Virology

Professor William Rawlinson

The Virology Research led by Professor Rawlinson within the Virology Division at the South Eastern Area Laboratory Services – SEALS and POW Hospital, conducts reseach integrating basic and clinical sciences in the areas of inflammation and immunity related to infectious diseases. This is highlighted by collaborative, NHMRC funded work in HCV, SARS, influenza (HPAI, H1N1), CMV antiviral resistance, and congenital infection. There remains a need to improve treatment of patients with problems due to these viral infections, and the integration of clinical findings with basic virology studies has resulted in over 150 publications from the group in these areas.

The research program involves many collaboration, including with with laboratories of A/Prof Peter White at the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW (HCV, viral gastroenteritis), USydney (Prof Heather Jeffery/Prof Jonathan Morris – stillbirth, A/Prof Euan Tovey – respiratory viruses, A/Prof Cheryl Jones – congenital CMV and cytokines), and internationally (Prof Manfred Marschall – CMV and CDKs, Prof Sunwen Chou – CMV antiviral resistacne). Important papers were published in all these areas with our collaborators during 2008 – contributing to continuing success in refereed grant funding (over $800,000 in 2008). The setting at the nexus between the POW/SCH/RHW Hospitals Campus and the UNSW means rapid integration of research findings into clinical practice – a paradigm continued through 2008.