The Vukovic laboratory investigates how brain function is  sculpted and influenced by the immune system. Specifically, we examine the role of brain’s main resident immune cell population (i.e. microglia), as well as various peripheral immune cells, on learning and memory in mice. We are interested in defining the contribution of immune cells to such higher cognitive tasks, including for neuroinflammatory conditions where learning and memory deficits can occur, e.g. following traumatic brain injury, cancer treatment, and ageing. We have established an array of genetic and pharmacological tools alongside robust behavioural assays to directly probe the function of these immune cells in both the healthy and diseased brain. The ultimate goal of our work is to link cellular and molecular events to altered behaviour, and to harness the brain’s intrinsic regenerative potential for stimulating optimal cognitive function.

A neuroimmunologist, Dr Vukovic received her PhD in 2008 from The University of Western Australia after working on the repair of injured nerve cell connections. She joined QBI in 2009 to work in Professor Perry Bartlett’s laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, before being awarded a Queensland Government Smart Futures Fellowship to continue her research into the importance of adult neurogenesis for behaviour and how microglia influence this process in ageing. Dr Vukovic demonstrated that microglia can exert a dual and opposing influence over adult neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) in the hippocampus under different physiological conditions, namely exercise and ageing, and that signalling through the chemokine receptor, CX3CR1, critically contributes towards this (Vukovic et al., 2012, J Neurosci). Dr Vukovic also generated novel evidence that ongoing neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus is critical for new learning but does not play a role in memory recall (Vukovic et al., 2013, J Neurosci).

Dr Vukovic was awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (2015-2018) and was jointly appointed as a group leader by the UQ School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS) and QBI in 2015. She heads the Neuroimmunology and Cognition team investigating the interactions between the brain and the immune system in health and disease.

Currently the group is working on three main projects:

  1. Identification of microglia-derived molecules that support neuronal survival and stimulate neural stem/progenitor cell expansion
  2. Characterisation of immune cell contribution to changes in neuronal connectivity
  3. Immune cell responses to cancer treatment, and their effect on learning and memory

Group Head

Postdoctorals

Students

View full list of publications on eSpace

ROCK2 regulates microglia proliferation and neuronal survival after traumatic brain injury

Willis, Emily F., Kim, Seung Jae, Chen, Wei, Nyuydzefe, Melanie, MacDonald, Kelli P.A., Zanin-Zhorov, Alexandra, Ruitenberg, Marc J., and Vukovic, Jana (2024). ROCK2 regulates microglia proliferation and neuronal survival after traumatic brain injury. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 117 181-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2024.01.004

CSF-1R inhibitor PLX3397 attenuates peripheral and brain chronic GVHD and improves functional outcomes in mice

Shaikh, Samreen N., Willis, Emily F., Dierich, Max, Xu, Yi, Stuart, Samuel J. S., Gobe, Glenda C., Bashaw, Abate A., Rawashdeh, Oliver, Kim, Seung Jae, and Vukovic, Jana (2023). CSF-1R inhibitor PLX3397 attenuates peripheral and brain chronic GVHD and improves functional outcomes in mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation 20 (1) 300 300. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-023-02984-7

CSF1R inhibition promotes neuroinflammation and behavioural deficits during graft-versus-host disease in mice

Adams, Rachael C, Carter-Cusack, Dylan, Llanes, Genesis T, Hunter, Christopher R., Vinnakota, Janaki Manoja, Ruitenberg, Marc J, Vukovic, Jana, Bertolino, Patrick, Chand, Kirat K., Wixey, Julie A., Nayler, Samuel P., Hill, Geoffrey R, Furlan, Scott N, Zeiser, Robert, and MacDonald, Kelli P.A. (2023). CSF1R inhibition promotes neuroinflammation and behavioural deficits during graft-versus-host disease in mice. Blood Journal 142 (Supplement 1) 2052-2052. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023022040

Robust mapping of spatiotemporal trajectories and cell–cell interactions in healthy and diseased tissues

Pham, Duy, Tan, Xiao, Balderson, Brad, Xu, Jun, Grice, Laura F., Yoon, Sohye, Willis, Emily F., Tran, Minh, Lam, Pui Yeng, Raghubar, Arti, Kalita-de Croft, Priyakshi, Lakhani, Sunil, Vukovic, Jana, Ruitenberg, Marc J., and Nguyen, Quan H. (2023). Robust mapping of spatiotemporal trajectories and cell–cell interactions in healthy and diseased tissues. Nature Communications 14 (1) 7739 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43120-6

Current animal models of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a scoping review

