Science, Technology and Engineering

Foley Laboratory

Department of Biochemistry

Biosketch - Associate Professor Mick Foley

Mick completed his Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology at Glasgow College of Technology in 1982 and embarked on a PhD in biophysics of parasitic helminths with Prof. Peter Garland in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee. Upon completion of his PhD he was awarded a Wellcome Training Fellowship and worked with Dr Robin Anders in the Immunoparasitology group at the Walter and Elisa Hall Institute on malaria, particularly the molecular biology of the host parasite interface. After a couple of years as a Wellcome Research Fellow in David Wallikers group at the University of Edinburgh, Mick returned to the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University where he worked with Leann Tilley on the mechanism of action of anti-malarial drugs. During his time in Edinburgh he carried out a field trip to the Sudan and later in 1994 he visited Mongolia as an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert scientist. In 1995 he was awarded an ARC QEII Fellowship where he established the phage display of antibodies and peptide technology as a means of unlocking the secrets of the invasion of malaria parasites into red blood cells.

Mick is a project leader and member of the strategic management group in the Cooperative Research Centre for Diagnostics where his group are mining peptide libraries for high affinity binders to infectious diseases (such as EBV and anthrax) and other pathologies (like autoimmunity) as potential diagnostics and therapeutics. In 2004 Mick was promoted to Associate Professor/Reader. He has received support for his research from National Health and Medical Research, Australian Research Council, World Health Organisation and CRC for Diagnostics. Since Mick was born in Scotland his interests are Golf (where he sometimes lets Robin Anders win), and Glasgow Celtic - the greatest football team the Universe has ever seen.