Professor Michaela Lucas
National Allergy Centre of Excellence Drug Allergy Stream Co-chair
- Immunologist and immunopathologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children
- Clinical Professor, Medical School, the University of Western Australia
- Group Leader of the Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, University of Western Australia
- Deputy Editor Clinical and Translational Immunology
- President, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (2020-2022)
Professor Michaela Lucas is a clinician-scientist specialising in clinical immunology, transplantation and infectious diseases. As a clinical immunologist, her research into drug allergy is directly improving patient outcomes. As a transplant immunologist, she helps advance basic science by investigating the factors influencing transplant tolerance and longevity of grafted organs. She is addressing the clinical problem of drug allergy – specifically antibiotic allergy – through her activities in clinical research and policy.
Following the completion of her medical training in Essen, Germany, Prof Lucas received a Marie Curie Research Fellowship and spent four years in a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford.
Her early work focused on the role of inflammation in the development of adaptive immunity within the context of organ transplantation. Now, she leads the transplantation lab (Immunology and Microsurgery) in the School of Medicine at the University of Western Australia and works closely with transplant clinicians to relate relevant findings for human transplant recipients.
Prof Lucas is president of the Australasian Society for Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and works closely with the National Allergy Council and National Allergy Centre of Excellence.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Comparing skin and serum testing to direct challenge outcomes in children with beta-lactam allergies. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Aug 2024
Diagnosing drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms in a medically complex young child. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Jun 2022
Egg-derived anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin Y (IgY) with broad variant activity as intranasal prophylaxis against COVID-19, Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Immunology. Jun 2022
Drug-induced anaphylaxis in Australia: we need a national drug allergy registry, Medical Journal of Australia. Jun 2022
Penicillin allergy SHACK: Survey of hospital and community knowledge, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. May 2022
The role of endocrine-disrupting phthalates and bisphenols in cardiometabolic disease: The evidence is mounting Current Opinion in Endcrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, Current Opinion in Endocrinology & Diabetes and Obesity. Apr 2022
Neuritin, unmasked as a checkpoint for the pathogenesis of allergy and autoimmunity. Clinical & Translational Immunology. May 2021
Dynamic changes to tissue-resident immunity after MHC-matched and MHC-mismatched solid organ transplantation. Cell Reports. May 2021
Antibiotic Allergy Labels in Children Are Associated with Adverse Clinical Outcomes. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Mar 2019.
SELECTED STUDIES
- The Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health (PERTH) Trial
- Safely Preventing Errors and Complications due to Inappropriate Allergy Labelling Study (SPECIAL Kids)
- The BRACE trial
KEY RESOURCES
Proudly in partnership with the National Allergy Council and allergy organisations
