Dr Maggy Lord

UQ Amplify Fellow

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
maggy.lord@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 52516

Overview

Dr Lord currently leads the Lord lab within the School of the Environment at the University of Queensland. The Lord lab research focuses on developing novel and rapid next generation surveillance and diagnostic tools for detection of pathogens in humans, animals and the environment and for characterising disease carrying vectors. Their current specialisation include the development of non-invasive tools based on spectroscopy techniques. Dr Lord pioneered the application of near-infrared spectroscopy technique for non-invasive detection of several pathogens in mosquito vectors such as Wolbachia, Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya and for differentiation of morphologically identical mosquito species. Her lab recently pioneered its application for non-invasive detection of malaria through tthe skin of people in partnership with the Australian Defence Force and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil.

In the last 5 years, the Lord team attracted multi-site, national and international research funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, NHMRC, AQIRF and Grand challenges Canada as the Chief Investigator to develop rapid tools for large scale surveillance of vector control programs

Current Research interests: Development of spectroscopy tools for ports of entry for rapid identification of exotic insect species, detection of pathogens in humans and the environment

STEM Spotlight is a STEM mentorship program directed by Dr Lord whose main aim is to provide a safe and engaging space for students from CALD communities to engage in STEM activities at UQ.The program aims to encourage Students from CALD Backgrounds to pursue STEM career options. In 2023 Dr Lord was awarded Diversity and Inclusion Champion award by the Department of Multicultural affairs for this work (Diversity and Inclusion Champion award 2023).

The next STEM Spotlight event will be held at UQ St Lucia campus on the 22nd Nov, 2024. If your school would like to participate in this event, please fill in the expression of interest form Here

Research Interests

  • Mosquitoes of medical importance
    Characterization of mosquito population to determine disease transmission capability
  • Mosquito-borne disease
    Development of rapid and non-invasive diagnostic tools

Research Impacts

Our team develops rapid and non-invasive novel surveillance and diagnostic tools for multiple infectious diseases for humans and the environment. We collaborate with scientists from Fiocruz, CDC, USDA, JCU, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Brazil), Australian Defence Force, and Kenya Medical Research Institute. We focus on testing the applicability of next generation tools using rapid, high throughput, cost effective and user friendly light-based, spectroscopy devices. These tools are intended to inform public health personnel in a timely manner, on the effectiveness of an intervention, guide ellimination and predict potential disease hotspots to stop a possible outbreak.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Medical Entomology, Griffith University

Publications

View all Publications

Supervision

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • This PhD project aims to assess the role of probiotics as a potential transmission blocking tool for arboviruses and parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Interested students will analyse the interaction of the mosquito microbiome and various pathogens

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2022). Application of infrared techniques for characterisation of vector-borne disease vectors. Infrared Spectroscopy - Perspectives and Applications [Working Title]. (pp. 1-19) edited by Marwa El-Azazy, Khalid Al-Saad and Ahmed S. El-Shafie. London, United Kingdom: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.106941

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Goh, Brendon, Visendi, Paul, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares, Ricardo, Liu, Wenjun and Lord, Maggy (2022). In vitro detection of dengue 1 virus in human whole blood, plasma, and serum with nearinfrared spectroscopy. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kariyawasam, Tharanga, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares Magalhaes, Ricardo J. and Giacomin, Paul (2022). Novel diagnostic tools for soil transmitted helminths with non-invasive capability. The nearinfrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Lord, Anton Richard, Goh, Brendon, Travis, Jye, Birrell, Geoffrey W., Chavchich, Marina, Harris, Ivor E., Mcleod-Robertson, Stephen, Kent, Anthony, Vanbreda, Karin and Edstein, Michael D. (2021). The near-infrared spectroscopy technique can non-invasively detect malaria parasites through the skin of mice. ASTMH Annual Meeting, Virtual, 17-21 November 2021. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2021

  • Kho, Elise, Fernandes, Jill, Kotze, Andrew, Lord, Maggy, Fox, Glen, Beasley, Anne, Moore, Stephen and James, Peter (2020). Shining a light on Haemonchus contortus in sheep. 3rd International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019) , Brisbane, Australia, 11–13 November 2019. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI . doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036138

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., Fernandes, Jill N., Dowell, Floyd E. and Maciel-De-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Detection of arboviruses and parasites in mosquito vectors with a beam of light. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019

  • Pavan, Marcio G., Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., David, Mariana R., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Martins, Ademir J., Powell, Jeffrey R., Mason, Cristopher E. and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Developing alternative surveillance methods, from the near infrared spectroscopy to predict zika infection on aedes aegypti, to metagenomics to detect the invasion of new arboviruses and haplotypes. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019

  • AlHarbi, B., Lord, M. and Zowawi, H. (2019). Rapid Identification of Bacterial Species with a Beam of Light. GCCMID 2018, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7-10 November 2018. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2018.10.079

  • Esperanca, Pedro, Da, Dari, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). Determining species of field-collected mosquitoes using near-infrared spectroscopy. 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans, LA, United States, 28 Oct - 1 Nov, 2018. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2018

  • Da, Dari, Esperanc, Pedro, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). IDENTIFICATION OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM-INFECTIOUS ANOPHELES COLUZZII MOSQUITOES USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY. 67th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans La, Oct 28-Nov 01, 2018. MCLEAN: AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE.

  • Milali, Masabho P., Kiware, Samson S., Povinelli, Richard J., Corliss, George F. and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy (2017). Comparison between age estimates of wild Anopheles arabiensis using NIRS classification model and ovary dissection (Detinova's method). Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTMH), Baltimore, MD, United States, 5-9 November 2017. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2017

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Wirtz, Robert, Hugo, Leon, Ulrich, Jill, Devine, Gregor, Masabho, Milali P., de Freitas, Rafael and Dowell, Floyd (2017). Next generation mosquito surveillance technique: the near infra-red spectroscopy. 66th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTMH), Baltimore, Maryland USA, 05-09 November 2017. Deerfield, IL United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  • Paliga, J. M., Maia, M. F., Sikulu, M., Okumu, F. O. and Ogoma, S. B. (2015). The complementary advantage of combining spatial repellent treated sisal decorative baskets with long lasting insecticide treated nets. 9th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health, Basel, Switzerland, 6‐10 September 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Other Outputs

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.

  • This PhD project aims to assess the role of probiotics as a potential transmission blocking tool for arboviruses and parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Interested students will analyse the interaction of the mosquito microbiome and various pathogens