The Purcell lab focuses on the identification of targets of the immune response (protein antigens and their peptide epitopes) in a number of diseases and models of disease. This includes autoimmune diseases such as human rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis as well as the NOD mouse model of diabetes. Several aspects of tumor immunology are also studied with a particular focus on the identification of melanoma antigens and the development of a peptide based vaccine against this and other forms of cancer. We are also examining how T cell responses evolve towards viral antigens in influenza and herpes virus infections in mice.

Current projects include the study of post-translationally modified antigens in health and disease, identification of new targets of immune responses in arthritis and multiple sclerosis, melanoma vaccine development, and the basic implementation of immunoproteomics and peptidomics to study the chemical diversity of immune targets.

Techniques include: basic immunological approaches including assays of T cell function, identification of phenotypic markers, tumor challenge experiments, flow cytometry; immunoproteomics techniques of 2Dgel electrophoresis, 2D-DIGE, HPLC, mass spectrometry, quantitative proteomics, functional proteomics, and membrane proteomics; and protein chemistry techniques -various spectroscopic and structural approaches towards characterising recombinant protein from prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems.

Back to top

Anthony Purcell Bio

Associate Professor Anthony W Purcell is a senior research fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a laboratory head at the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include mass spectometry, proteomics and the biochemical definition of peptides recognised by the immune system, with a particular emphasis on the role of post-translationally modified antigens and their role in health and disease. Dr Purcell also leads a peptide based vaccine program that aims to design highly specific and stable peptide like lead compounds for inclusion in anti-tumor immunotherapies.

In 2008, Dr Purcell was awarded a NH&MRC Senior Research Fellowship and the Roche Medal from the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was the recipient of the Allan Stephens Ward from Arthritis Australia and a Grimwade Research Fellowship in 2005.

Back to top

Purcell Research Group

• Dr Nicholas Williamson
• Dr Nadine Dudek
• Dr Andrew Webb (NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow)
• Dr Renu Shankar
• Dr Alexandra Corbett
• Dr Dan Barr (with Doherty lab)
• Dr Hilary Hoare (Doherty Fellow)
• Dr Nathan Croft
• Dr Kunlaya Somboonwiwat
• Ms Anne Zhao
• Ms Roza Nastovska
• Mr Sri Harsha
• Mr Ashish Nair

Postgraduate students

• Ms Kim Lau
• Mr Brett Drummond
• Ms Dhana Gorasia
• Ms Helena Safavi
• Ms Boonyarin Jarasrassamee (with A/Prof Cheng, Bio21 Institute)
• Ms Stephanie Wurzbacher
• Ms Phillipa Saunders (with Prof McCluskey, Microbiology and Immunology, UniMelb)
• Mr Chor Teck Tan
• Mr Charles Reilly
• Ms Laura Gianni
• Ms Kate Scull

Back to top