Professor Mark Willcox

I am a medical microbiologist who has worked for many years in the area of infections of medical devices. My laboratory focuses on development of novel antimicrobials that have applications as antibiotics and disinfectants. We also develop new antimicrobial coatings that can be used for a variety of purposes, including coating of medical devices to reduce associated infections. We have taken several of these through to pre-clinical testing, and antimicrobial contact lenses through to Phase III clinical trials. My laboratory also focusses on the microbiome of the eye and protists that infect the eye (e.g. Acanthamoeba sp.). We have established robust protocols to examine the low biomass microbiome of the ocular surface that can easily be translated for the analysis of other low biomass microbiomes. Within the area of contact lens research, we focus on understanding the aetiology of adverse events and comfort during contact lens wear. Our research includes adhesion and biofilm formation of ocular pathogenic microbes (most notably Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus). This research involves the study of microbial pathogenesis, and mammalian tissue responses to microbes and biomaterials. We have established several animal and cell-based models for studying contact lens adverse events and biomaterial infections. Our research has also encompassed proteomic and lipidomic studies of the tear film and its interaction with contact lenses. We have applied new techniques that allow the quantification individual proteins and lipids that adsorb onto contact lenses, or are biomarkers for changes to the ocular surface. This allows researchers, for the first time, to be able to assess the contribution of particular proteins or lipids to the production of adverse responses during lens wear. We have also investigated the use of tears as the source of biomarkers for diabetes, breast and prostate cancer. These research studies have led to the publication of 15 patents and over 550 peer reviewed papers.

Our currently funded projects include Government grants (NHMRC and ARC) investigating antimicrobial biomaterials and novel antimicrobials. We work closely with industry to provide potential new products, testing facilities, clinical trials and laboratory and clinical training.

Education

DSc in ocular surface research (University of New South Wales, 2015)

PhD in Medical Microbiology/Dentistry (University of Manchester, 1987)

BSc Hons in Applied Biology (University of the West of England, 1983)