Associate Professor Andrew Brooks
Associate Professor in Biomedical Science - Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law; School of Science and Technology
Email: abrook28@une.edu.au
Biography
Andrew’s primary research focus is on cytokine receptors. These receptors are single-pass transmembrane proteins that bind extracellular cytokines and transmit an intracellular signal by activating specific tyrosine kinases. These receptors play a pivotal role in many cellular processes regulating a vast range of essential physiological functions, including metabolism control, neural stem cell activation, inflammatory responses, bone development, as well as blood cell and immune cell development and growth. They are also involved in reproduction, lactation, postnatal growth, and body composition. Andrew has a strong focus on the growth hormone receptor (GHR) which is an archetype for the class I cytokine receptor family. This family of receptors comprises over 30 members with diverse functions that bind ligands on their extracellular domain (ECD) including erythropoietin (EPO), prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), thrombopoietin (TPO), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, and IL-21. He also has a theme on investigating the regulation of inflammation by HLA-G. His studies have characterised the molecular mechanisms of the GHR activation and defined important functions of this receptor signalling including in liver regeneration, lifespan, cancer incidence, and insulin sensitivity. His research has led to publications in journals including Science, Blood, Hepatology, Cell Reports, Oncogene, Nature Cell Biology, and PNAS.
