Professor John Aaskov
This person does not currently hold a position at QUT.
Biography
Research theme: HealthResearch program: Infectious Diseases
Research areas
Population dynamics of dengue viruses: Populations of dengue viruses in humans and mosquitoes are very diverse. We are studying the nature and magnitude of this diversity to see how it influences patterns of disease and to identify the challenges it poses for vaccines.
Ross River virus vaccine: Ross River virus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia and has caused a major epidemic in the Pacific. Ross River virus infection costs the Australian Health system more than $10 million each year. We have developed a vaccine against this disease and propose to begin clinical trials with a clinical partner in 2008. We also are undertaking the basic research that will underpin the strategy for the use of this vaccine.
Areas of expertise
- Immunology
- Virology
Current grants
- Global Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance System
- Dengue in Myanmar
- Cook Estate
Selected research projects
- Population dynamics of dengue viruses
- Dengue in Myanmar
- Dengue in Asia and the Pacific
Personal details
Keywords
Mosquito-borne viruses, Vaccine, Diagnostics, Molecular epidemiology, Disease surveillance, Dengue, Ross River virus
Discipline
Microbiology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Leeds)
- BSc(Hons) (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
- Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, U.K.
- Fellow of the Australian Society of Microbiology
- Australian Society of Microbiology
- American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Australian Society of Immunology
- Australian Society of Infectious Diseases
- Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Asia Pacific Society of Medical Virology
Teaching
Teaching discipline: Life Sciences
Teaching areas
Teaching areas
- Life Sciences
Experience
Director, World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research.
Major, Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. O.C. Arbovirology Department, Australian Army Malaria Institute.
Consultant/Technical Advisor, World Health Organisation.
Consultant, Asia Development Bank; Laboratory Strengthening Project, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos; Dengue, Japanese encephalitis and neglected tropical diseases.
Read more
Major, Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. O.C. Arbovirology Department, Australian Army Malaria Institute.
Consultant/Technical Advisor, World Health Organisation.
Consultant, Asia Development Bank; Laboratory Strengthening Project, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos; Dengue, Japanese encephalitis and neglected tropical diseases.
Selected publications
- Liu W, Pickering P, Duchene S, Holmes E, Aaskov J, (2016) Highly divergent dengue virus type 2 in traveler returning from Borneo to Australia, Emerging Infectious Diseases, 22 (12), pp. 2146-2148.
- Aaskov J, Buzacott K, Thu H, Lowry K, Holmes E, (2006) Long-Term Transmission of Defective RNA Viruses in Humans And Aedes Mosquitoes, Science, 311 (5758), pp. 236-238.
- Katzelnick L, Fonville J, Gromowski G, Bustos Arriaga J, Green A, James S, Lau L, Montoya M, Wang C, VanBlargan L, Russell C, Thu H, Pierson T, Buchy P, Aaskov J, Munoz-Jordan J, Vasilakis N, Gibbons R, Tesh R, Osterhaus A, Fouchier R, Durbin A, Simmons C, Holmes E, Harris E, Whitehead S, Smith D, (2015) Dengue viruses cluster antigenically but not as discrete serotypes, Science, 349 (6254), pp. 1338-1343.
- Li D, Aaskov J, (2014) Sub-genomic RNA of defective interfering (D.I.) dengue viral particles is replicated in the same manner as full length genomes, Virology, 468 - 470, pp. 248-255.
- Ke R, Aaskov J, Holmes E, Lloyd-Smith J, (2013) Phylodynamic analysis of the emergence and epidemiological impact of transmissible defective dengue viruses, PLoS Pathogens, 9 (2), pp. 1-11.
- Wressnigg N, van der Velden M, Portsmouth D, Draxler W, O'Rourke M, Richmond P, Hall S, McBride W, Redfern A, Aaskov J, Barrett P, Aichinger G, (2015) An inactivated Ross River virus vaccine is well tolerated and immunogenic in an adult population in a randomized phase 3 trial, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 22 (3), pp. 267-273.
QUT ePrints
To find publications by John, visit QUT ePrints, the University's research repository.
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Medal of the Order of Australia for contributions in the field of communicable diseases
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Honorary International Fellow, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research
- Type
- Membership of a Statutory Committee
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Member of the international roster of experts to advise the World Health Organisation in the event of an international health emergency
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Development of Novel Vaccines for the Concurrent Immunisation against Multiple Dengue Virus Serotypes (2006)
- Identification of Epitopes on the Dengue Virus Type 4 Envelope Glycoprotein Involved in Neutralisation by Antibodies (2006)
- Virus Recognition in Electron Microscope Images Using Higher Order Spectral Features (2006)
- Virus Diversity and the Emergence of Dengue (2005)