Ijuin, Shinichi, Liu, Keibun, Gill, Denzil, Kyun Ro, Sun, Vukovic, Jana, Ishihara, Satoshi, Belohlavek, Jan, Li Bassi, Gianluigi, Suen, Jacky Y., and Fraser, John F. (2023). Current animal models of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a scoping review. Resuscitation Plus 15 100426 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resplu.2023.100426

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) promotes brain repair and improves cognitive outcomes after traumatic brain injury in a FcγRIIB receptor-dependent manner

Willis, Emily F., Gillespie, Ellen R., Guse, Kirsten, Zuercher, Adrian W., Käsermann, Fabian, Ruitenberg, Marc J., and Vukovic, Jana (2023). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) promotes brain repair and improves cognitive outcomes after traumatic brain injury in a FcγRIIB receptor-dependent manner. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 109 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2022.12.018

An exercise ‘sweet spot’ reverses cognitive deficits of ageing by growth hormone-induced neurogenesis

Blackmore, Daniel G., Steyn, Frederik J., Carlisle, Alison, O’Keeffe, Imogen, Vien, King-Year, Zhou, Xiaoqing, Leiter, Odette, Jhaveri, Dhanisha, Vukovic, Jana, Waters, Michael J. and Bartlett, Perry F. (2021). An exercise ‘sweet spot’ reverses cognitive deficits of ageing by growth hormone-induced neurogenesis. iScience, 24 (11) 103275, 1-25. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103275

Donor bone marrow-derived macrophage MHC II drives neuroinflammation and altered behaviour during chronic GVHD in mice

Adams, Rachael C, Carter-Cusack, Dylan, Shaikh, Samreen N, Llanes, Genesis T, Johnston, Rebecca L, Quaife-Ryan, Gregory, Boyle, Glen M, Koufariotis, Lambros T, Möller, Andreas, Blazar, Bruce R., Vukovic, Jana and MacDonald, Kelli PA (2021). Donor bone marrow-derived macrophage MHC II drives neuroinflammation and altered behaviour during chronic GVHD in mice. Blood. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021011671

Selective ablation of BDNF from microglia reveals novel roles in self-renewal and hippocampal neurogenesis

Harley, Samuel B. R., Willis, Emily F., Shaikh, Samreen N., Blackmore, Daniel G., Sah, Pankaj, Ruitenberg, Marc J., Bartlett, Perry F. and Vukovic, Jana (2021). Selective ablation of BDNF from microglia reveals novel roles in self-renewal and hippocampal neurogenesis. The Journal of Neuroscience, 41 (19), 4172-4186. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.2539-20.2021

Protocol for brain-wide or region-specific microglia depletion and repopulation in adult mice

Willis, Emily F. and Vukovic, Jana (2020). Protocol for brain-wide or region-specific microglia depletion and repopulation in adult mice. STAR protocols, 1 (3) 100211, 100211. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100211

Exercise reverses learning deficits induced by hippocampal injury by promoting neurogenesis

Codd, Lavinia N., Blackmore, Daniel G., Vukovic, Jana and Bartlett, Perry F. (2020). Exercise reverses learning deficits induced by hippocampal injury by promoting neurogenesis. Scientific Reports, 10 (1) 19269, 19269. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-76176-1

Repopulating Microglia Promote Brain Repair in an IL-6-Dependent Manner

Willis, Emily F., MacDonald, Kelli P. A., Nguyen, Quan H., Garrido, Adahir Labrador, Gillespie, Ellen R., Harley, Samuel B. R., Bartlett, Perry F., Schroder, Wayne A., Yates, Abi G., Anthony, Daniel C., Rose-John, Stefan, Ruitenberg, Marc J. and Vukovic, Jana (2020). Repopulating Microglia Promote Brain Repair in an IL-6-Dependent Manner. Cell, 180 (5), 833-846.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.013

Honours:

The following Honours projects are currently available:

  • Role of microglia in regulating behavioural outcomes following brain injury

    We have demonstrated that microglia (brain's resident immune cells) can exert a dual and opposing influence over adult neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) in the hippocampus under different physiological conditions, namely exercise, ageing and following brain injury. The ultimate goal of our research is to link cellular and molecular events to altered behaviour, and to harness the regenerative potential of adult neurogenesis through immunomodulation to stimulate optimal cognitive function and treat conditions associated with learning and memory deficits.

Postgraduate:

PhD scholarship available to join the Vukovic lab: https://graduate-school.uq.edu.au/project-scholarships 

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to neuroimmunology and cognition research, please contact med.advancement@uq.edu.au. Thank you for your support.

Find out more about our research environment and how to apply to do a short or long-term research project with us.