Dr. Qin Cheng

Position

Head, Department of Drug Resistance and Diagnostics,
Australian Army Malaria Institute, Australia.
Head, Malaria Drug Resistance and Chemotherapy laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland.

Address

Australian Army Malaria Institute,
Weary Dunlop Drive, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, Qld 4208. 
Tel: (07) 3332 4834
Fax:(07) 3332 4800

Research interests

The mechanism and evolution of drug resistance in P. falciparum and P. vivax, evaluation and improvement of malaria diagnostics, and relapses in P. vivax.

Qualifications

BMed, MMed, PhD

Ten Most Significant Publications

1. Cheng, Q., Cloonan, N., Fischer, K., Thompson, J., Wane, G., Lanzer, M., and Saul, A (1998) stevor and rif, Plasmodium falciparum multicopy gene families are related and their gene products have the characteristics expected of a set of variant antigens. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 97,161-176.

2. Korsinczky M., Chen N., Kotecka B., Saul A., Rieckmann K. and Cheng Q. (2000) Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum cytochrome b that are associated with atovaquone resistance are located in a putative drug-binding site. Antimicrob. Agent Chemocher. 44(8):2100-2108.

3. Peters, J., Chen, N., Gatton, M., Korsinczky, M., Fowler, E., Manzetti, S., Saul, A. and Cheng. Q. (2002) Mutations in cytochrome b resulting atovaquone resistance are associated with a loss of fitness in Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 46(8):2435-2441.

4. Peters, J., Fowler, E., Gatton, M., Chen, N., Saul, A. and Cheng, Q. (2002) High diversity and rapid changeover of expressed var genes during acute phase of Plasmodium falciparum infections in human volunteers. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 99(16):10689-10694.

5. Chen, N., Kyle, D.E., Pasay, C.M. Fowler, E.V., Peters, J. M. and Cheng, Q. (2003) Pfcrt allelic types with novel amino acid mutations in chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum from the Philippines. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 47(11):3500-3505.

6. Baker, J., McCarthy, J., Gatton, M.L., Kyle, D., Belizario, V., Luchavez, J., Bell D and Cheng, Q. (2005) Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 and Its Effect on the Performance of PfHRP2-Based Rapid Diagnostic Tests. J. Infect. Dis. 192:870-877.

7. Fowler, E.V., Chavchich, M., Chen, N., Peters, J.M., Kyle, D., Gatton, M.L and Cheng, Q. (2006) Physical linkage to drug resistance genes results in conservation of var genes among West Pacific Plasmodium falciparum isolates. J. Infect. Dis. 194:939-948.

8. Chen, N., Auliff, A., Nasveld, P., Kitchener, S., Rieckmann, K., Gatton, L.M. and Cheng, Q. (2007) Relapses of Plasmodium vivax infection result from clonal hypnozoites activated at predetermined intervals. J. Infect. Dis. 195(7):934-941.

9. O'Neil, M.T., Korsinczky, M.L.J, Gresty, K., Auliff, A. and Cheng Q. (2007) A P. falciparum heterologous expression system for the assessment of antifolate resistance caused by mutant P. vivax dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase. J. Infect. Dis. 196:467-474.

10. Carlton JM, Adams J, Silva JC, Bidwell SL, Lorenzi H, Caler E, LaCount D, Date SV, Vrabtree J, Angiuoli SV, Merino EF, Amedeo P, Carucci, DJ, Cheng Q, Chettier R, Coulson RMR, Crabb B, del Portillo HA, Essien K, Feldblyum TV, Fernandes-Becerra C, Fields S, Gilson P, Gueye AH, Guo X, Hoffman SL, Hughes R, Kang S, Kooi'j T, Korsinczky M, Kurschner C, Nene V, Paulsen I, White O, Ralph S, Ren Q, Sargeant TJ, Sahasrabudhe S, Salzberg S, Yamamoto MM, Wortman JR, Gardner M, Galinski M, Barnwell J, Fraser-Liggett CM. (2008) Comparative genomic of the neglected human parasite Plasmodium vivax illuminates malaria parasite biology. Nature 455: 757- 763.

Currently Held Grants

Principal Investigator (Cheng and McCarthy): WHO Nov 2008 - Nov 2009, Characterisation of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich proteins

Co-investigator and director of the Australian Consortium: NIH 2005 - 2009 RO1 grant (Grant No. 1RO1 AI058973-01A1 PI, Kyle) "Artemisinin induced dormancy and malaria treatment failure".