Associate Professor Fabio Luciani

I  was trained as theoretical physicist (Masters), theoretical biologist (PhD 2006 from the Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany)). My research interests include adaptive immune responses against pathogen infections, computational models for studying host-pathogen interactions, and bioinformatics analysis of high throughput next generation sequencing data.Research is one of the things I love the most, along with teaching and sports. Our research group in Systems Medicine, is an interdisciplinary team with skills in Immunology, Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatics to study immune responses, specifically T cells. This research contributes to better understanding of immune protection against viral infections, but also of immunological tolerance and how autoimmunity arise. 

In my interdisciplinary team we also develop bioinformatics and statistical tools for analysis of genomics and immunology high throughput data. The rapid advancement in high-throughput technologies, such as single cell analysis and next generation sequencing, has lead to complex large data-sets, which demand for quantitative skills to interpret data. We have established a unique combination of these new methodologies and systems analyses to address key questions that classical immune-virology experimental approaches alone could not resolve. I have developed novel computational models to analysis viral genomes using next-generation deep sequencing, which led to novel insights on HCV infections, as well as on the translational application of these technologies in terms of monitoring outbreak, drug resistance 

I have experience in applying mathematical modelling statistics and bioinformatics to understand infectious diseases, focussing on transmission dynamics of drug resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the transmission of hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users. I made several contributions in how HCV infect a new host and the role of T cell mediated responses using next generation sequencing technologies, flow cytometry and statistical modelling. More recently, he has moved into single cell genomics and systems immunology approaches to understand T cell dynamics.

Please visit also my personal web page (LINK to be provided)

Research Interests

Systems Immunology 

1. Immune Receptor analysis using Next generation Sequencing Our group is very much interested in the study of T and B cell receptors and how these highly specific proteins determine successful immune responses. We use statistics and bioinformatics to analyse immune receptor data generate din our lab and from collaborators. 
2. Bioinformatics software We have experience in software tools to study pathogen genomics, immune cells and we also develop workflows for integrated analyses across genomic, immunological and clinical data sets.
3. T cell responses in influenza virus   We are closely collaborating with professor Katherine Kedzierska (Peter Doherty Institute in Melbourne) on the study of T cell responses that arise during influenza virus infection using single cell genomics

Single Cell Genomics and Multi-Omics

1. Analysis of single cell multiomics in the context of Coeliac disease. This project is a collaboration with Prof Chris Goodnow's team at the Garvan Institute.
2. Understanding CAR T cell therapy response in the context of blood disorders and solid tumors. This is an exciting project in collaboration with clinicians at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, and also with Researchers at Weill Cornell in New York.
3. Single cell isolation and SIngle cell transcriptomics. This is our new interest. We are studying how antigen speciifc T cells change their phenotype upon antigen encounter, and how these cells further develop into protective memory cells.

Media

Occasions where my research has been picked up by the media:

• Scientists warn of drug-resistant TB, Sydney Morning Herald, August 2009
• New TB strains a spreading danger, The Canberra Times, August 2009
• New drug-resistant TB strains could become widespread says new study, UNSW Science News, August 2009