Associate Professor Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka

Current Position:
Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow

Phone:
+ 61 3 9903 0539

Facsimile:
+ 61 3 9903 0038

Email:
jennifer.wilkinson-berka@med.monash.edu.au

Office:
1U35, Department of Immunology
Level 1, Monash University Building, AMREP
Commercial Road
Melbourne 3004

Laboratory:
1U20, Department of Immunology
Level 1, Monash University Building, AMREP
Commercial Road
Melbourne 3004

Profile:
I completed my PhD in 1992 at the University of Melbourne. I began my post-doctoral research career in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and later joined the Department of Physiology. I have been awarded the Sir Colin and Lady MacKenzie Fellowship in Comparative Anatomy and been a NHMRC research fellow. My primary interest is research, and I am a Principal Research Fellow and Associate Professor. I head the Diabetes and Vascular Biology Laboratory.

Current Research Focus:
My primary focus is to understand the contribution of vasoactive and growth factor systems to the development of diabetic microvascular complications. I have a background in diabetic nephropathy, and in recent times have also become also interested in diabetic retinopathy; the major cause of blindness in the working population. In collaboration with Dr Erica Fletcher from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, we are able to use a multidisciplinary approach (endocrinology, neuroscience, pathology, biochemistry, molecular biology) to investigate progressive alterations to the retinal vasculature and neuro-glia. This is possible due to the development of a unique model of diabetic retinopathy, the streptozotocin diabetic Ren-2 rat. Strong links with industry allow testing of novel pharmacological and gene therapies against specific vasoactive and growth factor pathways. My intention is to develop new, safe and effective treatment regimens for patients with diabetic retinopathy. If successful, this would be a major advance over current invasive therapies such as laser treatment.

Selected Publications:

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Tan G, Jaworski K, Ninkovic S. Valsartan but not Atenolol Improves Vascular Pathology in Diabetic Ren-2 Rat Retina. Am J Hypertens. 2007;20(4):423-30.

Phipps JA, Wilkinson-Berka JL, Fletcher EL. Retinal dysfunction in diabetic ren-2 rats is ameliorated by treatment with valsartan but not atenolol. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48(2):927-34.

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Wraight C, Werther G. The role of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor and somatostatin in diabetic retinopathy. Curr Med Chem. 2006;13(27):3307-17. Review.

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Jones D, Taylor G, Jaworski K, Kelly DJ, Ludbrook SB, Willette RN, Kumar S, Gilbert RE. SB-267268, a nonpeptidic antagonist of alpha(v)beta3 and alpha(v)beta5 integrins, reduces angiogenesis and VEGF expression in a mouse model of retinopathy of prematurity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 Apr;47(4):1600-5.

Wilkinson-Berka JL. Angiotensin and diabetic retinopathy. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2006;38(5-6):752-65. Epub 2005 Sep 1. Review. Fletcher EL, Phipps JA, Wilkinson-Berka JL. Dysfunction of retinal neurons and glia during diabetes. Clin Exp Optom. 2005 May;88(3):132-45. Review.

Sarlos S, Wilkinson-Berka JL. The renin-angiotensin system and the developing retinal vasculature. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Mar;46(3):1069-77.

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Babic S, De Gooyer TE, Stitt AW, Jaworski K, Ong GT, Kelly DJ, Gilbert RE. Inhibition of platelet derived growth factor promotes pericyte loss and angiogenesis in ischaemic retinopathy. Am J Pathol. 2004;164:1263-1273

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Fletcher EL. Angiotensin and bradykinin: targets for the treatment of vascular and neuro-glial pathology in diabetic retinopathy. Curr Pharm Des. 2004;10:3313-3330

Wilkinson-Berka JL. Diabetes and retinal vascular disorders: role of the reninangiotensin system. Expert Rev Mol Med. 2004 Jul 23;6(15):1-18.

Sarlos S, Rizkalla B, Moravski CJ, Cao Z, Cooper ME, Wilkinson-Berka JL. Retinal angiogenesis is mediated by an interaction between the angiotensin type 2 receptor, VEGF, and angiopoietin. Am J Pathol. 2003;163:879-887

Moravski CJ, Skinner SL, Stubbs AJ, Sarlos S, Kelly DJ, Cooper ME, Gilbert RE, Wilkinson-Berka JL. The renin-angiotensin system influences ocular endothelial cell proliferation in diabetes: transgenic and interventional studies. Am J Pathol. 2003;162:151-160

Wilkinson-Berka JL, Kelly SJ, Koerner SM, Jaworski K, Davis B, Thallas V, Cooper ME. ALT-946 and aminoguanidine, inhibitors of advanced glycation, improve severe nephropathy in the diabetic transgenic (mREN-2)27 rat. Diabetes. 2002;51:3283-289