Benjamin Liffner
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Ben completed all his tertiary studies at the University of Adelaide, including a PhD with Danny Wilson (2017-2020), where he studied the invasion of malaria parasites into host cells. In 2021, Ben moved to Indiana University School of Medicine for a postdoctoral position with Sabrina Absalon, where he studied mitosis in malaria parasites, continuing to build a background in cell biology. Throughout his research, Ben has explored cell biology through the application and development of emerging microscopy techniques. By coupling fundamental cell biology with cutting-edge microscopy, Ben has enabled new avenues of research within parasite biology. In June 2024, Ben returned to The University of Adelaide where he is working to decipher the molecular mechanisms that underpin cell organisation in malaria parasites along with the gastrointestinal parasite Cryptosporidium.
The structure and organisation of a eukaryotic cell dictates its functions. This leads to the tremendous diversity we see in cellular architechtures across the eukaryotic tree of life. I study single-celled eukaryotic parasites including Plasmodium, the cause of malaria, and Cryptosporidium a significant pathogen of humans and livestock. These parasites infect half a billion people annually, and current treatments to stop disease are either losing efficacy, or cause significant side-effects. These parasites have specialised lifecycle stages for invading their host cells, called zoites. Zoites are highly structured and polarised, with their apical end containing all the organelles required for host cell invasion. For most of their lifecycle, however, these parasites are not highly organised and lack obvious cellular polarity. Through my research we aim to understand how these parasites create order from disorder. We use cutting-edge microscopy approaches to visualise parasites, observe how they build their highly organised zoite stages, and investigate what happens when we perturb key regulators of these processes. These insights are key for understanding basic parasite cell biology, and may unlock avenues for development of novel antiparasitc therapeutics.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2024 - ongoing Senior Research Associate University of Adelaide 2021 - 2024 Postdoctoral Fellow Indiana University School of Medicine 2019 - 2019 Research Exchange Centre for Structural Systems Biology 2018 - 2018 Research Exchange Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2024 Award Best Oral Presentation Molecular Approaches to Malaria Australia - 2023 Award Mentorship award Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology United States - 2023 Award Best Poster Molecular Parasitology Meeting United States - 2022 Award Best Oral Presentation Molecular Parasitology Meeting United States - 2021 Award Most Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Indiana University School of Medicine United States - 2021 Award Best oral presentation Molecular Parasitology Meeting United States - -
Language Competencies
Language Competency English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2017 The University of Adelaide Australia Doctor of Philosophy The University of Adelaide Australia BSc (Honours) The University of Adelaide Australia BSc (Biomedical Science) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2024 de Almeida Lopes, C., Wang, J., Liffner, B., Absalon, S., & Gazzinelli-Guimaraes, P. H. (2024). Ascaris Mouse Model Protocols: Advancing Research on Larval Ascariasis Biology. Current Protocols, 4(6), 30 pages.
2024 Li, J., Shami, G. J., Liffner, B., Cho, E., Braet, F., Duraisingh, M. T., . . . Tilley, L. (2024). Disruption of Plasmodium falciparum kinetochore proteins destabilises the nexus between the centrosome equivalent and the mitotic apparatus. Nature Communications, 15(1), 16 pages.
2024 Liffner, B., & Absalon, S. (2024). Expansion microscopy of apicomplexan parasites. Molecular Microbiology, 121(4), 619-635.
Scopus6 Europe PMC62023 Liffner, B., Cepeda Diaz, A. K., Blauwkamp, J., Anaguano, D., Frölich, S., Muralidharan, V., . . . Absalon, S. (2023). Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy.. bioRxiv.
2023 Liffner, B., Cepeda Diaz, A. K., Blauwkamp, J., Anaguano, D., Frolich, S., Muralidharan, V., . . . Absalon, S. (2023). Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy. eLife, 12, 1-39.
