The EVE-M team

Scroll to meet EVE-M's Lead Investigators.

Professor Gilda Tachedjian (Principal Investigator)

Burnet Institute, Australia

BSc (hons), PhD

• Head, Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute
• Head Retroviral Biology and Antivirals Laboratory, Burnet Institute
• NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
• Co-Head, Eliminate HIV, Burnet Institute
• Honorary Professor, Melbourne University
• Adjunct Professor, Monash University

Professor Tachedjian is a molecular virologist with an interest in HIV treatment and prevention, and the role of the vaginal microbiome and their metabolites in modulating susceptibility to STIs and adverse reproductive health outcomes. Prof Tachedjian is CIA of the EVE-M Initiative MRFF Frontier Stage 1 and CSO of Stage 2 application. She has a strong track record in leading multidisciplinary and multinational teams funded by NIH and NHMRC and working with industry partners. She played a leading role in preclinical (Project 2 co-lead) and clinical studies (Director of Antiviral studies) that contributed to advancing an antimicrobial dendrimer to market as part of a large multidisciplinary program funded by NIH ($US5.6M).

Professor Tachedjian is the lead Principal Investigator of EVE-M.  As Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of EVE-M Stage 2, Professor Tachedjian will continue to execute her vision of building capacity in genital microbiome research and development in Australia to transform women’s health in Australia and Internationally. She will have oversight over the scientific aspects of the EVE-M program that combines genital microbiome discovery with the development of innovative sustained release products to prevent bacterial vaginosis, reduce spontaneous preterm birth, and technologies to prevent STIs including HIV and unplanned pregnancies.

Professor Catriona Bradshaw (Lead Investigator VMAP)

Monash University & Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Australia

MBBS, RACP, PhD, GradCertMed(SRH), DIPVEN

• Head of Research Translation and Mentorship, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Head of the Genital Microbiota and Mycoplasma Group and Senior Staff Specialist in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Professor, Central Clinical School, Monash University
• Clinical Associate Professor, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne.

Professor Bradshaw is a clinician researcher with over 15 years’ experience in clinical and epidemiological research on bacterial vaginosis (BV) and the vaginal microbiota. Her track record includes recruiting over 3000 women to randomised controlled trials and large prospective cohort studies to understand the pathogenesis of BV and develop more effective treatment strategies. Prof. Bradshaw has a strong track record of translating findings into policy and practice with over 260 publications in peer-reviewed journals, publications that have changed international practice and have been a member of guideline working groups in Australia and US.

Prof. Bradshaw will be responsible for providing oversight in the design and conduct of the clinical and epidemiological studies in this programme which includes leading the VMAP study.

Professor John Newnham AM (Lead Investigator – Genital Microbiome & Pregnancy)

University of Western Australia

MBBS, RANZCOG, DDU, MD, CMFM, RCOG

• Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, Perth, Western Australia.
• Inaugural Executive Director, Women and Infants Research Foundation.
• Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine), The University of Western Australia (UWA)
• Head, School of Women’s and Infants’ Health (now Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology), UWA
• Honorary Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Drum Tower Hospital, University of Nanjing, China
• Adjunct Professor, Peking University, Beijing, China

John Newnham is a Professor of Obstetrics and sub-specialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Western Australia, working at King Edward Memorial Hospital. He is the Chief Scientific Director of the Women and Infants Research Foundation and is Chair of the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance. He is the 2020 Senior Australian of the Year.

Prof. Newnham’s enduring research interest has been to discover strategies to safely reduce the rate of preterm birth. He has published widely on this subject and is recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities. His studies have spanned the spectrum from laboratory bench through to randomised controlled trials. On November 17th, 2014 (World Prematurity Day) he launched the Western Australian Preterm Birth Initiative, known as “the whole nine months” and in April 2018 expanded the program to be national aided by an NHMRC Partnership Grant. The program is known as the Australian Preterm Prevention Alliance and has key partners from each state and territory. This Alliance is the world’s first national program aiming to safely reduce the rate of harmful early birth across its population.

Professor Newnham’s will lead the Genital Microbiome and Pregnancy study (Project 2) and be an investigator on the IVR sheep study (Project 6) and be the clinical lead in the Phase 1 and II clinical trials (Project 10).

Associate Professor Thomas Moench (Lead Investigator – IVR Development)

Mucommune, LLC, USA

BA Chem.,  M.D.

