Biomedical Sciences

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Dr Strappe completed a PhD in Molecular Virology (UCL) studying drug resistant strains of HIV-1. Post doctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Andrew Lever at the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge focussed on RNA packaging in lentiviruses, in particular simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and the development of chimaeric vector s based on SIV and HIV-2 for efficient gene delivery. He also developed an interest in complexing viral vectors with biomaterials and gene delivery in animal models of CNS injury (Spinal cord and demyelination).

He moved to the National University Ireland in Galway in 2003 to establish a gene therapy group at the newly formed regenerative medicine institute (REMEDI) focussing of process development for purification of adenoviral vectors and also to direct the establishment of a manufacturing facility for clinical grade viral vector material. In 2006 he moved to the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) at the University of Sydney to work with Professor Simon Hawke on lentiviral vector mediated RNAi knockdown of prion protein in a mouse model of creurtzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) and development of novel PET reporter genes for non-invasive in vivo imaging of gene delivery.

In 2009 he moved to the Wagga Wagga campus of CSU as a lecturer in Microbiology.

Teaching

Current subjects taught

• MCR101: Introductory Microbiology
• BMS339: Virology, Mycology and Parasitology
• FSC200: Introduction to Forensic Science
• SCI300: Perspectives in Biotechnology
• BMS323: Microbiology and Immunology

Current Research

Research projects currently ongoing in my laboratory include

• Characterisation of Equine Mesenchymal stem cells (In collaboration with Dr Jane Quinn and Prof Bryan Hilbert, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, CSU).
• Development of non -integrating lentiviral vectors for gene modification of stem cells.
• Molecular characterisation of equine adenovirus (In collaboration with Dr Thiru Vanniasinkam and Dr Heather Cavanagh).

