Elizabeth Gillam

Professor Elizabeth Gillam is a Professor in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland (UQ). Her research focuses on cytochrome P450 enzymes, exploring their roles in drug metabolism, biocatalysis, and evolutionary adaptations. She investigates how these enzymes enable organisms to metabolize diverse chemicals, including drugs, pollutants, and natural products, with applications in drug discovery, bioremediation, and synthetic biology.

Education: BSc(Hons) in Biochemistry from UQ, PhD from Oxford University, and postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University. She joined UQ in 1993 and became a Professor of Biochemistry in 2009.

Research Interests: Gillam’s work emphasizes directed evolution of P450 enzymes to enhance catalytic efficiency and specificity. Her lab studies P450 involvement in neurodegenerative diseases, plant defense mechanisms, and solar-powered biocatalysis. She employs ancestral sequence reconstruction to engineer thermostable enzymes, advancing their industrial and biomedical applications.

Articles Overview: Her recent work highlights the evolutionary plasticity of P450s, their roles in plant signaling (e.g., strigolactones), and the development of biocatalysts for drug discovery. Studies also address P450-mediated detoxification pathways in vertebrates and photosynthesis-linked catalytic systems. These projects underscore her lab’s interdisciplinary approach, bridging biochemistry, evolution, and biotechnology.