معرفی
David Jacques is an Associate Professor and Scientia Fellow (Level D) at the University of New South Wales, where he leads the Structural Virology Group at the EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Science within the School of Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Jacques completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in biochemistry and chemistry, followed by a PhD under the supervision of Professors Jill Trewhella and Mitchell Guss at the University of Sydney. During his PhD, he employed both crystallography and small-angle scattering to understand protein structure and authored internationally accepted standards for biological small-angle scattering data reporting. In 2012, he was awarded an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship to join Leo James' group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where he studied HIV capsid dynamics during early infection stages.
Dr. Jacques' research focuses on understanding the molecular details of host-pathogen interactions, particularly examining the HIV capsid structure and function using crystallographic, single molecule fluorescence, and cryo-electron microscopy methods. His work has revealed critical insights into how viral capsids interact with host cellular machinery, including nuclear pore complexes and innate immune sensors. His laboratory investigates how structural dynamics of viral proteins influence infection processes and host defense mechanisms, with particular emphasis on capsid uncoating, nuclear entry, and immune evasion strategies.
Analysis of Dr. Jacques' recent publications shows a consistent focus on structural virology, particularly HIV capsid biology. His work has elucidated how the HIV capsid mimics host proteins to navigate nuclear pore complexes, how capsid stability affects viral replication, and how viral proteins interact with host restriction factors. More recently, his research has expanded to include SARS-CoV-2 protease function and its impact on host immune responses.
- NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2012)
- Scientia Fellow (Level D)
Dr. Jacques has secured significant research funding including multiple NHMRC Ideas and Project Grants, an ARC Discovery Project, and a Wellcome Trust Collaborator Award. His current projects investigate how viruses overcome the nuclear pore complex, the functional role of the HIV capsid as a scaffold for bidirectional cargo transport, and the mechanisms that define pandemic potential in HIV-1. He leads an active research group that employs cutting-edge structural and biophysical techniques to address fundamental questions in virology.
Dr. Jacques leads the Structural Virology Group at the EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Science, which utilizes advanced imaging and structural biology approaches to study viral infection mechanisms at the molecular level.
