Dr Michael Bourke

I completed my PhD at the University of Sydney, Australia in 2014. During my time in the Systems Neuroscience Laboratory of Dr Atomu Sawatari I investigated roles for the novel family of type II transmembrane glycoproteins, the teneurins, in the development of the limbic and visual systems of mice. This work showed that the teneurins are expressed in topographically related gradients throughout the hippocampal formation and related cortical regions, such as the entorhinal cortex, and subcortical regions, such as the mammillary bodies and anterior nuclei of the thalamus, as well as throughout topographically interconnected regions of the visual system. Using knockout models, I demonstrated that these proteins are required for the normal developmental interconnectivity of these regions and that targeted deletion of these genes results in visuospatial learning and memory deficits in vivo.

Following my PhD I undertook a post-doctoral fellowship with the Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease (QRC-PVD) and the Vascular Biology Unit (VBU) at James Cook University, led by Professor Jonathan Golledge. During this post-doctoral research I established a clinical trial research centre on the Central Coast of New South Wales, in collaboration with Gosford Vascular Services. I am investigating novel medical therapies to slow the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and have established a peripheral vascular biobank to understand the genetic nuances of vascular diseases, including aortic aneurysm, carotid atherosclerosis and lower limb occlusive disease. One outcome from this ongoing research collaboration was the discovery that the diabetes drug metformin is associated with slower growth rates of aortic aneurysms as well as a with a reduced incidence of surgical repair and rupture related mortality in patients with AAA.

In 2020 I was awarded a lectureship in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at The University of Newcastle. Here I am expanding my clinical research across the Central Coast Local Health District and the Hunter New England Local Health District to investigate novel treatments for vascular diseases. Together with the QRC-PVD, and The Georges Institute for Global Health in Sydney, I was awarded a $4.9 million NHMRC grant to initiate the world's largest ever prospective clinical trial on AAA in a hope to discover the world's first ever medical treatment for this disorder that kills over 2000 Australians anually. I am  working in collaboration with Professor Nicholas Goodwin, Director of the Central Coast Research Institute, to develop novel integrative approaches to understand and manage vascular disease. I am also in collaboration with Professor Manohar Garg, leader of the Clinical and Experimental Nutrition theme at the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition (PRCPAN) at the University of Newcastle, to investigate potential roles of fatty acids in the pathogenesis of aneurysms.

I am an experienced lecturer in the fields of anatomy and cardiovascular pathophysiology and have taught into multiple medical programs at Australian universities for over a decade. My teaching was acknowledged by an award for teaching excellence from the University of Sydney and I am leading the establishment of biomedical science teaching into the newly created Central Coast Clinical School based at Gosford Hospital.

In conjunction with multiple Health Districts across New South Wales, I am leading and delivering a pilot of applied anatomical training for junior surgeons and radiologists to improve the anatomical knowledge in this area and to develop partnerships between the university and our industry and health partners.