Associate Professor Fraser Russell has an academic appointment in the School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast. After being awarded with a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1994, Fraser completed successful post-doctoral appointments at Cambridge University, UK (1994-1998), University of Otago, NZ (1998-2000) and Queensland University, Australia (2000-2004). In 2005, Fraser joined the University of the Sunshine Coast where he undertakes research, and coordinates and lectures in Pharmacology and Biochemistry.
Fraser is an Associate Editor of BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. He has long-standing research interests in areas of cardiovascular pharmacology and is Lead Investigator within a Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) “Honey, Health and Product” node to discover anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity of bioactive constituents of Australian Honeys. Fraser is also Lead Investigator of a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. This work is supported by funding from the Wishlist Foundation, with fatty acid supplements provided by Blackmores Pty Ltd. Fraser has supervised 12 PhD candidates and 22 Honours students and has published over 50 research papers.
Fraser is an active member of Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT, 1989-present), the Australian Vascular Biology Society (AVBS, 2015-present), and the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL, 2017-present). He is the current Program Coordinator of the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Accelerated) and member of the Centre for Genetics, Ecology & Physiology and the VasoActive Research Group, at USC. Fraser has contributed previously to University Governance in his capacity as Member of the Sunshine Coast Hospital Institute Research Programs Sub-Committee, University Research Committee and Animal Ethics Committee.
Research Grants
| Project Name | Funding Body |
|---|---|
| CRC for Honey Bee Products - Anti-inflammatory and Anti-oxidant | CRC Honey Bees |
| Cell culture model of endothelial glycocalyx shedding | National Health and Medical Research Council - Centre of Research Excellence |
Potential Research Projects for HDR & Honours Students
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the lipidome of patients with cardiovascular disease
Research areas
- Investigation of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity of Australian honeys. This project is supported by a Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) grant. Determination of the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in modulating immune responses in blood-derived macrophages from patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. Examination of the wound-healing potential of Australian stingless bee cerumen. This project entails isolation of novel compounds from cerumen and examination of their capacity to modify signalling events that are central to chronic non-healing wounds.
Fraser’s specialist areas of knowledge include cardiovascular pharmacology, omega-3 fatty acids for modulation of inflammatory disease and the wound-healing potential of Australian honeys and stingless bee cerumen.