Publications

• Splice variants of the Alzheimer's disease beta-secretase, BACE1.Holsinger RM, Goense N, Bohorquez J, Strappe P. Neurogenetics. 2012 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
• Lentiviral vector delivery of short hairpin RNA to NG2 and neurotrophin-3 promotes locomotor recovery in injured rat spinal cord.Donnelly EM, Madigan NN, Rooney GE, Knight A, Chen B, Ball B, Kinnavane L, Garcia Y, Dockery P, Fraher J, Strappe PM, Windebank AJ, O'Brien T, McMahon SS. Cytotherapy. 2012 Nov;14(10):1235-44.
• Strappe P and Kalle, W. Atomic Force Microscopy in cytogenetics. Micron 2012 43, 1224-31
• McMahon SS, Nikolskaya N, Ni Choileain S, Hennessy N, O’Brien T, Strappe P, Gorelov A, Rochev Y. Thermosensitive Hydrogel for prolonged delivery of lentiviral vector expressing Neurotrophin-3 in vitro. J Gene Med. 2011 (11):591-601
• McGinley L, McMahon J, Strappe P, Barry F, Murply M, O’Toole D, O’Brien T. Lentiviral vector mediated modification of mesenchymal stem cells and enhanced survival in an in vitro model of ischaemia. Stem Cell Res Ther 2011 2(2):12
• EM Donnelly  PM Strappe*, L M McGinley , N Madigan , E Gurtz, G Rooney, A J Windebank , J Fraher , P Dockery , T O’Brien , S McMahon. Lentiviral vector mediated knockdown of the NG2 proteoglycan or expression of Neurotrophin 3 promotes neurite outgrowth in a cell culture model of the glial scar. J Gene Med 2010(11):863-72.*Denotes Joint First author and corresponding author
• Krupka N, Strappe P, Gotz J, Ittener LM. Gateway-compatible lentiviral transfer vectors for ubiquitin promoter driven expression of fluorescent proteins. Plasmid, 63, 155-60, 2010. Impact Factor 1.81
• Eglon MN, Duffy, AM, O’Brien T Strappe PM. Purification of adenoviral vectors by combined anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. J Gene Med,11, 978-89, 2009. Impact Factor 3.54
• Gibert JL, Purcell J, Strappe P, McCabe M, O'Brien T, O'Dea S. Comparative evaluation of viral, nonviral and physical methods of gene delivery to normal and transformed lung epithelia cells. Anticancer Drugs, 19, 783-788, 2008
• McMahon J, O’Shea C, Conroy S, Howard L, Murphy M, Barry F, Strappe PM, O’Brien T. A comparison of viral vectors for efficient transduction of adult mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cells and Development, 15, 78, 702-8 2006
• Breen A, Strappe P, Anilkumar TV, O’ Brien T, Pandit A.Optimisation of a Fibrin Scaffold for Sustained Release of an Adenoviral Gene Vector. 
• J Biomed Mater Res, 78, 702-708, 2006
• Duffy AM, O’Doherthy AM. O’Brien T, Strappe PM. Purification of Adenovirus and Adeno-associated virus: Comparison of novel membrane based technology to conventional techniques. Gene Therapy, 12, S62-72, 2005
• Strappe PM. Hampton DW, Brown D, Gonzales BC, Caldwell M, Fawcett JW, Lever AM. Identification of unique reciprocal and non reciprocal cross packaging relationships between HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV reveals an efficient SIV/HIV-2 lentiviral vector system with highly favourable features for in vivo testing and clinical usage. Retrovirology. 2005, 2 (1):55.
• Strappe PM, Hampton DW, Cachon-Gonzalez B, Fawcett JW, Lever A.  Delivery of a Lentiviral vector in a Pluronic F127 gel to cells of the central nervous system. European Journal of pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics,  61, 126-133 2005.
• Poole E, Strappe P, Mok HP, Hicks R and Lever AML. HIV-1 Gag-RNA interaction occurs at a Perinuclear / Centrosomal Site; Analysis by Confocal Microscopy and FRET. Traffic. 2005, 6, 741-755.
• Sen S, Strappe PM, O’Brien T. Gene Transfer in endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. Methods Mol Med. 2004, 108, 299-314.
• Lever AM, Strappe PM, Zhao J Lentiviral vectors. J Biomed Sci. 2004  ,4: 439-49.
• Strappe PM, Greatorex J, Thomas J, Biswas P, McCann E, Lever AM. The packaging signal of simian immunodeficiency virus is upstream of the major splice donor at a distance from the RNA cap site similar to that of human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2. J Gen Virol. 2003,84, 2423-30.
• Zhao C, Strappe PM, Lever AM, Franklin RJ. Lentiviral vectors for gene delivery to normal and demyelinated white matter. Glia. 2003,42:59-67.
• Emery VC, Atkins MC, Bowen EF, Clark DA, Johnson MA, Kidd IM, McLaughlin JE, Strappe PM, Griffiths PD. Interactions between beta-herpesviruses and human immunodeficiency virus in vivo: evidence for increased human immunodeficiency viral load in the presence of human herpesvirus 6. J Med Virol. 1999,57:278-82.
• Atkins M, Strappe P, Kaye S, Loveday C, McLaughlin JE, Johnson MA, Tedder RS, Griffiths PD, Emery VC. Quantitative differences in the distribution of zidovudine resistance mutations in multiple post-mortem tissues from AIDS patients. J Med Virol. 1998,55:138-46.
• Strappe PM, Wang TH, McKenzie CA, Lowrie S, Simmonds P, Bell JE. In situ polymerase chain reaction amplification of HIV-1 DNA in brain tissue. J Virol Methods 1998, 70, 119-27.
• Strappe PM, Wang TH, McKenzie CA, Lowrie S, Simmonds P, Bell JE. Enhancement of immunohistochemical detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen in brain by tyramide signal amplification. J Virol Methods 1997, 67, 103-12.

Patents

• PCT WO2005014836   Chimaeric Vector System,Lever Andrew Michael, Strappe Padraig Michael, University of Cambridge, UK International Publication Date: 17.02.2005