Health Sciences Researchers
Professor Andreas Lopata
E andreas.lopata@jcu.edu.au
Prof Andreas Lopata heads the Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory within the College of Science and Engineering and the Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine and leads the 'Seafood and Human Health' program within the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Prof Lopata is globally known for his work in food allergies, with the primary focus on applying molecular immunology and biotechnology to improve allergic reactions to seafood and monitor allergenic food protein exposure. His research in Food Safety are very multidisciplinary ranging from improved diagnosis of food allergy to the development of immunotherapy for sensitised consumer and quantification of allergens in food products. He is a strong supporter of the development of alternative food proteins to feed our fast-growing world population. His team develops robust food safety assessment protocols for alternative food products derived from plants, edible insects or cell based meat, in collaboration with the food industry.
Prof Lopata’s team uses cutting-edge molecular, cellular and population-based approaches in characterising the interactions of different food protein sources with the human immune system.
Dr Thimo Ruethers
E thimo.ruethers@jcu.edu.au
Thimo Ruethers is a Research Fellow in Human Health & Aging at the Tropical Futures Institute and an Adjunct Lecturer in Molecular Biology at James Cook University, Australia. His primary research activities focus on molecular interactions between food and humans, including allergic diseases, with the aim to promote food safety and healthier diets throughout life. Evaluating tropical aquaculture products and novel foods for their potential to trigger food allergies is of particular interest.
As researcher and science communicator, he has contributed to a brighter future in the tropics and worldwide while based in Australia, Austria, Germany, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. He now focuses on Singapore’s healthy, safe, and sustainable food future, utilising over a decade of international interdisciplinary research experience and expertise in allergology, proteomics, immunology and molecular medicine.
Aiming for translational collaborative research excellence and subsequent discoveries that make a difference, he is always interested in hearing from students keen on HDR projects, and from academics, companies, and other stakeholders. Overall and foremost, Dr Ruethers seeks to help overcome challenges in securing humanity's (alternative) food protein needs under careful consideration of food safety, allergic diseases, and planetary health.