Scopus11 WoS1 Europe PMC122022 Liffner, B., Balbin, J. M., Shami, G. J., Siddiqui, G., Strauss, J., Frölich, S., . . . Wilson, D. W. (2022). Cell biological analysis reveals an essential role for Pfcerli2 in erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasites. Communications Biology, 5(1), 121-1-121-17.
Scopus6 WoS2 Europe PMC52022 Wichers, J. S., Mesen-Ramirez, P., Fuchs, G., Yu-Strzelczyk, J., Staecker, J., von Thien, H., . . . Strauss, J. (2022). PMRT1, a Plasmodium-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. MBIO, 13(2), 20 pages.
Scopus6 WoS3 Europe PMC72022 Liffner, B., & Absalon, S. (2022). Hand-in-hand advances in microscopy and Plasmodium nuclear biology. Trends in Parasitology, 38(6), 421-423.
Scopus3 Europe PMC32021 Ferreira, J. L., Heincke, D., Wichers, J. S., Liffner, B., Wilson, D. W., & Gilberger, T. W. (2021). The Dynamic Roles of the Inner Membrane Complex in the Multiple Stages of the Malaria Parasite. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 10, 1-12.
Scopus38 WoS25 Europe PMC312021 Liffner, B., Balbin, J. M., Wichers, J. S., Gilberger, T. -W., & Wilson, D. W. (2021). The Ins and Outs of Plasmodium Rhoptries, Focusing on the Cytosolic Side.. Trends in parasitology, 37(7), 638-650.
Scopus6 WoS4 Europe PMC42021 Wichers, J. S., Mesén-Ramírez, P., Fuchs, G., Yu-Strzelczyk, J., Stäcker, J., von Thien, H., . . . Strauss, J. (2021). PMRT1, a<i>Plasmodium</i>specific parasite plasma membrane transporter is essential for asexual and sexual blood stage development.
2021 Liffner, B., & Absalon, S. (2021). Expansion microscopy reveals plasmodium falciparum blood-stage parasites undergo anaphase with a chromatin bridge in the absence of mini-chromosome maintenance complex binding protein. Microorganisms, 9(11), 20 pages.
Scopus34 Europe PMC322020 Geiger, M., Brown, C., Wichers, J. S., Strauss, J., Lill, A., Thuenauer, R., . . . Gilberger, T. W. (2020). Structural insights into PfARO and characterization of its interaction with PfAIP. Journal of Molecular Biology, 432(4), 878-896.
Scopus16 WoS11 Europe PMC92020 Liffner, B., Frolich, S., Heinemann, G. K., Liu, B., Ralph, S. A., Dixon, M. W. A., . . . Wilson, D. W. (2020). PfCERLI1 is a conserved rhoptry associated protein essential for Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. Nature Communications, 11(1), 1411-1-1411-14.
Scopus18 WoS17 Europe PMC112020 Burda, P. -C., Crosskey, T., Lauk, K., Zuborg, A., Sohnchen, C., Liffner, B. S., . . . Gilberger, T. (2020). Structure-Based Identification and Functional Characterization of a Lipocalin in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Cell Reports, 31(12), 1-7.
Scopus16 WoS13 Europe PMC102020 Burns, A. L., Sleebs, B. E., Siddiqui, G., De Paoli, A. E., Anderson, D., Liffner, B., . . . Wilson, D. W. (2020). Retargeting azithromycin analogues to have dual-modality antimalarial activity. BMC Biology, 18(1), 133-1-133-23.
Scopus13 WoS9 Europe PMC102019 Wichers, J. S., Scholz, J. A. M., Strauss, J., Witt, S., Lill, A., Ehnold, L. I., . . . Bachmann, A. (2019). Dissecting the gene expression, localization, membrane topology, and function of the plasmodium falciparum STEVOR protein family. mBio, 10(4), e01500-1-e01500-19.
