Head, Clinical Epigenetics
BSc PhD
David is an NHMRC biomedical research fellow and Team Leader of Clinical Epigenetics at Telethon Kids Institute. His research explores the links between the molecular determinants of epigenetic control and childhood health and disease. He is engaged in understanding how periconceptual exposures translate into phenotypes with enduring effects on long-term health. He has published extensively on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of immune development and allergic disease.
-
Projects
-
Publications
January 2024
Metagenomic Characterisation of the Gut Microbiome and Effect of Complementary Feeding on Bifidobacterium spp. in Australian Infants
Complementary feeding induces dramatic ecological shifts in the infant gut microbiota toward more diverse compositions and functional metabolic capacities, with potential implications for immune and metabolic health. The aim of this study was to examine whether the age at which solid foods are introduced differentially affects the microbiota in predominantly breastfed infants compared with predominantly formula-fed infants.
Published research Breastfeeding Early Childhood Development Nutrition Nutrition in Early Life ORIGINS Computational Biology Subsite: ORIGINS Project Clinical Epigenetics Immunology and Breast FeedingAugust 2023Fathers’ preconception smoking and offspring DNA methylation
Experimental studies suggest that exposures may impact respiratory health across generations via epigenetic changes transmitted specifically through male germ cells. Studies in humans are, however, limited. We aim to identify epigenetic marks in offspring associated with father's preconception smoking.
Published research Early Childhood Development Clinical Epigenetics Subsite: WalyanFebruary 2023Epigenomic variability is associated with age-specific naïve CD4 T cell response to activation in infants and adolescents
Childhood is a critical period of immune development. During this time, naïve CD4 T cells undergo programmed cell differentiation, mediated by epigenetic changes, in response to external stimuli leading to a baseline homeostatic state that may determine lifelong disease risk. However, the ontogeny of epigenetic signatures associated with CD4 T cell activation during key developmental periods are yet to be described.
Published research Early Childhood Development ORIGINS Subsite: ORIGINS Project Clinical Epigenetics GenomicsNovember 2022Immuno-epigenomic analysis identifies attenuated interferon responses in naïve CD4 T cells of adolescents with peanut and multi-food allergy
IgE-mediated food allergies have been linked to suboptimal naïve CD4 T (nCD4T) cell activation in infancy, underlined by epigenetic and transcriptomic variation. Similar attenuated nCD4T cell activation in adolescents with food allergy have also been reported, but these are yet to be linked to specific epigenetic or transcriptional changes.
Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsAugust 2022Ancestral SARS-CoV-2, but not Omicron, replicates less efficiently in primary pediatric nasal epithelial cells
Children typically experience more mild symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) when compared to adults. There is a strong body of evidence that children are also less susceptible to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the ancestral viral isolate.
Published research Airway Epithelial Research Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Clinical Epigenetics Subsite: Walyan Systems Vaccinology COVID-19 Respiratory viral infectionsJanuary 2022Parental preconception BMI trajectories from childhood to adolescence and asthma in the future offspring
Recent evidence suggests that parental exposures before conception can increase the risk of asthma in offspring. We investigated the association between parents' preconception body mass index (BMI) trajectories from childhood to adolescence and subsequent risk of asthma in their offspring.
Asthma Published research Early Childhood Development Clinical EpigeneticsJanuary 2022Association of prenatal alcohol exposure with offspring DNA methylation in mammals: a systematic review of the evidence
Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with a range of adverse offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes. Several studies suggest that PAE modifies DNA methylation in offspring cells and tissues, providing evidence for a potential mechanistic link to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Respiratory Environmental Health Clinical EpigeneticsSeptember 2021Risk Factors for Gut Dysbiosis in Early Life
Dysbiosis refers to a reduction in microbial diversity, combined with a loss of beneficial taxa, and an increase in pathogenic microorganisms. Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota can have a substantial effect on the nervous and immune systems, contributing to the onset of several inflammatory diseases.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Clinical Epigenetics Immune systemJuly 2021Mapping the landscape of chromatin dynamics during naïve CD4+ T-cell activation
T-cell activation induces context-specific gene expression programs that promote energy generation and biosynthesis, progression through the cell cycle and ultimately cell differentiation. The aim of this study was to apply the omni ATAC-seq method to characterize the landscape of chromatin changes induced by T-cell activation in mature naïve CD4+ T-cells.
Published research Systems Immunology Clinical Epigenetics Subsite: Genomics WAMarch 2021Children of Asian ethnicity in Australia have higher risk of food allergy and early-onset eczema than those in Singapore
In Western countries, Asian children have higher food allergy risk than Caucasian children. The early-life environmental exposures for this discrepancy are unclear. We aimed to compare prevalence of food allergy and associated risk factors between Asian children in Singapore and Australia.
Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsSeptember 2019Genetic determinants of paediatric food allergy: A systematic review
We systematically reviewed the literature on the genetic basis of food allergy, identifying areas for further investigation
Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsFebruary 2019Children with East Asian-Born Parents Have an Increased Risk of Allergy but May Not Have More Asthma in Early Childhood
Children of East Asian ancestry born in Australia have a higher burden of most allergic diseases in the first 6 years of life, whereas asthma may follow a different pattern
Asthma Published research Food Allergy Clinical EpigeneticsSeptember 2018Early life innate immune signatures of persistent food allergy
Early life innate immune dysfunction may represent a key immunological driver and predictor of persistent food allergy in childhood
Published research ORIGINS Food AllergyAugust 2018Epigenetic dysregulation of naive CD4+ T-cell activation genes in childhood food allergy
Our data indicate epigenetic dysregulation in the early stages of signal transduction through the T cell receptor complex, and likely reflects pathways modified by gene-environment interactions in food allergy
Published research Food AllergyJune 2018Candidate gene testing in clinical cohort studies with multiplexed genotyping and mass spectrometry
We describe a cost-effective tag single nucleotide polymorphism approach using a multiplexed genotyping assay with mass spectrometry
Published research Clinical Epigenetics -
Education and Qualifications
-
Awards/Honours
-
Active Collaborations