Research and consultancy |

Dr Shiwani Sharma

Phone:	work+61 8 82045892
Email:	shiwani.sharma@flinders.edu.au
Location:	School of Medicine (4D:322)
Postal address:	GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Research and consultancy

Research interests

Dr Shiwani Sharma's research in Ophthalmology focuses on deciphering the molecular and cellular processes underlying eye diseases, with the aim of developing diagnostic, preventative and treatment strategies in the future. She is particularly interested in genetically determined eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and corneal dystrophies that have early as well as late onset forms. Her research has defined the molecular mechanism of inherited congenital cataract in some affected families. In current NH&MRC funded research she is investigating how environmental and genetic factors interact with each other and contribute to cataract related to aging, the leading cause of blindness worldwide. In addition, she is investigating the mechanisms underlying association of genetic factors with glaucoma, the major cause of irreversible blindness in the world. She uses molecular and cellular biology tools and animal models for her research. She is guiding a team of research students and staff for undertaking this research.

Publications

Book chapters

Lai, Y., Sharma, S., Lai, C.M., Brankov, M., Constable, I.J., & Rakoczy, P.E., 2003. Virus-mediated secretion gene therapy - a potential treatment for ocular neovascularisation. In Retinal Degenerations: Mechanisms and Experimental Therapy. New York, USA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 447-453.

Refereed journal articles

Kuot, A., Hewitt, A.W., Griggs, K.M., Klebe, S., Mills, R.A., Jhanji, V., Craig, J., Sharma, S., & Burdon, K.P., 2012. Association of TCF4 and CLU polymorphisms with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy and implication of CLU and TGFBI proteins in the disease process. European Journal of Human Genetics, 20, 632-638.

Creasey, R., Sharma, S., Gibson, C., Craig, J., Ebner, A., Becker, T., Hinterdorfer, P., & Voelcker, N.H., 2011. Atomic force microscopy-based antibody recognition imaging of proteins in the pathological deposits in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome. ULTRAMICROSCOPY, 111(8), 1055-1061.

Burdon, K.P., Macgregor, S., Hewitt, A.W., Sharma, S., Chidlow, G.R., Mills, R.A., Danoy, P., Casson, R.J., Viswanathan, A.C., Liu, J.Z., et al., 2011. Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for open angle glaucoma at TMCO1 and CDKN2B-AS1. Nature Genetics, 43(6), 574-578.

Burdon, K.P., Macgregor, S., Bykhovskaya, Y., Javadiyan, S., Xiaohui, L., Laurie, K., Muszynska, D., Lindsay, R., Lechner, J., Haritunians, T., et al., 2011. Association of polymorphisms in the Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) gene promoter with keratoconus. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 52, 8514-8519.

Ronci, M., Sharma, S., Chataway, T.K., Burdon, K.P., Martin, S.M., Craig, J., & Voelcker, N.H., 2011. MALDI-MS-Imaging of Whole Human Lens Capsule. JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH, 10(8), 3522-3529.

Creasey, R., Sharma, S., Craig, J., Gibson, C., Ebner, A., Hinterdorfer, P., & Voelcker, N.H., 2010. Detecting Protein Aggregates on Untreated Human Tissue Samples by Atomic Force Microscopy Recognition Imaging. Biophysical Journal, 99(5), 1660-1667.

Craig, J., Hewitt, A.W., McMellon, A.E., Henders, A.K., Ma, L., Wallace, L., Sharma, S., Burdon, K.P., Visscher, P., Montgomery, G., et al., 2009. Rapid inexpensive genome-wide association using pooled whole blood. Genome Research, 19(11), 2075-2080.

Sharma, S., Chataway, T.K., Burdon, K.P., Jonavicius, L., Klebe, S., Hewitt, A.W., Mills, R.A., & Craig, J., 2009. Identification of LOXL1 protein and Apolipoprotein E as components of surgically isolated pseudoexfoliation material by direct mass spectrometry. Experimental Eye Research, 89(4), 479-485.

Sharma, S., Koh, K., Collin, C., Dave, A., McMellon, A.E., Sugiyama, Y., McAvoy, J., Voss, A.K., Gecz, J., & Craig, J., 2009. NHS-A isoform of the NHS gene is a novel interactor of ZO-1. Experimental Cell Research, 315(14), 2358-2372.

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Book chapters

Refereed journal articles

Ronci, M., Sharma, S., Chataway, T.K., Burdon, K.P., Martin, S.M., Craig, J., & Voelcker, N.H., 2011. MALDI-MS-Imaging of Whole Human Lens Capsule. JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH, 10(8), 3522-3529.

Hewitt, A.W., Sharma, S., Burdon, K.P., Wang, J.J., Baird, P.N., Dimasi, D.P., Mackey, D.A., Mitchell, P., & Craig, J., 2008. Ancestral LOXL1 variants are associated with pseudoexfoliation in Caucasian Australians but with markedly lower penetrance than in Nordic people. Human Molecular Genetics, 17(5), 710-716.

Sharma, S., Burdon, K.P., Dave, A., Jamieson, R., Yaron, Y., Billson, F., Maldergem, L., Lorenz, B., Gecz, J., & Craig, J., 2008. Novel causative mutations in patients with Nance-Horan Syndrome and altered localization of the mutant NHS-A protein isoform. Molecular Vision, 14, 1856-1864.

Burdon, K.P., Sharma, S., Hewitt, A.W., McMellon, A.E., JJ, W., DA, M., P, M., & Craig, J., 2008. Genetic analysis of the clusterin gene in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Molecular Vision, 14, 1727-1736.

