Tod Fullston

Dr Tod Fullston

NHMRC Research Fellow

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Internationally I actively contribute to my field by grant assessments, peer review for international journals, and via my assistant editor role.  I have gained international/national media attention for my School, Institute, and University by gaining >$514,000 of ‘advertising space rate’ reaching an audience of ~4.7 million in Australia, and internationally via numerous international websites/blogs/social media (Pub #14 above).  On a national level I represent the School, Institute, and University at the NHMRC by providing expert assessment of project grants, being an ECR observer at the NHMRC grant review panel 2016, PhD thesis examination, and membership of the NHMRC Research Translation Faculty.  Locally I am a member of both the School of Medicine’s and Robinson Research Institute’s ECR research councils, which advocates at many levels for discipline ECRs, fulfil the role of ECR rep on the founding ANZ DOHaD council and am a founding council member for the Epigenetics Consortium of South Australia.  I also regularly present at international/national scientific conferences, local scientific symposia, and local seminar series.

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  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2016 Robinson Research Institute’s Career Development Fellow University of Adelaide
    2012 - 2015 NHMRC Early Career Fellow University of Adelaide
    2009 - 2011 Grant Funded Research Oficer University of Adelaide
    2002 - 2005 Grant Funded Scientist University of Adelaide
    2000 - 2002 Research Assistant Novozymes (nee GroPep) Ltd Thebarton
    1999 - 2000 Research Assistant to Dr HE Richardson University of Adelaide

