Dr Alison Carey
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Biography
I completed my PhD at QUT in 2010 in the area of vaccine development against female genital chlamydial infections. During my PhD I was awarded a NHMRC Post Graduate Research Scholarship. I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Griffith University, where I focussed on urogenital tract infections caused by E. coli and Group B Streptococcus. In 2013 I was awarded a prestigious NHMRC Peter Doherty Early Career Fellowship in the area of innate immune responses to uropathogens. In 2015 I returned to QUT as a Research Fellow through the Early Career Academic Recruitment and Development Program.I have since established a research group in the area of female reproductive tract immune responses to Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and the effects on the vaginal microbiome. This research utilises in vitro cell culture models of GBS infection to determine host immune responses to the various types of GBS and how hormones, such as those that are present and change throughout pregnancy, affect these responses. I also have access to samples collected from pregnant women as part of the QLD Family Cohort, giving my research a strong clinical aspect.
I also work closely with Professor Ken Beagley, looking at the effects of chlamydial infection on male fertility (NHMRC Project Grant funded) and the development of a chlamydial vaccine (National Institute of Health- NIH funded). We use animal models of infection to examine exactly how Chlamydia causes long-term effects on male fertility and how these effects are passed on to the next generation. We are also developing a 3D in vitro cell culture model of the testes to help us further dissect these mechanisms of damage.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Research field
Immunology, Medical Microbiology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Australian Society for Microbiology
Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology
Society for Mucosal Immunology
Women in Technology
Teaching
I have a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice and I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Acadamy.
I am the Unit Coordinator for LQB462: Microbial diagnostics and LQB562: Advanced microbial diagnostics.
I also contribute to microbiology teaching in first year Medical Laboratory Sciences
Publications
- Bryan, E., Trim, L., Sadowski, P., Paramasivan, S., Kim, J., Gough, K., Worley, S., Maidment, T., Carey, A., Mihalas, B., McLaughlin, E. & Beagley, K. (2023). Prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination protects sperm health from Chlamydia muridarum-induced abnormalities. Biology of Reproduction, 108(5), 758–777. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/241668
- Bryan, E., Barrero, R., Cheung, E., Tickner, J., Trim, L., Richard, D., McLaughlin, E., Beagley, K. & Carey, A. (2021). DNA damage contributes to transcriptional and immunological dysregulation of testicular cells during Chlamydia infection. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 86(1), 1–12. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/210990
- Bryan, E., Redgrove, K., Mooney, A., Mihalas, B., Sutherland, J., Carey, A., Armitage, C., Trim, L., Kollipara, A., Mulvey, P., Palframan, E., Trollope, G., Bogoevski, K., McLachlan, R., McLaughlin, E. & Beagley, K. (2020). Chronic testicular Chlamydia muridarum infection impairs mouse fertility and offspring development. Biology of Reproduction, 102(4), 888–901. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/196980
- Sweeney, E., Gardiner, S., Tickner, J., Trim, L., Beagley, K. & Carey, A. (2020). Group B Streptococcus serotypes Ia and V induce differential vaginal immune responses that may contribute to long term colonization of the female reproductive tract. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 83(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202294
- Bryan, E., Kim, J., Beagley, K. & Carey, A. (2020). Testicular inflammation and infertility: Could chlamydial infections be contributing? American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 84(3). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/204915
- Armitage, C., Carey, A. & Beagley, K. (2019). Rodent Infections for Chlamydia spp. Methods in Molecular Biology, 2042, 219–236. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/203317
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Alison, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).