Dr Milena Awad - Researcher Profile

Biography

Milena works in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences at Monash University as a Research Fellow.

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2008

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE(HONS)

Institution: La Trobe

Year awarded: 2005

Publications

Journal Articles

Carter, G.P., Awad, M.M., Kelly, M.L., Rood, J.I., Lyras, D., 2011, TcdB or not TcdB: a tale of two Clostridium difficile toxins, Future Microbiology [P], vol 6, issue 2, Future Medicine Ltd, UK, pp. 121-123.

Carter, G.P., Awad, M.M., Hao, Y., Thelen, T., Bergin, I.L., Howarth, P.M., Seemann, T., Rood, J.I., Aronoff, D.M., Lyras, D., 2011, TcsL Is an Essential Virulence Factor in Clostridium sordellii ATCC 9714, Infection And Immunity [P], vol 79, issue 3, American Society for Microbiology, USA, pp. 1025-1032.

Chakravorty, A., Awad, M., Hiscox, T., Cheung, K., Carter, G., Choo, J., Lyras, D., Rood, J., 2011, The cysteine protease alpha-clostripain is not essential for the pathogenesis of Clostridium perfringens-mediated myonecrosis, PLoS ONE [P], vol 6, issue 7 (Art. No: e22762), Public Library of Science, USA, pp. 1-7.

Kotsanas, D., Carson, J., Awad, M.M., Lyras, D., Rood, J.I., Jenkin, G.A., Stuart, R., Korman, T., 2010, Novel use of tryptose sulfite cycloserine egg yolk agar for isolation of Clostridium perfringens during an outbreak of necrotizing enterocolitis in a neonatal unit, Journal Of Clinical Microbiology [P], vol 48, issue 11, American Society for Microbiology, USA, pp. 4263-4265.

Cheung, K.J., Awad, M.M., McGowan, S., Rood, J.I., 2009, Functional analysis of the VirSR phosphorelay from Clostridium perfringens, PLoS ONE [P], vol 4, issue 6 (e5849), Public Library of Science, USA, pp. 1-11.

Chiarezza, M., Lyras, D., Pidot, S.J., Flores-Diaz, M., Awad, M.M., Kennedy, C.L., Cordner, L.M., Das, T.P., Poon, R., Hughes, M.L., Emmins, J.J., Alape-Giron, A., Rood, J.I., 2009, The NanI and NanJ sialidases of Clostridium perfringens are not essential for virulence, Infection And Immunity [P], vol 77, issue 10, American Society for Microbiology, USA, pp. 4421-4428.

Hickey, M.J., Kwan, R., Awad, M.M., Kennedy, C.L., Young, L.F., Hall, P.H., Cordner, L.M., Lyras, D., Emmins, J.J., Rood, J.I., 2008, Molecular and cellular basis of microvascular perfusion deficits induced by clostridium perfringens and clostridium septicum, P L o S Pathogens, vol 4, issue 4, Public Library of Science, United States, pp. 1-9.

Keyburn, A.L., Sheedy, S.A., Ford, M.E., Williamson, M.M., Awad, M.M., Rood, J.I., Moore, R.J., 2006, Alpha-toxin of Clostridium perfringens is not an essential virulence factor in necrotic enteritis in chickens, Infection and Immunity, vol 74, issue 11, American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC USA, pp. 6496-6500.

Myers, G.S., Rasko, D.A., Cheung, K.J., Ravel, J., Seshadri, R., DeBoy, R.T., Ren, Q., Varga, J., Awad, M.M., Brinkac, L.M., Daugherty, S.C., Haft, D.H., Dodson, R.J., Madupu, R., Nelson, W.C., Rasovitz, M.J., Sullivan, S.A., Khouri, H., Dimitrov, G.I., Watkins, K.L., Mulligan, S., Benton, J., Radune, D., Fisher, D.J., Atkins, H.S., Hiscox, T.J., Jost, B., Billington, S.J., Songer, J., McClane, B.E., Titball, R.W., Rood, J.I., Melville, S.B., Paulsen, I.T., 2006, Skewed genomic variability in strains of the toxigenic bacterial pathogen, Clostridium perfringens, Genome Research, vol 16, issue 8, Cold Spring Harbor Lab Press, Publications Dept, USA, pp. 1031-1040.

