The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Associate Professor Vicki Lawson

Associate Professor Vicki Lawson

Associate Professor Vicki Lawson

(03) 8344 4049 | vlawson@unimelb.edu.au

Position:
Laboratory Head
Theme(s):
Viral Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Bacterial and Parasitic Infections
Discipline(s):
Discovery Research, Education & Professional Development
Unit(s):
Department of Microbiology and Immunology (DMI)
Lab Group(s):
Lawson Group

Vicki Lawson is an Associate Professor and heads the Transmissible Neurodegeneration group in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Melbourne. Following completion of her PhD studies into HIV-1 transmission and pathogenesis from the University of Melbourne (1999) she received a Postdoctoral Fellowship to train in the field of prion diseases at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, USA. On her return to Australia, she joined the Neurodegeneration group in the Department of Pathology (2002-2017), The University of Melbourne where she held an NHMRC Florey Fellowship (2002-2005) and University of Melbourne CR Roper Fellowship (2008-2011).  A/Prof Lawson holds a lecturing position in the discipline of Pathology (2011- ) and was Deputy Head of the Department of Pathology (2014-2017). 

  • Publications
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    Research Groups
    • Lawson Group

      The focus of the Lawson lab is understanding the pathogenesis of transmissible diseases affecting the central (CNS) and enteric nervous systems (ENS) using a range of methods that encompass cell-free, cell-based and in vivo models of disease.

      Under investigation are virological diseases such as COVID-19 and non-conventional infectious diseases including prion (Creutzfeldt Jakob disease) and prion-like diseases (synucleinopathies ie Parkinson’s disease). Of particular interest is the effect of strain variation on invasion, pathogenesis, and inflammation in the CNS and ENS. The aim of our research is to better understand disease pathogenesis to develop methods to treat, diagnose and prevent disease.


      Lab Team

      • Laura Ellet
        Research Assistant
      • Shana Portelli
        PhD Student