Lung Disease Research Laboratory
- Dr Ross Vlahos
Dr Ross Vlahos BSc(Hons), PhD (Melb)
Room N815
+61 3 8344 4221
rossv@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Vlahos has a long-standing interest in respiratory diseases, in particular asthma and COPD. His research has included the effects of potassium channel opening drugs on airways cholinergic transmission, the effects of existing and novel anti-asthma drugs on airway hyper-responsiveness and airway wall remodelling. More recently, Dr Vlahos has developed unique murine models of COPD to identify therapeutic targets to treat this debilitating disease. Dr Vlahos is actively involved in presenting his work at both national and international scientific meetings, is a regular invited speaker at local and international laboratories (eg National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, UK), is a reviewer of competitive research grants for various funding agencies (eg NHMRC) and supervises BSc (Hons) and PhD students. Dr Vlahos is successful in obtaining various awards and competitive research grants (eg NHMRC), is a reviewer of competitive research grants for various funding agencies (eg NHMRC, Asthma Victoria), serves on NHMRC Scholarship Grant Review Panels, and Chairs sessions at various conferences. Dr Vlahos has also played a major role in commercially funded work that has confidentiality/patent agreements.
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Key References
Bozinovski, S., Jones, J.E., Vlahos, R., Hamilton, J.A. & Anderson, GP. (2002) GM-CSF regulates lung innate immunity to LPS through Akt/Erk activation of NFkappa B and AP-1 in vivo. J Biol Chem, Nov 8 277(45), 42808-14.
Bozinovski, S., Cross, L., Vlahos, R., Tessier, P., Geczy, C., Hume, D., Hamilton, J.A. & Anderson, GP. (2005) S100A8 chemotactic protein is abundantly increased, but only a minor contributor to LPS-induced, steroid resistant neutrophilic lung inflammation in vivo. J Proteome Research, 4(1), 136-45.
Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S., Gualano, R.C., Ernst, M. & Anderson, G.P. (2006) Modelling COPD in mice. Pulm Pharmacol Ther , 19 (1), 12-17.
Gualano, R.C., Vlahos, R. & Anderson, G.P. (2006) What is the contribution of respiratory viruses and lung proteases to airway remodelling in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Pulm Pharmacol Ther, 19 (1), 18-23.
Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S., Jones, J.E., Powell, J., Gras, J., Lilja, A., Hansen, M.J., Gualano, R.C., Irving, L, & Anderson, G.P. (2006) Differential protease, innate immunity and NFkB induction profiles during lung inflammation induced by sub-chronic cigarette smoke exposure in mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, 290(5), L931-L945.
Hansen, M.J., Gualano, R.C., Bozinovski, S., Vlahos, R. & Anderson, G.P. (2006) Therapeutic prospects to treat skeletal muscle wasting in COPD. Pharmacol Ther, 109 (1-2), 162-172.
Bozinovski, S., Vlahos, R., Hansen, M.J., Liu, K. & Anderson, G.P. (2006) Akt in the pathogenesis of COPD. International Journal of COPD, 1, 31-38.
*Cook, A.D., *Vlahos, R., Massa, C.M., Braine, E.L., Lenzo, J.C., Turner, A.L., Way, K.J. & Hamilton. J.A. (2006) The effect of tissue type-plasminogen activator deletion and associated fibrin(ogen) deposition on macrophage localization in peritoneal inflammation. Thromb Haemost, 95(4), 659-667. *These authors contributed equally.
Chen, H., Hansen, M.J., Jones, J.E., Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S., Anderson, G.P. & Morris, M.J. (2006) Cigarette smoke exposure reprograms the hypothalamic neuropeptide Y appetite axis to promote anorexic associated weight loss. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 173, 1248-1254.
Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S., Hamilton, J.A. & Anderson, G.P. (2006) Therapeutic potential of treating COPD by neutralising GM-CSF. Pharmacol Ther, 112 (1), 106-115.
Ivanov, S.N., Bozinovski, S., Bossios, A., Valadi, H., Vlahos, R., Malmhall, C., Sjostrand, M., Kolls, J.K., Anderson, G.P. & Linden, A. (2007) Functional relevance of the IL-23 – IL-17 axis in intact lungs in vivo. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 36 (4), 442-451.
Bozinovski, S., Hutchinson, A., Thompson, M., Macgregor, L., Black, J., Giannakis, E., Karlsson, A.S., Silverstrini, R., Smallwood, D., Vlahos, R., Irving, L., & Anderson, G.P. (2008) Serum Amyloid A is a biomarker of acute exacerbations of COPD. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 177(3), 269-78.
Gualano, R.C., Hansen, M.J., Vlahos, R., Jones, J.E., Park-Jones, R.A., Deliyannis, G., Turner, S.J., Duca, K.A. & Anderson, G.P. (2008) Cigarette smoke worsens lung inflammation and impairs resolution of influenza infection in mice. Respir Res, July 15; 9 (1); 53.
Prause, O., Ivanov, S., Bozinovski, S., Vlahos, R., Sjöstrand, M., Anderson, G.P. & Lindén, A. (2008) IL-17-producing T Lymphocytes in Lung Tissue and in the Bronchoalveolar Space after Exposure to Endotoxin from Escherichia coli in vivo - Effects of Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacotherapy. Pulm Pharmacol Ther, Jun, 22(3), 199-207 [Epub 2008 Dec 24]
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Grants Awarded as a Chief Investigator (2001-2009)
Self-limiting anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids in asthma, (AG Stewart, R Vlahos, J Wilson), 2001-2003, NHMRC Australia, $375,000
Role of the plasminogen activators (PA), urokinase-PA and tissue-type PA in arthritis, (AD Cook, R Vlahos & JA Hamilton), 2004-2006, NHMRC Australia, $472,500
Protein and gene profiling of intraepithelial lung macrophages from asthmatic children (R Vlahos & S Bozinovski), 2005, Convoy for Kids Asthma Victoria, $20,000
Role of GM-CSF in COPD (R Vlahos & S Bozinovski), 2006, Melbourne University Research Grant Scheme, $30,000
Role of GM-CSF in the pathogenesis of COPD (R Vlahos, S Bozinovski & I Bertoncello), 2007-2009, NHMRC Australia, $543,000
Cigarette smoking inactivates lung immunity by chemically modifying TLR4 (S Bozinovski & R Vlahos), 2007, Melbourne University Research Grant Scheme, $23,103
Cigarette smoke exposure chemically modifies and inactivates lung innate immunity mediated by the bacterial recognition receptor, TLR4 (S Bozinovski & R Vlahos), 2007, The ARC Harry Windsor Research Grants Scheme (Australian Respiratory Council), $50,000
Cigarette smoke exposure suppresses alveolar macrophage responses to lipopolysaccharide by modifying the TLR4 pathway (S Bozinovski & R Vlahos), 2008-2010, NHMRC Australia, $486,000
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