Virginie Gaget

Dr Virginie Gaget

Grant Funded Researcher (B)

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr Gaget is a senior researcher within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide with over 15 years of experience in microbial ecology. Her main research interest is to develop new microbial interventions to improve health outcomes of patients with chronic or severe diseases, by unveiling the role of the human microbiome in disease onset.

BACKGROUND: 

Dr Gaget has an expertise of over 15 years in microbiology and microbial ecology. After graduating from a PhD in Microbiology and Virology from Universite Paris VII and the Pasteur Institute, she moved to Adelaide to work on toxic microalgae in collaboration with local water utilities and government agencies. Over the course of 12 years, her method development and pioneer work on benthic cyanobacteria made her a recognised expert in the field both nationally and internationally. During this time, she led large collaborative research projects (n>10 partners by projects at times), in Australia, South-East Asia and North America, one of which led to the development of the first monitoring guidelines for drinking water that include benthic cyanobacteria as a toxic risk.

After over a decade working on water-associated public health issues, Dr Gaget is now applying her skills to medical sciences. She transitioned to health and medical sciences by working in Health Technology assessment for three years at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (ASERNIP-S), reviewing new interventions for the Australian and Swiss Governments. This appointment provided her skills and knowledge in research translation, trial design and critical study and medical data assessment. Silmutaneously, she coordinated an MRFF project looking at the medical and social impact of mobile radiology for patients living in residential aged care facilities. This project led to recommendations for the deployment and funding of mobile X-ray services to residential aged care facilities in Australia.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH:

Dr Gaget is currently coordinating a world-first clinical trial (project MRFF2024316) aiming to improve symptoms and health outcomes in patients with non-resectable pancreatic cancer by using faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a co-treatment to chemotherapy. Lack of symptoms, means that pancreatic cancer often presents at an advanced stage, reducing opportunities to treat it efficiently. As a result, the survival rate still remains low (25% will survive 1 year after diagnosis and 12% will survive >5 years after diagnosis), while incidence is steadily increasing in the population including in individuals younger than 50 years old. A recent animal study demonstrated that FMT from a healthy control or a long-term survivor of pancreatic cancer significantly decreases the size of tumours. This clinical trial aims to test the safety of FMT for patients with pancreatic cancers. If the results from the animal study can be replicated during this trial, this new microbial intervention could bring new hope to a growing cohort of vulnerable patients. 

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2025/05/21/participants-needed-for-world-first-pancreatic-cancer-study

Dr Gaget is also currently applying for funding to look at microbial interventions or manipulations for other diseases including oral cancers, endometriosis and cystic fibrosis.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2020 - ongoing Senior researcher University of Adelaide
    2019 - 2020 Research officer Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
    2017 - 2019 Post-Doctoral Fellow University of Adelaide
    2012 - 2017 ARC Post-Doctoral Fellow University of Adelaide
    2010 - 2012 Research Post-Doctoral Fellow SA Water
    2008 - 2009 Research Post-Doc Fellow Veolia Environment

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak and peer review
    French Can read, write, speak and peer review
    German Can understand spoken

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2004 - 2008 Paris Diderot University France PhD in Microbiology and Virology
    2003 - 2004 University Nancy I France Masters degree in Water Chemistry and Microbiology
    2002 - 2003 University of La Rochelle France Honours in Marine Ecology
    1999 - 2002 Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 / University of La Rochelle France Bachelor degree in Biological Sciences

  • Postgraduate Training
    Date Title Institution Country
    2009 - 2009 Cyanobacterial bloom dynamics, production and control of odour metabolites in Chinese and Australian Reservoirs Australian Water Quality Centre Australia
    2003 - 2004 High sensitive real-time PCR for the detection of Legionella pneumophila and Legionella spp. In drinking water supplies and conditioned water University of Paris-Sud, Orsay France
    2003 - 2003 Impact of Foraminifera populations on benthic bacterial communities of Aiguillon Bay (France) Foraminifera’s impact on benthic bacterial communities of Aiguillon Bay (France) University of La Rochelle, La Rochelle France
    2003 - 2003 Enumeration of pelagic and benthic viral populations present in Aiguillon Bay: comparison of abundance and morphology (France) University of La Rochelle, La Rochelle France

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    2011 Quarantine Accredited staff AQIS Australia
    — Coxswain II AMFA Australia

  • Research Interests
    Aged Health Care Bacteriology Community Ecology Conservation and Biodiversity Environmental Monitoring Medical and Health Sciences Microbial Ecology Microbial Genetics Molecular Evolution

1) Funded category one projects:

  • Maddern G., Price T., Bryant R., Costello S., Gaget V., Kuan, L-L., Hugh, T., Afzali H. 2022. Faecal Microbiota Transplantation to improve pain, symptom management and treatment efficacy in patients with pancreatic cancer. 2022 MRFF Pancreatic Cancer Research Stream 1. Experimental design, team building, partner engagement, proposal writing. ($1.5M)
  • Brookes J., Humpage A. , Burch M., Monis P. , Lin T-F. 2012. Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? ARC-Linkage grant. Experimental design, proposal writing. Preferred candidate. ($1.2M including partner contributions)

2) Other external sources of funding:

  • Wert E., Zamyadi A., Gaget V., Owen C., Hofmann R. 2018. Developing guidance for assessment and evaluation of algal blooms, and implementation of control strategies in source water. Experimental design, proposal writing. (US$200K)
  • Gaget V., Brookes J., Van der Linden L. and Monis P. 2016. Benthic algae: a toxic risk to be evaluated. Research for 13 program, Water Research Australia initiative – funding by the industry and governmental agencies including the Water Research Foundation (USA). Experimental design, team building, partner engagement, proposal writing. ($347K)
  • Humpage A. CyanoSurvey project. 2009. Water Research Australia grant - experimental design and participation in proposal writing. ($1.4M)

I am qualified to supervise HDR students. Currently co-supervising one PhD student and a fifth year medical school student.

I taught lectures in microbial ecology and microbiology in the School of Biological Sciences (2013-2019).

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Salinity-Dependant Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemical Dynamics in a Degraded Hypersaline Coastal Lagoon Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Christopher Clement Keneally

  • Other Supervision Activities
    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Systematic reviews (surgery) University of Adelaidfe Adelaide Medical School (5th year) Other - Na Yeon Kim
    2018 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Freshwater Microbial Ecology University of Adelaide Summer Scholarship Other Part Time Christopher Keneally

  • Industry Partnerships
    Date Engagement Type Partner Name
    2017 - ongoing Consultant SeqWater
    2017 - ongoing Consultant Melbourne Water
    2017 - ongoing Consultant Barwon Water
    2017 - ongoing Consultant Tasmania Water
    2017 - ongoing Consultant Hunter Water
    2017 - ongoing Consultant PUB, Singapore
    2017 - ongoing Consultant Water Research Foundation (USA)
    2012 - ongoing Consultant Water New South Wales
    2010 - ongoing Consultant Water Research Australia
    2008 - ongoing Consultant South Australia Water Corporation
  • Position: Grant Funded Researcher (B)
  • Phone: 82228492
  • Email: virginie.gaget@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83136222
  • Campus: Queen Elizabeth Hospital
  • Building: Main Building
  • Org Unit: Surgical Specialities
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