• Vice President Clinical Development – Mucommune, LLC, USA
• Chief Medical Officer, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. USA

Thomas Moench is a clinical infectious disease specialist, and an expert in vaginal contraceptive and microbicide development and formulation. He was a cofounder of ReProtect, and invented (US Pat. #s 5592949, 5617877) and progressed the contraceptive BufferGel, from initial design and multiple issued patents through to a successful Phase 3 contraceptive efficacy study. He is an inventor of the Duet cervical barrier device and advanced it to Phase 1 safety and acceptability studies. At Mapp Biopharmaceutical, he developed and advanced to Phase 1 an mAb-based vaginal film for prevention of HIV and HSV. Relevant to the present project, Dr. Moench is the inventor (US Pat. # 9155873) of a lactic acid releasing intravaginal ring for the prevention of bacterial vaginosis.

His primary role in the proposed project is as Lead Investigator in Project 5: Intravaginal Ring (BV) in Theme Two: Innovative Technology Development, and will play a supportive role in other Projects (4, 6, 9, and 10).

Professor Simon Moulton (Lead Investigator – Materials Development)

Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

BTech., BSc. (Hons), PhD

• Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology
• Lead, Bioengineered Materials for Medicine Group
• Course Coordinator - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Biomedical Engineering at Swinburne
• Bioengineering Program leader of the Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute.
• Swinburne Node leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science.
  

Professor Moulton’s field of research is developing polymeric materials for use in a variety of biomedical applications ranging from nerve and muscle regeneration through to drug delivery for treatment of neurological conditions as well as cancer therapies. He has a strong track record in materials engineering research spanning electroactive materials as well as conventional biomaterials. He has attracted $30M of competitive grant funding, published >130 papers and his research has led to establishment of one spin out company.

Professor Moulton will work across both Themes and lead the Product Development activities at Swinburne University of Technology. He will be a key partner to Thomas Moench in the development of the lactic acid and progesterone releasing rings performing the loading and release activities, determining physical and mechanical properties of the rings and stability over time. He will also determine the rheology of lactic acid containing gels and quantify lactic acid levels in release experiments using column-based methods.

Professor Deborah Bateson (Clinical Lead Investigator – Human Centred Design & Public Health)

Family Planning NSW, Australia

MBBS, MSc (Nutr), MA (Oxon), GradCertMed(SRH), RANZCOG

• Medical Director, Family Planning NSW, Sydney, Australia
• Professor at the Centre for Social Research in Health at UNSW
• Clinical Associate Professor, Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, University of Sydney, Australia

Professor Deborah Bateson (Family Planning NSW) is the Medical Director of Family Planning NSW and is nationally and internationally recognised for her leadership in women’s health with clinical oversight of reproductive and sexual health services across NSW and in Pacific countries served by the Family Planning NSW International Program. Prof. Bateson’s research encompasses quantitative and qualitative studies and clinical trials with a focus on contraception including contraceptive vaginal rings, STI prevention and the female reproductive tract l microbiome. Prof. Bateson is highly skilled in translating research in women’s health into policy and practice and, especially relevant to this application, she is a member of the International Multipurpose Technologies Network.

Prof Bateson leads policy and patient advocacy, is the clinical lead for the Human Centred Design studies and provides clinical expertise and oversight of recruitment into the V-MAP study across Family Planning NSW sites in Australia and the Pacific and into the EVE-M clinical trials.

Professor Jacques Ravel (Lead Investigator – Microbiome)

University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA

BSc, MSc, PhD

• Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The Institute for Genome Sciences
• University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA
• Associate Director, Genomics, The Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA
• Adjunct Professor, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA

Professor Jacques Ravel is the Associate Director for Genomics at the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). Prior to joining UMSOM, he was a faculty at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) where the first bacterial genome was sequenced in 1995. He currently co-direct an NIH-funded Collaborative Research Center on Sexually Transmitted Diseases which applies systems biology to examine the connection between human genetic variation, sexually transmitted infections, and the functions of the cervicovaginal microbiome. He has published over 240 peer-reviewed publications and has a h-index of 68.

Prof. Ravel will support the implementation of modern genomic and multi-omics approaches in the Genital Microbiome Discovery laboratory. He will lead the set up the Open Science Data Framework, that he developed, for data management of the EVE-M cohort and associated clinical studies. He will provide his expert knowledge in biotherapeutics for development of Stage 2 studies.

Mark Parker (Lead Investigator – Biomarker Discovery)

Microba Pty Ltd, Australia

BAppSci

• Global Business Development Manager, Microba

Mark Parker, is the Global Business Development Manager with Microba, responsible for developing partnerships with pharmaceutical and diagnostics developers focusing on the human microbiome. Mark will support the EVE-M initiative relating to collection, analysis and reporting of vaginal and gut microbiome, study design and research outcomes (bioactive leads and IVDs). Mark has worked in numerous commercial roles over 30 years in the healthcare industry and supported numerous research initiates through funding, research design, analysis and logistical support. At Baxter, he assisted The George and the Veterans Administration with the PRESERVE trial, a multinational initiative.

