Justin Roby

Medical Science and Pathology

Dr Justin Roby

B.Biotech. Adv - Hon I (UOW), PhD Virology (UQ)

Research Fellow in Biochemistry
Wagga Wagga
Building 288 Room 236

Dr. Roby is a virologist and innate immunologist by training and is passionate about virology research. Dr. Roby obtained his Ph.D. from UQ (2014) for work on a DNA-launched, replicating West Nile virus vaccine. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the UW, Seattle where he gained expertise in innate immune signalling in response to flaviviral infections.

Dr. Roby joined the Forwood laboratory at CSU in October 2019, working to understand the molecular interactions between host and viral proteins. Dr. Roby is an active researcher within the new THRIIVE initiative to promote virology in collaboration with colleagues at CSU and other institutions.

Dr. Roby is a member of THRIIVE, the Gulbali Institute, the Australasian Virology Society, the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists, and the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand.

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

Dr. Roby co-supervises and mentors several HDR candidates (both Honours and PhD students) through the Forwood lab and THRIIVE in projects focused upon revealing the structural and molecular basis of virus-host protein interactions that drive virulence and pathogenesis.

Dr. Roby conducts research to investigate virus-host interactions and the structure-function relationship of viral virulence factors through the Forwood lab and THRIIVE. Dr. Roby participates in several projects that include:

  • Structure, host immune antagonist functions, and evolution of the Merbecovirus virulence factor ORF4b.
  • Functional requirements, diversification, and gene therapy exploitation of nuclear import signals that mediate adeno-associated virus transduction.
  • Structural determinants regulating the function of Mononegavirales virulence factors.
  • Functional determinates of nuclear import for the key human T-lymphotropic virus 1 regulatory protein HBZ.
  • Isolation and characterization of locally circulating arboviruses.
  • Identification of virulence determinants among Australian orthobunyaviruses.
  • Determination of molecular mechanisms of innate immune antagonism among viruses presenting zoonotic biosecurity threat to Australia.