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2012 University of Adelaide Australia Doctor of Philosophy (PhD
    1999 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (Hons)
    1998 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (BSc)
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  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2021 Schjenken, J. E., Moldenhauer, L. M., Sharkey, D. J., Chan, H. Y., Chin, P. Y., Fullston, T., . . . Robertson, S. A. (2021). High-fat Diet Alters Male Seminal Plasma Composition to Impair Female Immune Adaptation for Pregnancy in Mice. Endocrinology (United States), 162(10).
    DOI Scopus1 Europe PMC1
    2019 Mc Pherson, N. O., Shehadeh, H., Fullston, T., Zander-Fox, D., & Lane, M. (2019). Dietary micronutrient supplementation for 12 days in obese male mice restores sperm oxidative stress. Nutrients, 11(9), 1-18.
    DOI Scopus9 WoS7 Europe PMC4
    2017 Robertson, S., Zhang, B., Chan, H., Sharkey, D., Barry, S., Fullston, T., & Schjenken, J. (2017). MicroRNA regulation of immune events at conception. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 84(9), 914-925.
    DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC11
    2017 Fullston, T., Mc Pherson, N. O., Zander, D., & Lane, M. (2017). The most common vices of men can damage fertility and the health of the next generation. Journal of Endocrinology, 234(2), F1-F6.
    DOI Scopus18 WoS17 Europe PMC8
    2017 Coman, D., Fullston, T., Shoubridge, C., Leventer, R., Wong, F., Nazaretian, S., . . . McGillivray, G. (2017). X-Linked lissencephaly with absent corpus callosum and abnormal genitalia: an evolving multisystem syndrome with severe congenital intestinal diarrhea disease. Child Neurology o\Open, 4, 1-6.
    DOI Europe PMC1
    2017 Akison, L., Andraweera, P., Bertoldo, M., Brown, H., Cuffe, J., Fullston, T., . . . Schjenken, J. (2017). The current state of reproductive biology research in Australia and New Zealand: core themes from the Society for Reproductive Biology Annual Meeting, 2016. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 29(10), 1883-1889.
    DOI
    2017 McPherson, N., Lane, M., Sandeman, L., Owens, J., & Fullston, T. (2017). An exercise-only intervention in obese fathers restores glucose and insulin regulation in conjunction with the rescue of pancreatic islet cell morphology and microRNA expression in male offspring. Nutrients, 9(2), 122-1-122-17.
    DOI Scopus23 WoS24 Europe PMC4
    2016 Fullston, T., Ohlsson-Teague, E., Print, C., Sandeman, L., & Lane, M. (2016). Sperm microRNA content is altered in a mouse model of male obesity, but the same suite of microRNAs are not altered in offspring's sperm. PLoS One, 11(11), e0166076-1-e0166076-18.
    DOI Scopus41 WoS42 Europe PMC22
    2016 Dickinson, H., Moss, T., Gatford, K., Moritz, K., Akison, L., Fullston, T., . . . Morrison, J. (2016). A review of fundamental principles for animal models of DOHaD research: an Australian perspective. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 7(5), 449-472.
    DOI Scopus67 WoS65 Europe PMC28
    2016 Schjenken, J. E., Zhang, B., Chan, H. Y., Sharkey, D. J., Fullston, T., & Robertson, S. A. (2016). miRNA Regulation of Immune Tolerance in Early Pregnancy. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 75(3), 272-280.
    DOI Scopus27 WoS27 Europe PMC21
    2016 McPherson, N., Fullston, T., Kang, W., Sandeman, L., Corbett, M., Owens, J., & Lane, M. (2016). Paternal under-nutrition programs metabolic syndrome in offspring which can be reversed by antioxidant/vitamin food fortification in fathers. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 1-14.
    DOI Scopus29 WoS29 Europe PMC13
    2016 Fullston, T., & Evans, J. (2016). 'The Biggest Fertility Issue' in Special Issue 'Fertility in the 21st Century'. Australasian Science (Magazine), 37(1), 23-25.
    2015 McPherson, N., Bell, V., Zander-Fox, D., Fullston, T., Wu, L., Robker, R., & Lane, M. (2015). When two obese parents are worse than one! Impacts on embryo and fetal development. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, 309(6), E568-E581.
    DOI Scopus31 WoS29 Europe PMC22
    2015 McPherson, N., Owens, J., Fullston, T., & Lane, M. (2015). Preconception diet or exercise interventions in obese fathers normalizes sperm microRNA profile and metabolic syndrome in female offspring. American journal of physiology: Endocrinology and metabolism, 308(9), E805-E821.
    DOI Scopus112 WoS105 Europe PMC64
    2015 Fullston, T., McPherson, N., Owens, J., Kang, W., Sandeman, L., & Lane, M. (2015). Paternal obesity induces metabolic and sperm disturbances in male offspring that are exacerbated by their exposure to an "obesogenic" diet. Physiological Reports, 3(3), e12336-1-e12336-14.
    DOI Scopus67 Europe PMC42
    2015 Fullston, T., Shehadeh, H., Sandeman, L., Kang, W., Wu, L., Robker, R., . . . Lane, M. (2015). Female offspring sired by diet induced obese male mice display impaired blastocyst development with molecular alterations to their ovaries, oocytes and cumulus cells. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 32(5), 725-735.
    DOI Scopus18 WoS18 Europe PMC14
    2015 Zander-Fox, D., Fullston, T., McPherson, N., Sandeman, L., Kang, W., Good, S., . . . Lane, M. (2015). Reduction of mitochondrial function by FCCP during mouse cleavage stage embryo culture reduces birth weight and impairs the metabolic health of offspring. Biology of Reproduction, 92(5), 124-1-124-11.
    DOI Scopus10 WoS11 Europe PMC5
    2014 Lane, M., McPherson, N., Fullston, T., Spillane, M., Sandeman, L., Kang, W., & Zander-Fox, D. (2014). Oxidative stress in mouse sperm impairs embryo development, fetal growth and alters adiposity and glucose regulation in female offspring. PLoS One, 9(7), e100832-1-e100832-9.
    DOI Scopus65 WoS66 Europe PMC41
