Science, Technology and Engineering

Klonis Laboratory

Department of Biochemistry

Biosketch - Dr Nick Klonis

Nick completed his Bachelor of Science Honours degree in 1992 and proceeded with a PhD in Biochemistry under the supervision of Professor William H. Sawyer at the Russell Grimwade School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne. Nick utilised a number of spectroscopic techniques to characterise the interaction between an antibody and a fluorescent phospholipid at the lipid-water interface of membranes. These included steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and phosphorescence methods including lifetime and dynamic studies using both the pulse and phase techniques.

Nick joined the Cooperative Research Centre for Diagnostic Technologies (now the CRC for Diagnostics) in 1998 as a research fellow and worked closely with chemists in the design, synthesis and characterisation of novel far-red fluorescent probes. During this time, Nick collaborated extensively with Dr. Leann Tilley and applied his background in spectroscopy to examine various aspects of the biology of the malaria parasite.

Nick was awarded an ARC Research Fellowship in 2004. He is currently working on adapting spectroscopic techniques that are employed in fluorometer/cuvette based system to a microscopy format to permit their use on live cells, with a particular emphasis on examining oxidative stress-induced alterations of the host erythrocyte by the malaria parasite.