Mark Parker will be the lead investigator for project 3, Biomarker Discovery, in Theme 1: Genital Microbiome Discovery. Microba has a key role in the project to identify microbial (and pathway) leads that EVE-M will go onto to identify the bioactives for. Microba will then develop IVDs that can distinguish between healthy and sub-optimal vaginal microbiome and types of BV (if any).

Mark will work with EVE-M staff on study design and methodologies to ensure a positive outcome to the project. Design will incorporate collection, handling, and sequencing and analysis approaches. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are also important design elements due to the effect of substances such as antibiotics or antipsychotics on the microbiome. Analyses of the microbiome differences will lead to a capacity to use the vaginal microbiome and/or the gut microbiome to establish biomarkers. The commercial evaluation and development of these biomarkers as research tools, pathology directed tests and IVD will be my responsibility. This will involve understanding the channels for commercialisation, regulatory hurdles and reimbursement opportunities.

Dr Lindi Masson (Lead Investigator – Genital Microbiome Laboratory)

Burnet Institute

BSc (Hons), MSc (Med), PharmPhD

• Senior Research Fellow, Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute
• Honorary Research Associate, Division of Medical Virology, UCT, South Africa
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University
• Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator, Division of Medical Virology, UCT, South Africa
  

Dr Lindi Masson has been involved in HIV and genital microbiome and immunology research for over 10 years. Lindi’s key collaborators include researchers at the University of Cape Town (South Africa), FHI 360 (US), Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (South Africa), Seattle Children’s Hospital (US), Virginia Commonwealth University (US), University of Manitoba (Canada) and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.

She has received multiple research grants from local and international funding agencies, including two National Institutes of Health RO1 awards and a Carnegie Emerging Academic Leaders award. She is also a recipient of a 2021 NHMRC Investigator grant. She is currently leading or co-leading two clinical cohort studies and a translational research study in South Africa. The primary focus of this research is to understand the socio-behavioural and biological factors associated with HIV acquisition risk in South African women and to develop tools to reduce this risk.

Dr Lindi Masson will lead the Genital Microbiome Discovery Laboratory and oversee the establishment of protocols for the processing of genital samples and their analyses that underpin EVE-M population and clinical studies. She will also contribute to the population and clinical studies being undertaken within EVE-M.

Dr Lenka Vodstricil (Lead Epidemiologist VMAP)

Monash University

BBiomed Sci, BSci(Hons), PhD

• Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University

Dr Vodstrcil (PhD, BSci(Hons), BBiomed Sci) is a Senior Research Fellow in the Genital Microbiota and Mycoplasma Group at Monash University’s Central Clinical School - Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Her translational research program focuses on women’s sexual and reproductive health and combines her expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical trials, and molecular biology. Her research centres around understanding the pathogenesis of the common vaginal condition, bacterial vaginosis, and determining effective antibiotic treatments for Mycoplasma genitalium and chlamydia. She has 60 publications in the field and is ranked the second most active researcher in the field of ‘Bacterial Vaginosis and the Vaginal Microbiome’ in the Asia-Pacific Region (26th/500 Worldwide, SciVal 2/6/20).

Dr Vodstrcil is the lead epidemiologist for EVE-M and will co-lead Project 1: Genital Microbiome Population V-MAP study in Theme 1: Genital Microbiome Discovery with Prof. Bradshaw (Monash University). She will work across multiple projects in Theme 1 and be involved in the Human Centred Design sub-studies and product development.

Dr Anna Hearps (Lead Investigator – Mechanistic Trial)

Burnet Institute

BSc (Hons), PhD

• Deputy Director, Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute
• Group Head, Infection Inflammation and Innate Immunity Laboratory, Burnet Institute
• Deputy Head, Healthy Ageing Program, Burnet Institute
• Senior Post-Doctoral Scientist, Retroviral and Antivirals Laboratory, Burnet Institute
• Adjunct Lecturer – Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University
  

Dr Hearps is a mid-career researcher at the Burnet Institute with 15 years’ experience studying the pathogenesis of HIV and the immunological impacts of chronic HIV infection. She is Group Head of the Infection, Inflammation and Innate Immunity laboratory and Deputy Director of the Disease Elimination Program at the Burnet Institute. In the EVE-M program she will lead Project 4: "Mechanistic Trials of Bioactive” which will investigate the efficacy of a lactic acid containing gel in women with a vaginal dysbiosis and uncover the mechanisms of these effects.

