Dr Sarah Bray

Biography/ Background

Current position:

I joined A/Prof. Richard D'Andrea's haematology/oncology lab as a research assistant in November 2009. I am currently employed in this lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the University of Adelaide's School of Medicine based at the Basil Hetzel Institute, Department of Haematology & Oncology, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

My current research project involves the identification of key target genes and proteins affected by translational deregulation in Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA). DBA is a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome characterised by erythroid (red blood cell) failure, congenital malformations and cancer predisposition.

June 2009 - Nov 2009: Biofilm inhibitors and Rhinosinusitus

I was employed as a research assistant in the ENT Surgery labs at the Basil Hetzel Institute at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. My work included investigating the role of biofilm inhibitors.

2006 - 2010: Postgraduate studies - Ancient DNA

I undertook my PhD studies at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD), School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Adelaide (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/acad/). My PhD project involved using ancient DNA techniques to study the evolution and demography of Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and Giant Short-faced bears (Arctodus/Arctotherium). I qualified academically for the award of my PhD in February 2011, and graduated in April 2011.

2004 - 2006:

I was employed as a Production Scientist at Cellabs Pty Ltd in Sydney, Australia (http://www.cellabs.com.au/), working on the production and quality control of diagnostic kits for tropical and infectious diseases. I was also involved in the initial R&D phase of the development of bacteriophage technologies in Australia - Special Phage Services(http://specialphageservices.com.au/).

2000 - 2003 Undergraduate and honours studies:

I completed my Bachelor of Advanced Science with Honours in Molecular Biology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2003.

Research Interests

• Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (particularly Diamond Blackfan Anaemia)
  
• Molecular biology
  
• Ancient DNA
  
• Evolutionary genetics
  

Research Funding

Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation grant ($73,000). Awarded October 2011.

Project title: Molecular characterisation of Diamond Blackfan Anaemia.

Chief Investigator: A/P. R. D'Andrea

Associate Investigators: Prof. P. Klinken, Prof. B. To, Dr. H. Tapp, Dr. M. Perugini and Dr. S. Bray.

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The Hospital Research Foundation small project grant ($20,000), January 2011 - December 2011.

Project title: Identification of key target proteins affected by translational de-regulation in Diamond Blackfan Anaemia.

Chief Investigator: S.Bray

Co-Investigators: A/P. R. D'Andrea, C. Butcher, Dr. M. Perugini, Prof. Bik To

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I would like to acknowledge that in addition to the grants listed above, the research project investigating the molecular mechanisms of Diamond Blackfan Anaemia is supported by funds raised by Captain Courageous - Australia.

http://www.captaincourageous.info/about.html

Publications

Journal articles:

Joshua Jervis-Bardy, Andrew Foreman, Sarah Bray, Lorwai Tan, Peter-John Wormald. (2011). Methylglyoxal-Infused Honey Mimics the Anti-Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Activity of Manuka Honey: Potential Implication in Chronic Rhinosinusitis. The Laryngoscope 121 (May) p.1104-1107. DOI: 10.1002/lary.21717

John Davison, Simon Ho, Sarah C. Bray, Marju Korsten, Egle Vulla, Maris Hindrickson, Kjartan Ostbye, Eivind Ostbye, Stein-Erik Lauritzen, Jeremy Austin, Alan Cooper, Urmas Saarma. (2011). Late-Quaternary biogeographic scenarios for the brown bear (Ursus arctos), a wild mammal model species. Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (3-4) p.418-430. 

Krause J, Unger T, Nocon A, Malaspinas A-S, Kolokotronis S-O, Stiller M, Soibelzon L, Spriggs H, Dear PH, Briggs AW, Bray SCE, O'Brien SJ, Rabeder G, Matheus P, Cooper A, Slatkin M, Paabo S, Hofreiter M. (2008). Mitochondrial genomes reveal an explosive radiation of extinct and extant bears near the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8, 220.

Published conference abstracts/papers:

Sarah Bray*, Jeremy Austin, Ian Barnes, Jacobo Weinstock, Beth Shapiro, Alan Cooper (2007). ‘The evolution and genetic diversity of the extinct Tremarctine bears’ in: Warren A. (editor) Geological Society of Australia Abstracts 85, p.41.

Austin*, Jeremy James; Bray, Sarah Catherine; Worthy, Trevor Henry; Medlin, Graham; Cooper, Alan (2007). “Reconstructing Southern Hemisphere late-Pleistocene and Holocene paleaeo-environments using ancient DNA from cave and swamp-preserved bones and sediments”. Quaternary International,167-168(supplement 1):19

Other conference presentations:

N. Rao*, C. Butcher, P. Neufing, S. Bray, C.Hahn, H. Scott, J. Melo, D. Ross, I. Lewis, P. Bardy and R. D’Andrea. “Mechanisms of co-operation of DNMT3A mutations with JAK2 V617F through Histone H4 Arginine 3 provides new insights in MPN disease pathogenesis”. American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA (2011).

Richard J. D’Andrea*, Sarah C. Bray, Michelle Perugini, Carolyn Butcher, Amilia Wee, Louise Winteringham, Heather Tapp, Peter Klinken and L. Bik To. “Diamond Blackfan Anaemia”. Haematology Society of Australia & New Zealand (HSANZ) SA Annual Scientific Meeting, South Australia (2011).

Sarah C. E. Bray*, Jeremy Austin, Beth Shapiro, Jacobo Weinstock, Ian Barnes, Leopoldo Soibelzon and Alan Cooper. “Ancient DNA analysis of the extinct Tremarctine bears”. Genetics Society of Australasia (GSA), Adelaide (2008).

Sarah Bray*, Jeremy Austin and Alan Cooper. “Using ancient DNA to assess the phylogeography of European, Russian & North American brown bears (Ursus arctos)”. Genetics Society of Australasia (GSA), Sydney (2007).

Sarah C. Bray*, Jeremy Austin, Ian Barnes, Jacobo Weinstock, Beth Shapiro and Alan Cooper. “The evolution and genetic diversity of the extinct Tremarctine bears”. Evolution, Christchurch, New Zealand, (2007).

(*) denotes presenting author

 

 

Entry last updated: Thursday, 5 Jan 2012