Dr Anne Sawyer
About me
I completed a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Botany at UQ and went on to carry out a PhD on microalgal photosynthesis at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB, UQ). I then completed a postdoc at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany on microalgal hydrogen production. I returned to UQ to develop RNA interference-based control strategies against plant pathogenic fungi and in 2018 was awarded an Early-Career Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (AQIRF) to develop RNA vaccines against fungal diseases threatening Queensland crops and native plants. In 2021 I obtained a Mid-Career AQIRF to prepare RNA vaccines for application in the field.
Research focus and collaborations
My research focus is the development of environmentally-friendly RNA vaccines to protect Australian crops and native plants from aggressive fungal and oomycete pathogens including Phytophthora root rot of avocados and pineapples, and myrtle rust of native Myrtaceae species including lemon myrtle and tea tree. I am performing this work in collaboration with researchers at the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, New Zealand Crown Research Institutes Scion and Plant and Food Research, as well as industry partners Nufarm Australia, Australian Pineapples, Howe Farming Enterprises, Greenlife Industry Australia, Kai Loa, Australian Native Products and the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association, who are helping me translate my research into a technology that can be used by Australian growers as an alternative to broad-spectrum pesticides.
Funded Projects
RNA vaccines for next generation crop protection: facilitating adoption. Mid-Career Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (2022–2025).
Development of RNAi vaccines for in-field protection of vulnerable Australian ecosystems and industries against myrtle rust. Australian Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation Ltd (2022-2024).
Exploration of RNAi vaccines as a novel control for Myrtle Rust in critically endangered Australian taxa. Australian Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation Ltd (2020–2022).
RNA vaccines for next generation crop protection against fungal pathogens. Early-Career Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (2019–2022).
Topical application of BioClay-delivered dsRNA for management of pineapple and avocado diseases. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (2018–2020).
Teaching interests
BIOL3213/BIOT7213 Plant Biology and Biotechnology
BIOL3200 Current Topics in Plant Science
Achievements and Awards
2023 Commendation for Outstanding Contribution to Engagement, SCMB
2023 Winner, UQ SPARK Industry Engagement Training Program Pitching Competition
2023 Session Chair, Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference, 20-24 Nov, Adelaide
2022-2023 Flying Scientist, Queensland Wonder of Science Program
2022 Member, UQ Early Career Researcher Life Sciences Symposium Organising Committee
2021-2023 Associate Editor, New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science
2021 Session Chair, Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference, 23-26 Nov, online
2020 Best EMCR Speaker, QAAFI Annual Research Meeting
2020 2020 Excellence Award for Honorary Contributor, QAAFI
2019 Session Chair, Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference, 25-28 Nov, Melbourne
2019 Early-Career Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship
2018 BLiSS Collaboration Pitch Prize, Brisbane Life Science ECR Symposium Satellite Event
2014 Class of 2014 Future Leader, UQ
2009 University Medal, UQ
2009 The Amgen Australia Prize in Molecular and Cellular Biology
Featured Publications
Degnan, RM, Shuey, LS, Radford-Smith, J, Gardiner, DM, Carroll, BJ, Mitter, N, McTaggart, AR, and Sawyer, A (2023). Double-stranded RNA prevents and cures infection by rust fungi. Communications Biology 6 (1) 1234. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05618-z
Mann, CWG, Sawyer, A, Gardiner, DM, Mitter, N, Carroll, BJ and Eamens, AL. (2023). RNA-based control of fungal pathogens in plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (15) 12391, 1-34. doi: 10.3390/ijms241512391
Degnan, RM, McTaggart, AR, Shuey, LS, Pame, LJS, Smith, GR, Gardiner, DM, Nock, V, Soffe, R, Sale, S, Garrill, A, Carroll, BJ, Mitter, N and Sawyer, A (2022). Exogenous double‐stranded RNA inhibits the infection physiology of rust fungi to reduce symptoms in planta. Molecular Plant Pathology, 24 (3), 191-207. doi: 10.1111/mpp.13286
Niño-Sánchez, J, Sambasivam, PT, Sawyer, A, Hamby, R, Chen, A, Czislowski, E, Li, P, Manzie, N, Gardiner, DM, Ford, R, Xu, ZP, Mitter, N and Jin, H (2022). BioClay prolongs RNA interference-mediated crop protection against Botrytis cinerea. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 64 (11), 2187-2198. doi: 10.1111/jipb.13353
Butel, N, Yu, A, Le Masson, I, Borges, F, Elmayan, T, Taochy, C, Gursanscky, NR, Cao, J, Bi, S, Sawyer, A, Carroll, BJ and Vaucheret, H (2021). Contrasting epigenetic control of transgenes and endogenous genes promotes post-transcriptional transgene silencing in Arabidopsis. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 2787, 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22995-3
Cao, J, Gursanscky, NR, Fletcher, SJ, Sawyer, A, Wadia, M, McKeough, L, Coleman, M, Dressel, U, Taochy, C, Mitter, N, Vaucheret, H and Carroll, BJ. (2020). Can-Seq: a PCR and DNA sequencing strategy for identifying new alleles of known and candidate genes. Plant Methods, 16 (1) 16. doi: 10.1186/s13007-020-0555-0
Researcher biography
Dr Anne Sawyer is a molecular plant biologist passionate about the development of plant-based solutions to global problems. Her current research focus is the development of RNA vaccines to protect plants from fungal pathogens. Dr Sawyer completed her PhD at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland on gene expression in microalgae. Following this, she carried out postdoctoral research at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany on microalgal hydrogen production. Dr Sawyer then returned to Australia to study RNA interference in plants and plant pathogenic fungi. Dr Sawyer has research experience in the fields of biotechnology, molecular biology, microalgal biology, synthetic biology, biochemistry and structural biology.