Background

My work involves analyses of the microbiome within the female reproductive tract and the metabolites that they produce, with respect to their impact on sexually transmitted infections. I am also working toward the identification and characterisation of novel retroviruses in Australian mammals.

PhD Thesis
My thesis examined the antiviral defenses of bats, which are a significant source of viruses deadly to humans, and their history of infection with retroviruses. It identifies that bats have been host to a highly diverse range of retroviruses and finds that these viruses have been transmitted to other mammals. Bats are revealed to have unique features in their antiviral immune system that may give them an enhanced ability to control viral infections. This research was undertaken within the Retroviral Biology and Antivirals Research Laboratory, led by Assoc. Prof. Gilda Tachedjian.

Qualifications

• 2016: PhD in Molecular Microbiology, Monash University, Australia
• 2010: BScAdv(Hons), Monash University, Australia

Awards

• 2016: Harold Mitchell Foundation Travel Fellowship
• 2011: Ed Westaway Prize
• 2010: Monash Vice Chancellor’s Honours-PhD Scholarship
• 2009: Solly Faine Prize

Projects (6)

Current (4)

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  Antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of vaginal microbiota metabolites

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  Burnet Microbiome Initiative

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  Impact of a vaginal microbiota metabolite on epithelium integrity and HIV susceptibility

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  Intrinsic host antiviral activity against pathogenic viruses

Publications (9)

2020 (3)

• Tenth Scientific Biennial Meeting of the Australasian Virology Society-AVS10 2019.
  Helbig KJ, Bull RA, Ambrose R, Beard MR, Blanchard H, Böcking T, Chua B, Colmant AMG, Crosse KM, Purcell DFJ, Fraser J, Hayward JA, Hamilton ST, Husain M, MacDiarmid R, Mackenzie JM, Moseley GW, Nguyen THO, Quiñones-Mateu ME, Robinson K, Rodrigo C, Rodriguez-Andres J, Rudd PA, Werno A, White P, Young P, Speck P, Hibma M, Drummer HE, Tachedjian G
  Viruses. 2020 Jun; 12(6)
• Infectious KoRV-related retroviruses circulating in Australian bats.
  Hayward JA, Tachedjian M, Kohl C, Johnson A, Dearnley M, Jesaveluk B, Langer C, Solymosi PD, Hille G, Nitsche A, Sánchez CA, Werner A, Kontos D, Crameri G, Marsh GA, Baker ML, Poumbourios P, Drummer HE, Holmes EC, Wang LF, Smith I, Tachedjian G
  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Apr; 117(7):9529–9536
• Distinct Immune Responses Elicited From Cervicovaginal Epithelial Cells by Lactic Acid and Short Chain Fatty Acids Associated With Optimal and Non-optimal Vaginal Microbiota.
  Delgado-Diaz DJ, Tyssen D, Hayward JA, Gugasyan R, Hearps AC, Tachedjian G
  Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 Jan; 9:446

2019 (1)

• Host and Viral Proteins Modulating Ebola and Marburg Virus Egress.
  Gordon TB, Hayward JA, Marsh GA, Baker ML, Tachedjian G
  Viruses. 2019 Jan; 11(1):e25

2018 (2)

• Anti-HIV-1 Activity of Lactic Acid in Human Cervicovaginal Fluid.
  Tyssen D, Wang YY, Hayward JA, Agius PA, DeLong K, Aldunate M, Ravel J, Moench TR, Cone RA, Tachedjian G
  mSphere. 2018 Jul; 3(4):e00055-18
• Differential evolution of antiretroviral restriction factors in pteropid bats as revealed by APOBEC3 gene complexity.
  Hayward JA, Tachedjian M, Cui J, Cheng AZ, Johnson A, Baker M, Harris RS, Wang LF, Tachedjian G
  Mol Biol Evol. 2018 Mar; 35(7):1626–1637

2016 (1)

• Increasing Prevalence of Synonymous Mutations K65K and K66K in HIV-1 subtype B reverse transcriptase.
  Telwatte S, Brumme CJ, Hearps AC, Latham CF, Hayward JA, Sonza S, Sluis-Cremer N, Harrigan PR, Tachedjian G
  AIDS. 2016 Sep; 30(18):2787-2793

2015 (1)

• Bats and Reverse Transcribing RNA and DNA Viruses (Book Chapter)
  Tachedjian G, Hayward JA, Cui J
  in Bats and Viruses: A New Frontier of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Editors LF Wang and C Cowled, Published by Wiley. 2015 Jul; Chapter 7 :177-202

2013 (1)

• Identification of diverse full-length endogenous betaretroviruses in megabats and microbats.
  Hayward JA, Tachedjian M, Cui J, Field H, Holmes EC, Wang LF, Tachedjian G
  Retrovirology. 2013 Mar; 10(1):35

News Articles (8)

2020 (2)

• Gust-McKenzie Medal to Associate Professor Leanne Robinson
• New virus in bats linked to AIDS-like disease decimating koalas

2018 (4)

• Professor Tachedjian chairs session at AIDS 2018
• Burnet Travel Awards
• Burnet research reveals power of bats’ antiviral genes
• 2018 Day of Immunology

2015 (1)

• Burnet Travel Awards

2012 (1)

• Microbicides: enabling women to protect themselves against HIV