene (AK005651) and contributes to type 1 diabetes susceptibility. Genome Research 20: 1629-1638
4. Burt RA, L Walkins, IKL Tan, N Wang, L Mackin, F Quirk, P Morgn, J-G Zang, G Morahan, SP Berzins, TC Brodnicki (2010) An NZW-derived interval on chromosome 7 moderates sialadenitis, but not insulitis in NOD mice. Journal of Immunology 184: 859-868
5. MC Jawahar*, TC Brodnicki*, F Quirk, YM Wilson, M Murphy (2008) Behavioural analysis of congenic mouse strains confirms stress-responsive loci on chromosomes 1 and 12. Behavior Genetics 38:407-416 (*MC Jawahar and TC Brodnicki are co-first authors)
6. TC Brodnicki (2007) Somatic Mutation and Autoimmunity. Cell 131: 1220-1221
7. DKY Ang*, TC Brodnicki*, WE Wilson, P Silveira, BL Gliddon, MA Jordan, AG Baxter, IR van Driel (2007) Two Genetic Loci Independently Confer Susceptibility to Autoimmune Gastritis. International Immunology 19: 1135-1144. (*DKY Ang and TC Brodnicki are co-first authors)
8. N Armstrong, TC Brodnicki, TP Speed (2006) Mind the Gap: Analysis of Marker-Assisted Breeding Strategies for Inbred Mouse Strains. Mammalian Genome 17: 273-287
9. TC Brodnicki, K O’Donnell, F Quirk, DM Tarlinton (2006) Congenic NOD Mouse Strains Fail to Confirm Linkage of a Marginal Zone B Lymphocyte Phenotype to the Idd11 Locus on Chromosome 4. Journal of Immunology 176: 701-702
10. M O’Keeffe, TC Brodnicki, B Fanke, D Vremec, G Morahan, E Maraskovsky, R Steptoe, LC Harrison, K Shortman (2005) Flt-3 ligand administration overcomes a genetically determined dendritic cell deficiency in NOD mice and protects against diabetes development. International Immunology 17: 307-314