معرفی
Michelle Dunstone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Monash University, affiliated with the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Her research focuses on pore-forming proteins, particularly MACPF/CDC toxins, using techniques like X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM to study their structural and functional roles in immune systems and pathogenic bacteria. Key projects include developing insecticides from pleurotolysin, studying immune effector mechanisms, and advancing cryo-EM technology through equipment grants.
Dr. Dunstone has received prestigious awards such as the ASBMB Fellowship (2005), Eppendorf Edman Award (2016), and multiple grants from NHMRC and other funding bodies. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and innovation. She collaborates internationally on projects exploring toxin evolution and membrane attack complex mechanisms.
Notable research highlights include imaging C9 assembly in the complement system, analyzing perforin nanopore dynamics, and discovering evolutionary links between human and bacterial pore-forming proteins. Her lab’s 'genome gazing' approach traces protein origins to early life forms, uncovering universal membrane recognition roles.
