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 | Biography |  |
We study structure and function of class 1 cytokines and their receptors, particularly growth hormone and prolactin. This extends from small molecule analogs through hormone mutants to investigation of mechanisms of receptor activation. Receptor function is studied with knockin mice mutants, gene arrays, transcriptional activation assays and physiochemical approaches. Professor M.J. Waters, DSc has been involved in the study of GH action for over 30 years. He was the first to purify and characterize the GH receptor, the first to develop a panel of monoclonal antibodies to the GH receptor (which are marketed throughout the world), and the first to show that the GH binding protein is derived from the GH receptor extracellular region by cleavage. He collaborated with Genentech in the cloning of the GH receptor, the first cytokine receptor to be cloned. He also collaborated in sequencing of the prolactin receptor, and in showing its homology with the GH receptor, defined the first two members of the class I cytokine receptor family (1988). Since then he has been involved in structure-function studies on the GH receptor focussing on the requirement for hormone-induced dimerization and conformational changes in signalling, as well as signalling pathways and cis elements used by GH to regulate gene expression. He published the first in vivo gene array study for a protein/peptide hormone, and has made the first targeted knockin mice with mutations to GH receptor signalling domains. He has formulated a widely accepted mechanism for GH receptor activation by its ligand. He has made novel observations about nuclear localized GH and nuclear receptor and mapped the distribution of the GH receptor throughout the body by immunohistochemistry. He has developed new in vitro bioassay systems for quantifying GH in serum and other matrices, currently being trialled by US Pharmacopoeia to replace animal testing worldwide by Pharma. He has been an invited speaker at many overseas conferences and has published over 200 manuscripts, including a recent review in the Handbook of Physiology. His work has been cited nearly 7000 times, and one of his publications is a citation classic, with 11 articles cited over 100 times. He is currently on the editorial board of Endocrinology and IGF&GH Research, and was Scientific Editor of the Journal of Endocrinology for a decade. Prof Waters is a judge for US Endocrine Society abstracts. He has co-organized several conferences, including the last International GH&IGF Societies Congress. He was recently Society for Endocrinology Asia & Oceania Medallist. He holds several commercial contracts with Biotech companies. He has served on NHMRC RGIC, Program Grant and Fellowships PRAP Committees. He is an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow.
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