Biography

Dr Swaminathan is a clinician scientist with wide experience in the clinical, research and teaching spheres. He is a Senior Staff Specialist and Head of the Department of Immunology and Allergy at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals. His clinical interests span a range of immunological conditions including autoimmunity (SLE, connective tissue disorders and systemic vasculitis), allergic disorders (including drug and venom allergy) and secondary immune deficiencies such as HIV-1 infection.

His PhD was completed under the guidance of Professor Anthony Kelleher (Director, Kirby Insitute, UNSW), where he explored the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenecity of HIV-1 infection. He found a novel link between the expression of a family of highly expressed miRNAs (the let-7 family) and a broadly anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, that was published in the Journal of Immunology and has been cited >100 times since 2012. He was a Post-doctoral Felow at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research under the guidance of Dr H.Clifford Lane, Deputy Director of NIAID and Dr Tomozumi Imamichi. Themes

EBV, miRNA, multiple sclerosis, SLE, autoimmunity, allergy

Clinical Specialty

Clinical Immunology and Allergy

Research Focus

Dr Swaminathan's research interests have focused on how viral infections affect the immune system. The EBV Molecular Laboratory is dedicated to understanding the molecular underpinnings of how EBV infection modulates the expression of risk genes in the development of autoimmune disease.
 
Dr Swaminathan likes the fact that his group is looking at unique approaches linking viruses and autoimmune diseases. This will hopefully lead to novel ways to target key viral proteins that may lead to better therapies to prevent and treat autoimmune disease. 

Other Affiliations

Professor of Medicine, Western Sydney University

Associations

Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology

Education

BMedSci (Hon), MBBS (Hon), PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, FAAAAI