27 August 2008
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| Research by Natalie Borg has implications for the development of therapies for prevalent diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Borg has been awarded one of four L'Oreal Australia For Women in Science Fellowships for 2008. |
Monash University researcher Natalie Borg has been named as one of four recipients of the $20,000 L'Oreal Australia For Women in Science Fellowships for 2008.
Dr Borg is a NHMRC Peter Doherty Research fellow with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Her work focuses on analysing crystals with synchrotron light, to figure out how human bodies mount a rapid defence when viruses attack them.
"The immune system is complex and is made up of many specialised types of cells and proteins. The key is to understand their function," Dr Borg said.
To date, she's been working as part of a successful team at Monash University. In 2007 her work on how natural killer T cells recognise fats from invaders was published in Nature.
Dr Borg is setting up her own laboratory at Monash, a bold move but essential if her career is to grow. With the help of her L'Oreal Australia For Women in Science Fellowship, she will study key steps in the body's early warning system against viral attack.
"Understanding how the proteins work together to trigger the immune system is the first step toward learning how to modify or enhance the immune response. Eventually this could lead to drugs that protect against viral infections," Dr Borg said.
"This is the basic research that needs to take place before we can make better drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent viral infections," she said.
When the immune system detects a viral intruder a cascade of proteins raise the alarm, sending messages to the immune system to mount an anti-viral response.
One family of proteins (known as RLH) raises the alarm when they recognise components of viruses like hepatitis C, influenza A, rabies, Ebola and measles.
One of the proteins they trigger is known as DUBLIN. Its role is poorly understood but it appears to regulate the immune system's response.
Dr Borg plans to produce the protein in the laboratory, and then crystallise it. Using synchrotron X-rays she hopes to work out the three-dimensional shape of DUBLIN and the way it interacts with other proteins.
"If you make a protein and determine its shape then you can use that information to understand how it works and the biological role it plays. You can see for example how the shape influences the way it interacts with other molecules."
"It's very exciting to be the first person to actually see some of these molecules."
Natalie has just taken her first steps towards independence as a scientist. For the last five years she has worked in Jamie Rossjohn's team in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University. Earlier this year, she established her own lab in the same department.
"Now I have to manage my own lab and find funding for the reagents and equipment. I need to do experiments and hire staff to help me. This L'Oreal Fellowship has come at a fantastic time as it will allow me to do some preliminary experiments and generate data so that I can apply for more funding," she said.
Dr Borg is honoured to receive the Fellowship, but concerned that there's too little support for women at this stage in their career.
"When I did my degree about seventy percent were women. But there are very few senior women scientists with their own laboratories. At the same time that you're trying to secure independent funding, you're making decisions about having children. We need more incentives to keep women with young families in science."
For more information, please contact Samantha Blair, Media and Communications +61 3 9903 4841 or +61 439 013 951.
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