Craig McFarlane

Dr Craig McFarlane is a research scientist and senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. He completed his PhD in 2007 in New Zealand and has undertaken postdoctoral studies at AgResearch in New Zealand and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. As a principal investigator he established a research group in the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, an Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) institute. He has published his research in several highly ranked international journals, including: Nature Communications, PLOS Biology, Diabetes, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Cell Research and International Journal of Obesity. Dr McFarlane moved to Australia in 2017 to take up his new role in James Cook University and his current research focuses on understanding mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle growth and repair and the role of skeletal muscle function in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism during obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Specialities

Dr McFarlane has extensive experience in utilising mouse models and in vitro cell culture model systems to study and identify mechanisms linked to muscle stem cell function and muscle wasting associated with chronic diseases. In addition, he has undertaken studies to identify genetic and epigenetic pathways that transduce the adverse effect of high caloric diet nutrition on the development of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. He has also identified mechanisms through which skeletal muscle can influence the function of other tissues in the body, including white adipose tissue, to regulate whole body energy expenditure and utilisation.