Kennedy, C.L., Krejany, E.O., Young, L.F., O'Connor, J.R., Awad, M.M., Boyd, R.L., Emmins, J.J., Lyras, D., Rood, J.I., 2005, The alpha-toxin of Clostridium septicum is essential for virulence, Molecular Microbilology, vol 57, issue 5, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 1357-1366.

Awad, M.M., Rood, J.I., 2002, Perfringolysin O Expression in Clostridium perfringens Is Independent of the Upstream pfoR Gene, Journal of Bacteriology, vol 184, issue 7, American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC USA, pp. 2034-2038.

McGowan, S., Lucet, I.S., Cheung, J.K., Awad, M.M., Whisstock, J.C., Rood, J.I., 2002, The FxRxHrS motif: a conserved region essential for DNA binding of the VirR response regulator from Clostridium perfringens, Journal of Molecular Biology, vol 322, issue 5, Academic Press Ltd Elsevier Science Ltd, London England, pp. 997-1011.

Awad, M.M., Ellemor, D.M., Boyd, R.L., Emmins, J.J., Rood, J.I., 2001, Synergistic effects of alpha-toxin and perfringolysin O in Clostridium perfringens-mediated gas gangrene, Infection and immunity, vol 69, issue 12, American Society of Microbiology, Washington DC USA, pp. 7904-7910.

Awad, M.M., Ellemor, D.M., Bryant, A.E., Matsushita, O., Boyd, R.L., Stevens, D.L., Emmins, J.J., Rood, J.I., 2000, Construction and virulence testing of a collagenase mutant of Clostridium perfringens, Microbial Pathogenesis, vol 28, Academic Press, London UK, pp. 107-117.

Ellemor, D.M., Baird, R.N., Awad, M.M., Boyd, R.L., Rood, J.I., Emmins, J.J., 1999, Use of Genetically Manipulated Strains of Clostridium perfringens Reveals that Both Alpha-Toxin and Theta-Toxin are Required for Vascular Leukostasis to Occur in Experimental Gas Gangrene, Infection and Immunity, vol 67:9, American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC USA, pp. 4902-4907.

Ellemor, D.M., Baird, R.N., Awad, M.M., Boyd, R.L., Rood, J.I., Emmins, J.J., 1999, Use of genetically manipulated strains of "Clostridium perfringens" reveals that both alpha-toxin and theta-toxin are required for vascular leukostasis to occur in experimental gas gangrene, Infection and Immunity, vol 67 issue 9, American Society for Microbiology, Washington USA, pp. 4902-4907.

Stevens, D.J., Tweten, R.K., Awad, M.M., Rood, J.I., Bryant, A.E., 1997, Clostridial gas ganrene: evidence that a and q toxins differentially modulate the immune response and induce acute tissue necrosis, The Journal of Infectous Diseases, vol 176, University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL, pp. 189-195.

Awad, M.M., Rood, J.I., 1997, Isolation of a-toxin, q-toxin, k-toxin mutants of Clostridium perfringens by Tn916 mutagenesis, Microbial Pathogenesis, vol 22, Academic Press, Inc, Orlando FL, pp. 275-284.

Conference Proceedings

Ellemor, D.M., Baird, R.N., Awad, M.M., Emmins, J.J., Boyd, R.L., Rood, J.I., 1997, Immunohistological studies of acute clostridial myonecrosis in mice, Clostridia 97 - Pathogenesis, Onzain, France, 22-25/06/97, Societe Francaise de Microbiologie, Paris France, p. 50.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Heme Acquisition in Clostridium Perfringens..

Supervisors:

Awad, M (Joint), Rood, J (Joint-co).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Structural and proteomic characterisation of Clostridium sordellii spores.

Supervisors:

Awad, M (Joint), Lyras, D (Joint-co).

Completed Supervision

Student:

Amy, J.

Program of Study:

Large plasmids in Clostridium difficile. 2011.

Supervisors:

Awad, M (Joint), Johanesen, P (Joint-Co).

Student:

Chakravorty, A.

Program of Study:

Understanding the host innate immune response to the histotoxic clostridia. (PHD) 2012.

Supervisors:

Rood, J (Main), Awad, M (Associate), Lyras, D (Associate).