Dr John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics
Current projects relate to heart function, pain perception, neurodegeneration, lifespan and metabolic disorders, kidney function, and cancer. Our goal is to rapidly improve patient treatment.
Our vision is to improve human health by defining the underlying principles that control human biology and disease. Towards this goal, we develop and employ powerful new genomic technologies that show us how human disease develops, and how we can target the underlying causes. We have a focus on pain biology and other age-related diseases of the nervous system, and we apply new genomic technologies to identify genes and mechanisms controlling pain. We have a particular interest in better understanding how painful venoms hurt us, and how we can block these as well as use this knowledge to help treat chronic pain or other major diseases.
On the technical side, we primarily use pooled CRISPR screening to find new critical pain genes and pathways which we then investigate further using transgenic animals or human stem cells differentiated into human cells, tissues, and organoids. Therapeutically, we are targeting critical pain pathways using synthetic mRNA we design and evolve which we then encapsulate in lipid nanoparticles towards altering disease course for pain and other major diseases.
Professor Greg Neely completed his PhD in human lung immunology at the University of Calgary, Canada and went on to train in functional genomics with Josef Penninger at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria. Since 2011, he has been running his lab in Sydney using conserved functional genomics approaches to find novel human disease genes and pathways. Professor Neely's main interest is in how we feel pain and investigating at the molecular level how painful venoms hurt us. The team loves using functional screening systems like CRISPR or directed evolution to find new ways to control diseases like pain.
We currently have several honours or PhD projects available in the lab.
mRNA therapeutics
Summary: The COVID-19 vaccine unlocked a new world of mRNA therapeutics. We have a number of projects available in the lab focused on developing new mRNA-based medicines for treating pain and other neurological diseases.
Whole genome CRISPR screening
Summary: This project involves using and developing new CRISPR screening technologies to functionally characterise biological and chemical agents that cause pain.
Pooled CRISPR screening in Organoids
Summary: We have developed new technologies to functionally screen human genes in the context of stem cell-derived organoids and from this have identified multiple new genes or pathways controlling brain development. This project involves using these new technologies to investigate what it means to be human.
Genomic investigation of painful venoms using pooled CRISPR screening
Summary: This project involves using whole genome CRISPR screening to investigate how painful venoms hurt us. This information can then be used to develop novel antidotes, or exploited to generate novel therapeutics.
Genes and neural circuits controlling pain perception
Summary: This project involves characterising human and mouse pain at the molecular level using single cell and special transcriptomics, and then targeting core disease pathways using new mRNA technologies.
Directed Evolution in mammalian cells
Summary: We have recently developed a new directed evolution system (PROTEUS) that allows us to evolve proteins to have new activities in mammalian cells. This project involves evolving new genome editing tools for future research and therapeutic use.
In vivo CRISPR screening
Summary: Our previous efforts have primarily involved pooled CRISPR screening in vitro, followed by in vivo validation. With new technologies, we can now actually perform targeted screens in vivo, and this project will involve developing and using these technologies for neuroscience.
- Professor Greg Neely, Charles Perkins Centre, Project lead
- Dr Lipin Loo, Group Leader, RNA Therapies
- Dr Arjun Muralidharan, Group Leader, Neurobiology of Chronic Pain
- Dr Cesar Moreno, Research Fellow
- Dr Christopher Denes, Research Fellow
- Dr Maria Bergamasco, Research Fellow
- Dr Kazuma Fujikake, Research Fellow
- Dr Willie Lin, Charles Perkins Centre, Fruit Fly Facility Manager
- Teleri Clark, PhD student
- Matthew Waller, Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Sophie Trabish, PhD student
- Tian Du, PhD student
- Mezzalina Vankan, PhD student
- Jasmine Kaur, PhD student
- Geng Li, Masters student
- James Rawson, PhD student
- Miriam Puehl, Research Assistant