Burdon, K.P., Sharma, S., Chen, C.S., Mackey, D.A., Dimasi, D.P., & Craig, J., 2007. A novel deletion in the FTL gene causes hereditary hyperferritinemia cataract syndrome (HHCS) by alteration of the transcription start site. Human Mutation, 28(7), 742-751.

Sharma, S., Dimasi, D.P., Broer, S., Kumar, R., & Della, N.G., 2007. Heme carrier protein 1 (HCP1) expression and functional analysis in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Experimental Cell Research, 313(6), 1251-1259.

Sharma, S., Ang, S., Shaw, M., Mackey, D.A., Gecz, J., McAvoy, J., & Craig, J., 2006. Nance-Horan syndrome protein, NHS, associates with epithelial cell junctions. Human Molecular Genetics, 15(12), 1972-1983.

Sharma, S., Dimasi, D.P., Higginson, K.A., & Della, N.G., 2004. RZF, a zinc-finger protein in the photoreceptors of human retina. Gene, 342(2), 219-229.

Burdon, K.P., Mckay, J.D., Sale, M.M., Russell-Eggit, I., Mackey, D.A., Wirth, M., Elder, J.E., Nicholl, A., Clarke, M.P., Fitzgerald, L.M., et al., 2003. Mutations in a novel gene, NHS, cause the pleiotropic effects of Nance-Horan Syndrome including severe congenital cataract, dental anomalies and mental retardation. American Journal of Human Genetics, 73(5), 1120-1130.

Sharma, S., 2002. Transient pluripotent cell populations during primitive ectoderm formation: Correlation of in vivo and in vitro pluripotent cell development. Journal of Cell Science, 115, 329-339.

Sharma, S., Chang, J.H., Della, N.G., Campochiaro, P.A., & Zack, D.J., 2002. Identification of novel bovine RPE and retinal genes by subtractive hybridization. Molecular Vision, 8, 251-258.

Saini, R.G., Kaur, M., Singh, Sharma, S., Nanda, G.S., Nayar, S., Gupta, A.K., & Nagarajan, S., 2002. Genes Lr48 and Lr49 for hypersensitive adult plant leaf rust resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Euphytica, 124(3), 365-370.

Rodda, S., Sharma, S., Scherer, M., Chapman, G., & Rathjen, R., 2001. CRTR-1, a developmentally regulated transcriptional repressor related to the CP2 family of transcription factors. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(5), 3324-3332.

Conference publications

Craig, J., Hewitt, A.W., Sharma, S., Macgregor, S., Mitchell, P., Chidlow, G.R., Wood, J., Casson, R.J., Mackey, D.A., & Burdon, K.P., 2011. Genome wide association study for open angle glaucoma blindness identifies novel replicated susceptibility loci. ARVO Meeting Abstracts, 52(6), 5317-5317.

Burdon, K.P., Sharma, S., Danoy, P., Leo, P., Hewitt, A.W., Brown, M., Chataway, T.K., Mackey, D.A., & Craig, J., 2009. A combined genome-wide association scan and proteomics aproach for the identification of genetic modifiers of pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 37(1), A77-A77.

Sharma, S., Dave, A., & Craig, J., 2008. Molecular investigation in an X-linked cataract syndrome. Twin research and human genetics - special issue, 11(4), 465-465.

Sharma, S., Dave, A., Burdon, K.P., & Craig, J., 2008. Epithelial cell junctions and congenital cataract. 18th International Congress for Eye research.

Sharma, S., Dave, A., Koh, K., Collin, C., Voss, A.K., Burdon, K.P., McAvoy, J., Mackey, D.A., & Craig, J., 2008. Intercellular junctions and congenital cataract. Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences meeting.

Sharma, S., McMellon, A.E., Ang, S., McAvoy, J., Gecz, J., Koh, K., Collin, C., Thomas, T., Voss, A.K., & Craig, J., 2007. NHS, a protein present at epithelial tight junctions, causes developmental defects. ComBio 2007 Combined Conference Abstracts, 39, 84-84.

Brereton, H.M., Sharma, S., Mortimer, L.A., Tea, M.N., van Wijngaarden, P., Coster, D.J., & Williams, K.A., 2005. Development of antibody fragments for topical treatment of retinal neovascularization. Proceedings of ComBio2005, 133-133.

Sharma, S., Ang, S., Shaw, M., Mackey, D., McAvoy, J., Gecz, J., & Craig, J., 2005. Characterisation of the causative gene for a syndromic cataract [Abstract]. The Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences Meeting 2005, 23-23.

Sharma, S., Ang, S., Shaw, M., Mackey, D., McAvoy, J., Gecz, J., & Craig, J., 2005. Expression analysis and protein localisation of the Nance-Horan Syndrome causing gene: clues to its function. Proceedings of ComBio2005, 119-119.

Craig, J., Sharma, S., Burdon, K.P., McKay, J., Sale, M.M., Russell-Eggit, I., Shaw, M.A., Getz, J., Voss, A.K., & Mackay, D., 2004. Molecular basis of the Nance-Horan syndrome and other X-linked cataract. EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH.

Sharma, S., Brereton, H.M., Coster, D.J., & Williams, K.A., 2004. Stable cell lines as a tool for assaying anti-VEGFR2 antibody specificity. EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH, 79(Supp).

Other public research outputs

Sharma, S., Brereton, H.M., Coster, D.J., & Williams, K.A., 2004. Stable cell lines as a tool for assaying anti-VEGFR2 antibody specificity. Proceedings of the International Society for Eye Research.

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