2007 ASBMB Award: Kylie Wagstaff

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University

Kylie Wagstaff completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree in 2001. She then took up an Honours project under the supervision of Professor David Jans in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University, where she investigated the use of engineered histones for gene therapy. During this period, she successfully generated and characterised a number of novel engineered histones with potential for use in gene therapy applications. Kylie graduated top of her Honours class and was subsequently awarded both an Australian Postgraduate Award and a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Postgraduate Excellence Award to continue her studies of non-viral gene delivery techniques by undertaking a PhD in the same laboratory. The focus of this project was a continuation of her Honours work, extending the technique to investigate the use of reconstituted chromatin containing her engineered histones to affect gene transfer. This work resulted in two new non-viral gene delivery techniques, histone-mediated transduction and chromofection, which efficiently deliver DNA to intact cells resulting in levels of transfection approximately 6-fold greater than commercially available reagents. Her work has led to a total of six publications (four as first author) in peer-reviewed journals with two more currently under review and a technical application note currently in press to be distributed by Perkin Elmer. Her work has also been acknowledged by prizes including the 2002 Australian Biotechnology Award and several student travel grants. The ASBMB Fellowship will allow Kylie to attend the American Society of Gene Therapy Meeting in Seattle, where she will present her recent findings to an international audience.

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This page last modified: October 10, 2008.