Associate Professor Deanne Whitworth

Associate Professor (Anatomy)

School of Veterinary Science
Faculty of Science
d.whitworth@uq.edu.au
+61 7 54601 972

Overview

I completed a BSc (Hons) and a PhD at the University of Melbourne before undertaking post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. My research focused on marsupial and eutherian developmental biology, going off piste a couple of times to work with spotted hyaenas and European moles. After 6 years in the US I returned to Australia to study Veterinary Science (BVSc) at the University of Queensland (UQ), going on to work in equine and small animal practice. A longing to get back into research lead to my current position as a Teaching & Research academic in the School of Veterinary Science, UQ. My lab has generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from dogs and horses that are being used to model diseases in vitro and as the basis for research into stem cell-based treatments for a variety of diseases. We have also produced iPSCs from the Tasmanian devil and the platypus, the first stem cells ever described from a marsupial and a monotreme, respectively, allowing us to pursue research directed at treating devil facial tumour disease, understanding marsupial and monotreme embryonic development, and the conservation of endangered species.

Education

  • BSc (Hons), University of Melbourne (1990)
  • PhD, University of Melbourne (1996)
  • BVSc (Hons), University of Queensland (2006)

Employment

  • Post-doctoral researcher, University of California, Berkeley, USA (1996-1997)
  • Post-doctoral researcher, MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, USA (1997-2002)
  • Veterinary Surgeon (2006-present)
  • Lecturer, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2010-2017)
  • Affiliate Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland (2016-present)
  • Senior Lecturer, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2017-2022)
  • Associate Professor, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2023-present)

Research Interests

  • Induced pluripotent stem cells from domestic and native Australian species
    Our research uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from domestic and native Australian species to address several key areas of research including regenerative medicine, reproduction, species conservation and mammalian evolution.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), University of Melbourne

Publications

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Supervision

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Available Projects

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Publications

Featured Publications

Book Chapter

  • Whitworth, Deanne J. and Behringer, Richard R. (2001). The transgenic mouse in studies of mammalian sexual differentiation.. Transgenics in Endocrinology. (pp. 19-39) edited by Martin M. Matzuk, Chester W. Brown, T. Rajendra Kumar and P. Michael Conn. Totowa, NJ, U.S.A.: Humana Press.

  • Shaw, Geoffrey, Harry, Jenny L., Whitworth, Deanne J. and Renfree, Marilyn B. (1997). Sexual determination and differentiation in the marsupial Macropus eugenii. Marsupial biology : Recent research, new perspectives. (pp. 132-141) edited by N. R. Saunders and L. A. Hinds. Sydney, NSW, Australia: University of NSW Press.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.