    2014 McPherson, N., Fullston, T., Aitken, R., & Lane, M. (2014). Paternal obesity, interventions, and mechanistic pathways to impaired health in offspring. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 64(3-4), 231-238.
    DOI Scopus54 WoS53 Europe PMC40
    2014 McPherson, N., Fullston, T., Bakos, H., Setchell, B., & Lane, M. (2014). Obese father's metabolic state, adiposity, and reproductive capacity indicate son's reproductive health. Fertility and Sterility, 101(3), 865-873.
    DOI Scopus47 WoS42 Europe PMC26
    2013 Fullston, T., Ohlsson Teague, E., Mc Pherson, N., De Blasio, M., Mitchell, M., Corbett, M., . . . Lane, M. (2013). Paternal obesity initiates metablic disturbances in two generations of mice with incomplete penetrance to the F₂ generation and alters the transcriptional profile of testis and sperm microRNA content. FASEB Journal, 27(10), 4226-4243.
    DOI Scopus348 WoS328 Europe PMC225
    2012 Mc Pherson, N., Bakos, H., Fullston, T., & Lane, M. (2012). Impact of obesity on male fertility, sperm function and molecular composition. Spermatogenesis, 2(4), 253-263.
    DOI Europe PMC104
    2012 Fullston, T., Mc Pherson, N., Owens, J., Mitchell, M., Bakos, H., & Lane, M. (2012). Diet-induced paternal obesity in the absence of diabetes diminishes the reproductive health of two subsequent generations of mice. Human Reproduction, 27(5), 1391-1400.
    DOI Scopus124 WoS116 Europe PMC86
    2011 Mc Pherson, N., Fullston, T., Mitchell, M., Setchell, B., & Lane, M. (2011). SIRT6 in mouse spermatogenesis is modulated by diet-induced obesity. Reproduction Fertility and Development, 23(7), 929-939.
    DOI Scopus63 WoS61 Europe PMC47
    2011 Fullston, T., Gabb, B., Callen, D., Ullmann, R., Woollatt, E., Bain, S., . . . Gecz, J. (2011). Inherited Balanced Translocation t(9;17)(q33.2;q25.3) Concomitant With a 16p13.1 Duplication in a Patient With Schizophrenia. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 156(2), 204-214.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC10
    2011 Fullston, T., Finnis, M., Hackett, A., Hodgson, B., Brueton, L., Baynam, G., . . . Gecz, J. (2011). Screening and cell-based assessment of mutations in the Aristaless-related homeobox (ARX) gene. Clinical Genetics, 80(6), 510-522.
    DOI Scopus21 WoS21 Europe PMC14
    2011 Fullston, T., Mitchell, M., Wakefield, S., & Lane, M. (2011). Mitochondrial inhibition during preimplantation embryogenesis shifts the transcriptional profile of fetal mouse brain. Reproduction Fertility and Development, 23(5), 691-701.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC6
    2010 Whibley, A., Plagnol, V., Tarpey, P., Abidi, F., Fullston, T., Choma, M., . . . Raymond, F. (2010). Fine-scale survey of X chromosome copy number variants and indels underlying intellectual disability. American Journal of Human Genetics, 87(2), 173-188.
    DOI Scopus87 WoS84 Europe PMC75
    2010 Shoubridge, C., Fullston, T., & Gecz, J. (2010). ARX spectrum disorders: Making inroads into the molecular pathology. Human Mutation, 31(8), 889-900.
    DOI Scopus127 WoS116 Europe PMC84
    2010 White, R., Ho, G., Schmidt, S., Scheffer, I., Fischer, A., Yendle, S., . . . Christodoulou, J. (2010). Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) mutation screening in Rett syndrome and related disorders. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 13(2), 168-178.
    DOI Scopus30 WoS25 Europe PMC17
    2010 Shoubridge, C., Tan, M., Fullston, T., Cloosterman, D., Coman, D., McGillivray, G., . . . Gecz, J. (2010). Mutations in the nuclear localization sequence of the Aristaless related homeobox; Sequestration of mutant ARX with IPO13 disrupts normal subcellular distribution of the transcription factor and retards cell division. Pathogenetics, 3(1), 1-15.
    DOI Scopus27 Europe PMC15
    2010 Fullston, T., Brueton, L., Willis, T., Philip, S., MacPherson, L., Finnis, M., . . . Morton, J. (2010). Ohtahara syndrome in a family with an ARX protein truncation mutation (c.81C>G/p.Y27X). European Journal of Human Genetics, 18(2), 157-162.
    DOI Scopus26 WoS24 Europe PMC15
    2009 Reish, O., Fullston, T., Regev, M., Heyman, E., & Gecz, J. (2009). A novel de novo 27 bp duplication of the ARX gene, resulting from postzygotic mosaicism and leading to three severely affected males in two generations. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A, 149A(8), 1655-1660.
    DOI Scopus15 WoS14 Europe PMC9
    2009 Demos, M., Fullston, T., Partington, M., Gecz, J., & Gibson, W. (2009). Clinical Study of Two Brothers With a Novel 33 bp Duplication in the ARX Gene. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A, 149A(7), 1482-1486.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC7
    2009 Tarpey, P., Smith, R., Pleasance, E., Whibley, A., Edkins, S., Hardy, C., . . . Stratton, M. (2009). A systematic, large-scale resequencing screen of X-chromosome coding exons in mental retardation. Nature Genetics, 41(5), 535-543.
    DOI Scopus428 WoS411 Europe PMC348
    2007 de Brouwer, A., Yntema, H., Kleefstra, T., Lugtenberg, D., Oudakker, A., de Vries, B., . . . Hamel, B. (2007). Mutation frequencies of X-linked mental retardation genes in families from the EuroMRX Consortium. Human Mutation, 28(2), 1-19.
    DOI WoS74 Europe PMC58
    2007 de Brouwer, A. P. M., Yntema, H. G., Kleefstra, T., Lugtenberg, D., Oudakker, A. R., de Vries, B. B. A., . . . Hamel, B. C. J. (2007). Mutation frequencies of X-linked mental retardation genes in families from the EuroMRX consortium.. Human mutation, 28(2), 207-208.
    DOI Scopus81
    2006 Santos-Reboucas, C., Abdalla, C., Fullston, T., Campos Jr, M., Pimentel, M., & Gecz, J. (2006). Lack of FMR3 expression in a male with non-syndromic mental retardation and a microdeletion immediately distal to FRAXE CCG repeat. Neuroscience Letters, 397(3), 245-248.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC5

