Lead Researchers

Associate Professor Paul Baird

BSc Hons, PhD

Head, Ocular Genetics Unit

 

Associate Professor Paul Baird, a molecular geneticist, heads the Ocular Genetics Unit at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. He began his research career in the UK after his PhD studies at the University of London, working in the field of cancer genetics. Following senior research positions at the Hanson Centre, Adelaide and the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Paul Baird joined CERA in 2000.

 

Research Interests
Paul Baird's research team focuses on the identification of genes and determinants involved in several major eye diseases including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, myopia and keratoconus. He leads a group actively involved in international collaborations including international consortia researching AMD and myopia. A range of cutting edge techniques including genome wide association, genome sequencing, methylation and copy number studies are employed in the lab with the aim of personalising patient care.  

 

Education

  • 1989, PhD, University of London
  • 1984, BSc, University of London

 

Previous Positions

  • 1996-2000, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
  • 1993-1996, Anti Cancer Council Research Associate, Hanson Centre for Cancer Research, Adelaide
  • 1989-1993, Research Fellow, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London

 

Awards

  • Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation presentation for Medical Research (2007)
  • Golden Eye Award, Association of Community Ophthalmologists of India (ACOIN), Guwahati, India, Nov 2011
  • NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (SRF-B) (2012)
  • Australian Academy of Sciences (Aus-India Senior Visiting Fellowship)

 

Ophthalmology & Scientific Involvement

- Grant reviewer, including: Action Trust Medical project grants and clinical fellowships (UK), Health Research Council of New Zealand; Heart Foundation Fellowship; Hong Kong Grants Council, International Science Linkages Australia-China Special Fund; Medical Research Council (UK); NHS Research Capacity Development Fellowship; Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development; NHMRC; NMRC Singapore; NMRC Centre Program Grant, ORIA; Save Sight Society, Wellcome Trust.

 

- Editorial reviewer, including: Am J Ophthal; Am J Hum Genet, Ann Clin Biochem; BMC Med Ethics; BMC Med Genet; Clin Exp Ophthal; IOVS; Nat Genet; Ophthalmic Genet; Opthalmic Res, Ophthalmology, PloSONE.

 

- Editorial Board Member for: Journal of Ocular Biology, diseases and Informatics, Open Ophthalmology Journal, Eye Science (Yanke Xuebao), Journal of Personalized Medicine, PLoSONE 

 

- Regional Editor for: Recent Patents on DNA and Gene Sequences.

 

  • 2011, International Scientific Advisory Committee Asia ARVO, Singapore
  • 2011- current  Academic coordinator for University of Melbourne’s Department of Ophthalmology
  • 2011, Organising committee of the Australasian Ophthalmic & Visual Science Meeting, Canberra
  • 2010, Symposium Organiser, "Eye diseases and twin studies", 13th International Congress on Twin Studies, Seoul, South Korea
  • 2009, International Scientific Advisory Committee & Genetics Program Committee Asia ARVO, Hyderabad
  • 2008
  • - Member, Organising Committee of the 12th International Myopia Meeting, Australia
  • - National Secretary of the Australasian Vision Society
  • - Symposium organizer, Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences meeting, Canberra
  • - Convenor and Chair of the CERA/Dept of Ophthalmology internal research meeting
  • 2007, Member of the Scientific Review Committee of the Vision CRC
  • 2006, Symposium organizer, Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences meeting, Canberra
  • 2003-2005, Convenor of the Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences meeting in Melbourne
  • 2000-present, Member, University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology / CERA Postgraduate Committee

 

 Selected publications from a total of 109 original papers, 13 reviews, and 4 book chapters:

  1. BAIRD PN, Robman LD, Richardson AJ, Dimitrov PN, Tikellis G, McCarty CA, Guymer RH. (2008). Gene-environment interaction in progression of AMD - the CFH gene, smoking and exposure to chronic infection. Hum Mol Genet. 17(9):1299-1305. 
  2. Allikmets R, Dean M, Hageman GS, BAIRD, PN, Klaver CC, Bergen AA, Weber BH, International AMD Genetics Consortium (Merriam JE, Smith RT, Gaetano R. Barile GR, Sawitzke, J, Gehrs KM, Hageman JL, Miller NJ, Howard ML, Guymer RH, Richardson A, Ho L, Vingerling, JR, Uitterlinden, AG, de Jong PT, Baas, D, Fritsche LG, Keilhauer CN). The SERPING1 gene and AMD. (2009). Lancet. 12;374(9693):875-6; author reply 876-7.
  3. Veerappan S, Pertile, KK, Islam AFM, Schäche M, Chen CY, Mitchell, P, Dirani, M, BAIRD PN. (2010). Role of the hepatocyte growth factor gene in refractive error. Ophthalmology. 117(2):239-245. 
  4. Yu Y, Bhangale TR, Fagerness J, Ripke S, Thorleifsson G, Tan PL, Souied EH, Richardson AJ, Merriam JE, Buitendijk GHS, Reynolds R, Raychaudhuri S, Chin KA, Sobrin L, Evangelou E, Lee PH, Lee AY, Leveziel N, Zack DJ, Campochiaro B, Campochiaro P, Smith RT, Barile GR, Guymer RH, Hogg R, Chakravarthy U, Robman LD, Gustafsson O, Sigurdsson H, Ortamann W, Behrens TW, Stefansson K, Uitterlinden AG, van Duijn CM, Vingerling JR, Klaver CW, Allikmets R, Brantley Jr MA, BAIRD PN, Katsanis N, Thorsteinsdottir U, Ioannidis JPA, Daly MJ, Graham RR, Seddon JM. (2011). Common Variants near FRK/COL10A1 and VEGFA are Associated with Advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration. Hum Mol Genet. Sep 15;20(18):3699-709.
  5. Adams MKM, Simpson, Aung KZ, Makeyeva GA,  Giles GG, English DR, Guymer RH, Robman LD, BAIRD PN. (2012). Apolipoprotein E gene Associations in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. Mar 15;175(6):511-8. 
  6. Verhoeven VJ, Hysi PG, Saw S-M, Vitart V, Mirshahi A, Guggenheim JA, Cotch MJ, Yamashiro K, BAIRD PN, Mackey DA, Wojciechowski R, Ikram K, Hewitt AW, Duggal P, Janmahasatian S, Khor C-C, Fan Q, Zhou X, Young TL, Tai E-S, Goho L-K, Li Y-J, Aung T, Vithana E, Teo Y-Y, Tay W, Sim X, Rudan I, Hayward C, Wright A, Polasek O, Campbell H, Wilson JF, Fleck BW, Nakata I, Yoshimura N, Yamada R, Matsuda F, Ohno-Matusi K, Nag A, McMahon G, Pourcain B St, Lu Y, Jugnoo SR, Cumberland PM, Bhattacharya S, Simpson CL, Atwood LD, Li X, Raffel L, Murgia F, Portas L, Despriet DD, van Koolwijk LM, Wolfram C, Lackner K, Tonjes A, Magi R, Lehtimaki T, Kahonen M, Esko T, Metspalu A, Rantanen R, Parssinen O, Klein BE, Meitinger T, Spector TD, Oostra BA, Smith, AV, de Jong PT, Hofman A, Amin N, Karssen LC, Rivadeneira F, Vingerling JR, Eiriksdottir G, Gudnason V, Doring A, Bettecken T, Uitterlinden AG, Williams C, Xeller T, Castagne R, Oexle K, van Duijn CM, Iyengar SK, Mitchell P, Wang JJ, Hohn R, Pfeiffer N, Bailey-Wilson JE, Stambolian D, Wong T-Y, Hammond CJ, Klaver CC. (2012). Large scale international replication and meta-analysis study confirms association of the 15q14 locus with myopia. The CREAM consortium. Human Genet. Sep;131(9):1467-80. 
  7. Schache M, Richardson AJ, Mitchell P, Wang JJ, Rochtchina E, Viswanathan AC, Wong TY, Saw SM, Topouzis F, Xie J, Sim X, Holliday EG, Attia J, Scott RJ, BAIRD PN. (2012). Genetic association of refractive error and axial length with 15q14 but not 15q25 in the Blue Mountain Eye Study cohort. Ophthalmol. Nov 3. 
  8. Adams MK, Simpson JA, Richardson AJ, Guymer RH, Williamson E, Cantsilieris S, English DR, Aung KZ, Makeyeva GA, Giles GG, Hopper J, Robman LD, BAIRD PN. (2012). Can Genetic Associations Change with Age? CFH and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Hum Mol Genet. Dec 1;21(23):5229-36. 
  9. Wei L, Liu B, Tuo J, Shen D, Chen P, Li Z, Liu X, Ni J, Dagur P, Sen HN, Jawad S, Ling D, Park S, Chakrabarty S, Meyerle C, Agron E, Ferris FL 3rd, Chew EY, McCoy JP, Blum E, Francis PJ, Klein ML, Guymer RH, BAIRD PN, Chan CC, Nussenblatt RB. (2012). Hypomethylation of IL17RC Promoter Associates with Age-related Macular Degeneration. Cell Rep. 
  10. Gu BJ*, BAIRD PN*, Vessey KA, Skarratt KK, Fletcher EL, Fuller SJ, Richardson AJ, Guymer RH, Wiley JS. A rare functional haplotype of the P2RX4 and P2RX7 genes leads to loss of innate phagocytosis and confers increased risk of age related macular degeneration. FASEB J.

* Joint first author

 

 Associate Professor Paul Baird