Catherine Gordon

Dr | Senior Research Officer

Molecular Parasitology

+61 7 3845 3069

Catherine.Gordon@qimrberghofer.edu.au

CAREER HISTORY

Dr Catherine Gordon is a molecular parasitologist and senior research officer at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research in the molecular parasitology laboratory, as well as casual parasitology lecturer at the University of Queensland, and the Queensland University of Technology. Dr Gordon has completed a Bachelor of Science (Microbiology and Biomedicine) with first class honours (Marine Parasitology) and a PhD (Public Health: Molecular Parasitology) from the University of Queensland. She has a trackrecord in molecular parasitology techniques for diagnosis and epidemiology, medical parasitology, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), transmission dynamics, and filed work in both the Philippines and China on animal and human parasitic diseases. Her current research is investigating new molecular tools for diagnosis of a range of parasitic diseases including schistosomiasis, tapeworm, protozoa, and soil-transmitted helminths, focusing on molecular diagnostics. She has a track record in molecular diagnostic tests for helminth parasites, including digital droplet PCR, and qPCR diagnose schistosomiasis (the molecular assay to be used in the current project), and multiplex qPCR for soil-transmitted helminths, and tapeworms in China and the Philippines

CURRENT APPOINTMENTS

• July 2021 – present Senior research officer QIMR B
• 2017 – present Casual lecturer in Parasitology UQ
• 2017 – present Casual lecturer in Parasitology QUT

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

• 2014 – July 2021 Research Officer QIMRB

ORCID NUMBER

0000-0002-1509-5220

CURRENT AREA OF RESEARCH

My current research focuses on molecular diagnostics of human and animal helminthic and protozoan disease with a particular focus on developing novel point-of-care (POC) diagnostics for schistosomiasis.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Australian Society of Parasitology
• Strongyloides Australia Inc
• QIMR Berghofer Postdoctoral Committee, member (2020 – present)

AWARDS RECOGNITION

• 2019 – ASP Network Researcher Exchange, Training and Travel Award
• 2019 – QIMR certificate of appreciation for outstanding contributions to the Molecular Parasitology lab group and the QIMR Institute

FUNDING

• 2019 – CIE NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program, “Eliminating the major Helminth Neglected Tropical Diseases from the Lower Mekong Basin”
• 2015 – Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre DNA sequencing funding, “Helminth Polyparasitism and Gut Microbiome of a Northern Philippines Human Population”
  (2015, $10,000) Gobert, McManus, Davies, Krause, GORDON.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• 2014 PhD: Public Health (Molecular Parasitology),
  • University of Queensland
    The reservoir hosts of Schistosoma japonicum in the Philippines and their role in transmission of schistosomiasis’
• 2009 BSc Majors: Microbiology and Biomedicine
  • First class honours: Parasitology
    University of Queensland

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• 2021 – Y. Mu, D.P. McManus, C.A. Gordon, P. Cai . Parasitic Helminth-Derived microRNAs and Extracellular Vesicle Cargos as Biomarkers for Helminthic Infections. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2021;11(581).
• 2021 – M. J. Rogers, D. P. McManus, Stephen Muhi, C. A. Gordon, Membrane technology for rapid point of care diagnostics for parasitic neglected tropical diseases, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2021, 34(4).
• 2021 – O. P. Aula, D. P. McManus, M. K. Jones, C. A. Gordon, Schistosomiasis with a focus on Africa, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 2021, 6(3)
• 2021 – O. P. Aula, D. P. McManus, M. G. Mason, J. R. Botella, C. A. Gordon, Rapid parasite detection utilizing a DNA dipstick, Experimental Parasitology, 2021, 224: 108098
• 2021 – C. A. Gordon, J. M. Shield, R. S. Bradbury, S. Muhi, W. Page, J. A. Judd, R. Lee, B. Biggs, K. Ross, J. Kurscheid, D. P. McManus, D. J. Gray, HTLV-I and Strongyloides: The worm lurking beneath, Advances in Parasitology, 2021, 111(1)
• 2020 – O. P. Aula, D. P. McManus, K. G. Weerakoon, R. Olveda, A. G. Ross, M. J. Rogers, C. A. Gordon, Molecular identification of Ancylostoma ceylanicum in the Philippines, Parasitology, 2020, 147(14):1718-1722
• 2020 – P. Adisakwattana, T. Yoonuan, O. Phuphisut, A. Poodeepiyasawat, N. Homsuwan, C. A. Gordon, D. P. McManus, L. E. Atkinson, A. Mousley, G. N. Gobert, Clinical helminthiasis in Thailand border regions show elevated prevalence levels using qPCR diagnostics combined with traditional microscopic methods, Parasites and Vectors, 2020, 13(1), 416
• 2020 – F. Li, X. Hou, H. Tan, G. M. Williams, D. J. Gray, C. A. Gordon, J. Kurscheid, A. C. A. Clements, Y. Li, D. P. McManus. Current Status of schistosomiasis control and prospects for elimination in the Dongting Lake Region of the People’s Republic of China, Frontiers in immunology, 2020, 11
• 2020 – D. J. Gray, J. Kurscheid, M. L. Mationg, G. M. Williams, C. A. Gordon, M. Kelly, K. Wangdi, D. P. McManus, Health education to prevent COVID-19 in schoolchildren: a call to action, Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 2020, 9(1)
• 2020 – C. A. Gordon, L. Krause, D. P. McManus, M. Morrison, K. G. Weerakoon, M. C. Connor, R. M. Olveda, A. G. Ross, G. N. Gobert, Helminths, Polyparasitism, and the gut microbiome in the Philippines, International Journal of Parasitology, 2020, 50(3)
• 2019 – C. A. Gordon*, J. Kurscheid*, A. C. A. Clements, D. P. McManus, D. J. Gray, The current status of schistosomiasis in Asia and the prospects for control leading to elimination, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 2019, 4(1)
  *Co-first authors Invited Review