  • Book Chapters
    Year Citation
    2016 Fullston, T., Shehadeh, H., Schjenken, J. E., McPherson, N. O., Robertson, S. A., Zander-Fox, D., & Lane, M. (2016). Paternal obesity and programming of offspring health. In L. R. Green, & R. L. Hester (Eds.), Parental Obesity: Intergenerational Programming and Consequences (1 ed., pp. 105-131). New York, NY: Springer.
    DOI
    2015 Fullston, T., Wu, L., Teede, H., & Moran, L. (2015). Obesity and reproductive dysfunction in men and women. In R. Watson (Ed.), Handbook of fertility: Nutrition, diet, lifestyle and reproductive health (Vol. 11, 1 ed., pp. 119-132). Waltham, MA: Elsevier.
    DOI

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2010 Raymond, L., Whibley, A., Plagnol, V., Tarpey, P., Abidi, F., Fullston, T., . . . Stratton, M. (2010). Fine-scale Survey of X Chromosome Copy Number Variants Underlying Intellectual Disability. In JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS Vol. 47 (pp. S36). Warwick, RI: B M J PUBLISHING GROUP.
    2010 Fullston, T., Mitchell, M., Owens, J., Palmer, N., Bakos, H., & Lane, M. (2010). Paternal Obesity Affects Male Offspring's Health and Sperm Function. In AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY Vol. 50 (pp. 22). WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC.
    WoS2
    2009 Fullston, T., Mitchell, M., Wakefield, S., Filby, A., & Lane, M. (2009). Micro-Array Analysis of Fetal Mouse Brain Following Induction of Mitochondrial Dysfunction During Pre-Implantation Embryo Development.. In BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION (pp. 102). Pittsburgh, PA: SOC STUDY REPRODUCTION.
    2009 Shoubridge, C., Tan, M., Fullston, T., McGillivray, G., Mancini, G., & Gecz, J. (2009). Unravelling the pathogenesis of the ARX homeobox mutations; role of IPO13. In Proceedings of 59th Annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (pp. 0 pages). USA: American Society of Human Genetics.

  • Conference Items
    Year Citation
    2014 Shehadeh, H., Fullston, T., Sandeman, L., Kang, W., & Lane, M. (2014). Paternal obesity impairs the reproductive health and ovarian molecular profile of their female offspring. Poster session presented at the meeting of HUMAN REPRODUCTION. Munich, GERMANY: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
    2011 Owens, J. A., Fullston, T., Mitchell, M., Palmer, N., Bakos, H., & Lane, M. (2011). Diet Induced Paternal Obesity Impairs the Metabolic and Reproductive Health of Two Subsequent Generations. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS.
Awards, Prizes, Travel Grants & Professional Societies

