Dr Sarkar-Tyson completed her PhD studies at the University of Manchester, UK, followed by a two year post-doctoral position at the Drug Discovery Centre in the University of Dundee. She then worked at the Defence Science Technology Laboratories (DSTL) in the UK as a Principal Scientist and Project Manger. She joined UWA in 2016 as the Le Souef Research Fellow at the School of Biomedical Sciences where she is group leader of the burkholderia research group.

Dr Sarkar-Tyson has a strong interest in neglected tropical diseases and the discovery of new medical countermeasures. We are particularly interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which bacteria cause disease. Our main focus is on the Gram-negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei which causes the tropical disease melioidosis which is endemic in Northern Australia and South East Asia. Melioidosis is thought to be endemic in at least 45 countries worldwide, and has a predicted global burden of approximately 165,000 cases, of which 89,000 were fatal in the past year. Even with effective antibiotic treatment, mortality rates of melioidosis in Northern Australia are approximately 20%. B. pseudomallei is also intrinsically resistant to many classes of antibiotics, therefore the development of novel medical countermeasures is of high priority. We have identified several virulence factors which enable B. pseudomallei to cause disease and are currently collaborating with international partners to identify novel inhibitors.

DMTC

DSTL

WA DSC Collaboration Awards

Raine Medical Research Foundation