Professor Paul Gorry

Professor Gorry conducts basic, clinical and translational research on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the causative agent of AIDS. His laboratory focuses on understanding how HIV interacts with cellular receptors to enter cells of the immune system. Thus, his work investigates the very earliest steps in the virus life cycle. The mechanisms by which HIV enters cells, and how this may change in infected individuals over time has importance for understanding HIV pathogenesis, the ability of HIV to establish infection in cellular reservoirs, and the development of new HIV entry inhibitors. These are the priority areas of research in the Gorry Laboratory.

Professor Paul Gorry is Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation in the School of Health and Medical Sciences where he leads the School's research agenda. He also conducts research into infectious diseases and supervises higher degree by research students. In addition, he is an Adjunct Professor in Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at Monash University, and Honorary Professorial Fellow in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. He is presently an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, and holds several research grants from NHMRC and NIH.

Prior to joining RMIT Professor Gorry was Senior Principal Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, and was Deputy Head of the Institute’s Centre for Biomedical Research. His research training included a 3 year postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston (1999-2002). Professor Gorry has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles, reviews and book chapters on HIV. He serves on the editorial board ofVirology and Current HIV Research, and is presently associate editor of Retrovirology.

Doctor of Philosophy, RMIT University

Professional interests

• Australian Society for Medical Research
• Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research
• Faculty of 1000 Medicine (Invited)
• International AIDS Society

Accomplishments

• NHMRC R. Douglas Wright Career Development Fellowship (2005)
• Victorian Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2008)
• NHMRC Level 2 Biomedical Career Development Fellowship (2009)
• Gust McKenzie Medallist (2011)
• Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2012)

Current Grants

• NHMRC Project Grant 1105951 (Churchill, Gorry, Wesselingh, Estes, Lee). HIV phenotypes important for the establishment of persistent reservoirs in the central nervous system and which impact neurotropism and neuropathogenesis. $762,491. 2016-2018.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1105962 (Churchill, Gorry, Wesselingh, Estes). Viral determinants of HIV-1 transcriptional latency in the central nervous system: impact on cure strategies. $874,520. 2016-2018.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1059394 (Gorry, Lee, Payne, Ramsland). Elucidating the mechanisms and consequences of clinical HIV-1 resistance to the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc. $602,670. 2014-2016.
• NIH/NIAID U19AI096109. Supplement to Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Multi-Project Program Grant (Deeks; Supplement Investigators Lewin, Churchill, Gorry). Understanding HIV persistence on ART in the central nervous system. $US300,000. 2014-2016.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1086178 (Gorry, Lee, Churchill, Ramsland). Envelope glycoprotein determinants of HIV-1 subtype C tropism and pathogenicity. $636,760. 2015-2017.
• Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (Gorry, Payne, Churchill, Flynn, Roche). Second generation CCR5 antagonists as new HIV-1 entry inhibitors. $168,000. 2015-2016.
• Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (Gray, Cashin, Gorry, Churchill). Clinically validating the first suite of genotypic tropism tests for non-B HIV-1 subtypes. $170,000. 2015-2016.

Selected Past Grants

• NHMRC Project Grant 251520 (Gorry). Envelope glycoprotein determinants of pathogenic, macrophage-tropic HIV-1 and their role in HIV-1 disease progression. $420,000. 2003-2005
• NIH/NIAID R21 AI054207-01A1 (Gorry, Lewin, Purcell). Pathogenesis of Macrophage tropic HIV-1. US$324,000. 2003-2005.
• NHMRC Project Grant 281215 (Wesselingh, McLean, Churchill, Gorry, McArthur). The role of HIV-1 infection of astrocytes in the development of HIV associated dementia. $425,250. 2004-2006.
• NIH/NIAID Multi-project cooperative agreement 1 U19 AI060598-01 (McCarthy). Development of Dendrimer and Combination Microbicides. Project 2, “Second generation dendrimer-based combination microbicide” (Wesselingh, Gorry, Tachedjian). US$5,646,446. 2004-2008.
• NHMRC Project Grant 433915 (Gorry, Churchill, Lewin). Pathogenesis of CCR5-restricted HIV-1. $361,875. 2007-2009.
• NHMRC Project Grant 433920 (Wesselingh, Churchill, Gorry). Molecular studies of the astrocyte reservoir of HIV-1 in the central nervous system. $513,000. 2007-2009.
• NHMRC Project Grant 488204 (Poumbourios, Drummer, Gorry). Delineation of receptor-activated conformational signalling pathways in HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins. $801,000. 2008-2010.
• NHMRC Project Grant 543133 (Gorry, Churchill, Lewin, Ramsland). Adaptive changes in HIV-1 subtype C envelope glycoproteins contributing to pathogenicity. $410,350. 2009-2011.
• NHMRC Development Grant 1017752 (Gorry, Churchill, Sterjovski, Ramsland, Stone). Rapid HIV-1 tropism testing using novel, soluble mimics of the HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4. $159,604. 2011- 2012
• NHMRC Project Grant 603708 (Churchill, Wesselingh, Turville, Gorry). Molecular studies of the astrocyte reservoir of HIV-1 in the central nervous system. $571,500. 2010-2012.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1006477 (Tachedjian, Sonza, Gorry, Ramsland). Elucidating the mechanism of action of dendrimer nanoparticles against HIV. $540,048. 2011-2013.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1006534 (Gorry, Churchill, Ramsland). Elucidating the flexibility of coreceptor engagement by HIV-1 important for macrophage tropism and escape from entry inhibitors. $613,195. 2011-2013.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1022066 (Gorry, Churchill, Ramsland). Elucidating unique molecular mechanisms involved in HIV-1 subtype C pathogenicity. $686,365. 2012-2014.
• NHMRC Project Grant 1051093 (Churchill, Gorry, Wesselingh). Viral determinants of HIV-1 transcriptional latency in the central nervous system. $610,658. 2013-2015.
• NIH/NIMH R21 MH100594 (Churchill, Gorry, Lewin). Transcriptional HIV 1 latency in astrocyte and macrophage reservoirs of the central nervous system. $US300,000. 2013-2015.

 

A more complete list of Professor Gorry’s publications is available on PubMed.