Scopus32 WoS30 Europe PMC252019 Liffner, B., Frölich, S., Heinemann, G., Liu, B., Dixon, M., Gilberger, T. -W., & Wilson, D. (2019). PfCERLI1, a conserved rhoptry associated protein essential for invasion by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites.
- Liffner, B., Cepeda Diaz, A. K., Blauwkamp, J., Anaguano, D., Frolich, S., Muralidharan, V., . . . Absalon, S. (n.d.). Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy. eLife, 12.
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Conference Papers
Year Citation 2023 Absalon, S., & Liffner, B. (2023). Decoding New Players in Plasmodium Nuclear Biology using Expansion Microscopy. In JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY Vol. 299 (pp. S794). ELSEVIER.
DOI2021 Liffner, B. S., & Absalon, S. (2021). A KINASE THAT COORDINATES NUCLEAR ABSCISSION IN THE MALARIA PARASITE PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM. In AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE Vol. 105 (pp. 448). AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE. -
Preprint
Year Citation 2024 Liffner, B., Alves e Silva, T. L., Vega-Rodriguez, J., & Absalon, S. (2024). Mosquito Tissue Ultrastructure-Expansion Microscopy (MoTissU-ExM) enables ultrastructural and anatomical analysis of malaria parasites and their mosquito.
DOI2023 Liffner, B., & Absalon, S. (2023). Expansion microscopy of apicomplexan parasites.
DOI2023 Liffner, B., Cepeda Diaz, A. K., Blauwkamp, J., Anaguano, D., Frölich, S., Muralidharan, V., . . . Absalon, S. (2023). Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy.
DOI2023 Liffner, B., Cepeda Diaz, A. K., Blauwkamp, J., Anaguano, D., Frölich, S., Muralidharan, V., . . . Absalon, S. (2023). Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy.
DOI2022 Calla, J., Mittal, N., LaMonte, G., Liffner, B., Godinez-Macias, K., Carolino, K., . . . Winzeler, E. (2022). Plasmodium exoerythrocytic parasites redirect trafficking of human proteins to the parasitophorous vacuole.
DOI2021 Liffner, B., & Absalon, S. (2021). Expansion microsopy reveals <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> blood-stage parasites undergo anaphase with a chromatin bridge in the absence of mini-chromosome maintenance complex binding protein.
DOI2020 Burda, P. -C., Crosskey, T., Lauk, K., Zurborg, A., Söhnchen, C., Liffner, B., . . . Gilberger, T. -W. (2020). Structure-based identification and functional characterization of an essential lipocalin in the malaria parasite<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>.
DOI2020 Liffner, B., Balbin, J. M., Shami, G., Strauss, J., Frölich, S., Heinemann, G., . . . Wilson, D. (2020). <i>Pfcerli2</i>, a duplicated gene in the malaria parasite<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>essential for invasion of erythrocytes as revealed by phylogenetic and cell biological analysis.
DOI
2022 - 2024: American Heart Association, postdoctoral fellowship ($210,000)
2023: Indiana Clinical & Translational Sciencies Institute, postdoctoral challenge ($7,500)
2018 - 2020: Commonwealth Scholarship ($14,500)
2018 - 2019 Hans Jürgen & Marianne Ohff Research Grant ($1892)
2018 - 2019 Australia-Germany Universities Australia-DAAD Joint Research Co-operation Scheme ($10,500)
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Board Memberships
Date Role Board name Institution name Country 2019 - 2021 Representative SA/NT Branch Australian Society for Microbiology Australia -
Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2022 - 2024 Member Indiana University School of Medicine Postdoctoral Association Indiana University School of Medicine United States 2021 - 2023 Member ACMCIP Trainee Team American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene United States 2019 - 2021 Representative Faculty Board The University of Adelaide Australia -
Review, Assessment, Editorial and Advice
Date Title Type Institution Country 2024 - ongoing ad hoc reviewer Grant Assessment UK Research and Innovation, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council - 2022 - ongoing ad hoc Journal reviewer Peer Review Multiple -
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