Dr Hearps will lead Project 4: "Mechanistic Trials of Bioactive" that will determine the mechanism of action of lactic acid delivered daily via a gel in women with bacterial vaginosis. Dr Hearps is also an Investigator on Project 1: V-MAP and Project 3: Biomarker Discovery, and will oversee studies that will quantify pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in vaginal fluid to determine levels of genital inflammation in the VMAP and Genital Microbiome pregnancy projects. Together with Prof Tachedjian, she has made one of the important discoveries underlying the EVE-M program, namely that lactic acid has immunomodulatory effects on cervicovaginal epithelial cells.

Dr Angela Davis (Lead Investigator – Human Centred Design Theme)

Burnet Institute

BDevs (Hons), PhD

• Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
• Research and Design Consultant, Freelance
  

Dr Angela Davis, PhD BDevs (Hons) is an emerging leader in human centred design, systems thinking and public health. Dr Davis has an undergraduate honours degree in Anthropology and a PhD in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. She is a Burnet Institute Research Fellow who leads HCD projects across divisions including young people’s health, justice health, global women’s health, and infectious diseases. Dr Davis has 10 years of experience in research and international community development including working with marginalised populations across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She has a track record in designing, implementing, and evaluating population level health projects using ethnographic, innovative, and participatory methods to create impactful programs and products.

Drawing upon her expertise in public health, Dr Davis will co-lead cross cutting Project 9: Human Centred Design and Public Health Research in collaboration with Swinburne University who will provide Human Centred Design leadership and Dr. Bateson, NSW Family Planning, who will provide clinical leadership.

Dr Simon Cook (Lead Investigator – Human Centred Design Co-Lead)

Swinburne Institute of Technology

BBiotech (Hons), PhD

• Research Fellow, Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute and Biomedical Engineering Group Swinburne University of Technology
• Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Eudaemon Technologies

Dr Simon Cook is a multi-disciplinary translational research academic and Fulbright Future Scholar who currently works across major strengths at Swinburne University of Technology in bio-engineering, user driven design and the health sciences. Dr Cook was successful in securing Phase II funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the idea of ‘Investigating new tough hydrogels materials to replace latex’ called Project Geldom. As Chief Investigator of Project Geldom he manages and undertakes R&D, as well as operating in a project management capacity working closely with a strong interdisciplinary team across multiple Universities and institutions, managing industry engagements and key project partners nationally and internationally. Project Geldom is on-going and is progressing towards Phase 1 clinical trials in 2020/2021.

As a lead investigator in EVE-M during MRFF Frontiers Stage 1, he led the human centred design team. In Stage 2, Dr Cook will co-lead the Human Centred Design arm of the EVE-M initiative at Swinburne University of Technology.

Dr Matt Payne (Lead Investigator – Pregnancy Studies)

University of Western Australia

BSc (Hons), PhD

• Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Australia

Dr Payne leads the microbiological research in Professor John Newnham’s preterm birth prevention initiative. He is a perinatal molecular microbiologist with 13 years post-doctoral experience, during which time he has conducted research at Kings College London, La Trobe University and the University of Western Australia. Dr Payne’s core research is now aimed at development of novel diagnostic tests for prediction of preterm birth and early detection of neonatal sepsis. He has additional research interests in the perinatal microbiome.

Dr Payne brings his expertise in vaginal microbial profiling and coordination of large prospective pregnancy cohort studies and clinical trials to the EVE-M initiative, where he will co-lead the Genital Microbiome and Pregnancy project within the Genital Microbiome Discovery Theme. This will include coordination of two large pregnancy cohort studies in Perth and conducting the associated microbial profiling analyses as well as execute responsibilities as a co-Lead Investigator in the EVE-M Program.

Dr Richard Cone (Co-Lead Investigator – IVR Product Development)

Mucommune, LLC, USA

S.B. Phys., PhD

• President, Mucommune, LLC USA
• Academy Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Cone was a Professor at both Harvard and Johns Hopkins, and is a renowned expert on sexually transmitted infections, with an emphasis on bacterial vaginosis (BV). He pioneered the discovery of lactic acid as a potent inactivator of various bacteria associated BV, and also co-led with Dr. Moench the development of a number of vaginal products, including BufferGel® (which led to Phase 3 studies for contraceptive efficacy and HIV prevention). To realize his lifelong passion for enabling improved protection against mucosal infections, Dr. Cone joined Mucommune LLC as its President when he retired from Hopkins in 2017.

Dr. Cone will co-lead with Dr. Moench in representing Mucommune USA’s efforts contributing to the research, development, nonclinical and clinical studies to develop intravaginal rings releasing lactic acid or both progesterone and lactic acid. Dr. Cone will focus on the basic science, and Dr. Moench will focus on the preclinical and clinical development.