Cumulatively I have been awarded 16 travel grants worth ~$26,600 (AUD) to attend international (9) and national (7) conferences.  Additionally I have received $5,600 as prize money for 6 ECR awards.  I have been a member of four reproductive biology specific professional societies (SRB, SSR, FSA, SIRT) and local research specific societies (HDA, FFCMH) for 7 years, while maintaining a genetics connection with HGSA membership for 11 years. I have been a member of both the international and ANZ DOHaD societies for 2 years and sit on the inaugural ANZ DOHaD council as the as the ECR Rep.  I have also recently joined the founding council of the Epigenetics Consortium of South Australia (EpiCSA Inc).  I have been part of the LOC/POCs for 6 national conferences (SRB 2013-14, RRI’s New Frontiers 2016, EpicSA 2016, SIRT 2016, DOHaD-ANZ 2016).

Competitive Grant Funding

*Current funding applications being considered in 2016 submission rounds 1 ARC DECRA, 1 NHMRC CDF1, 1 University of Adelaide Fellowship, 3 NHMRC project grants (AI), 1 Diabetes Australia Research Trust Millennium Grant (AI)* [All of which rely significantly on massively parallel sequencing technologies]

 
2016 Current institutional funding – Robinson Research Institute (RRI) – Career Development Fellowship CIA – Fullston T $100,000
2015 - 2017 NHMRC Project Grant ‘Metabolic and molecular basis of embryo signalling’ CIC – Fullston T  (CIA – Prof Lane) $397,000
2015 - 2016 Robinson Research Institute – Innovation Seed Funding Program ‘Perturbation of Seminal Fluid Signaling in the Female Reproductive Tract in a Mouse Model of Paternal Obesity’ CIB – Fullston T  (CIA Dr Schjenken) $25,000
2014 - 2015 Robinson Research Institute – Innovation Seed Funding Program ‘Human sperm microRNAs are dysregulated by obesity and are potentially biomarkers for ART outcomes’ CIA – Fullston T $25,000
2014 - 2015 Robinson Research Institute – Innovation Seed Funding Program ‘Male obesity changes the methylome of sperm and impairs pregnancy outcomes in humans’ CIB – Fullston T (CIA Dr McPherson) $20,000
2012 - 2015 NHMRC Early Career Fellowship, Australian Biomedical (Peter Doherty) Fellowship
‘The negative transgenerational impacts of paternal obesity are inherited through aberrant methylation and microRNA content of germ cells’ CIA – Fullston T		 $294,892
2013 - 2013 Diabetes Australia Research Trust General Grant for 2013
‘Paternal obesity and programming of insulin deficiency in offspring -can it be prevented?’ CIB – Fullston T  (CIA Dr Ohlsson Teague)		 $44,337
2012 - 2015 NHMRC Project Grant ‘Paternal dietary signals to offspring: sperm microRNA. You are what your father ate’ AI – Fullston T  (CIA Prof Lane) $656,010
2011 - 2013 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Phase I ‘Determine the effect of paternal undernutrition on paternal and offspring phenotype’ CIB – Fullston T  (CIA Prof Lane) $100,000 USD

 

Teaching, Supervision & Mentoring Roles

To date my HDR supervision includes 9 Honours students (3x primary; 6x co – 8 completions), co-supervised 3 PhD students (1 to completion), formally mentored a Jeffrey Robinson Honours Scholarship holder (2013) and informally mentored a further 4 ECRs, 9 PhD students and 7 Honours students.  7/8 of completed Honours students achieved the highest mark (IA).  Completed students currently hold roles as a NHRMC research fellow, research assistants, PhD students, or work in related clinical/biotech fields.  As part of the departments PhD annual review panel I assist PhD students to progress through their candidature (2012-15; 6-8 PhD students per year).  I have also supervised a total of 6 RAs to date. At the undergraduate level I have been involved in HRHII curriculum design, lectured/tutored HRHIII undergraduate students, supervised 2nd/3rd year Genetics/HRHIII and BHs (Adv) student lab placements (total of 6) and tutored/demonstrated to 1st year Science students.  From 2015-2016 I have also been formally mentoring 4 undergraduate BHs (Adv) students.

  • Position: NHMRC Research Fellow
  • Phone: 83138188
  • Email: tod.fullston@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences, floor 5
  • Room: WS5050.17
  • Org Unit: Women's and Children's Health
Connect With Me
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