As head of biochemistry and computational biology at ECU’s Centre for Integrative Metabolomics and Computational Biology, Dr Stacey Reinke is a Senior Lecturer studying the underlying biochemical mechanisms of human health with particular focus on respiratory and early-life disease.
After receiving her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta in 2011, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to work world-leading Wheelock metabolomics respiratory research laboratory at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, Dr Reinke moved to Western Australia in 2016 to contribute to a state-wide initiative to increase clinical metabolomics capacity in WA. She was instrumental in the initial establishment of the Australian National Phoneme Centre at Murdoch University before moving to ECU as a strategic research fellow to focus on her respiratory and early-life metabolomics research. In 2020 Dr. Reinke became a Senior Lecturer in the School of Science. Dr Reinke has developed considerable expertise in clinical and biomedical metabolomics, including biochemistry, analytical chemistry, large-scale cohort studies, statistics, and data science.
In addition to her research, Dr Reinke sits on the board of directors of the international Metabolomics Society, where she draws on her experience as an ECU Senior Lecturer to coordinate a global metabolomics education initiative. She works closely with the childhood respiratory group at Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) and is pioneering a way to predict future childhood asthma from biochemical analysis of early childhood urine samples. Dr Reinke is also part of a WA team that is developing new ways of diagnosing the bacterial blood infection sepsis, a condition that kills more than five million people each year.
In 2020 she received a prestigious international accolade for her research on the mechanisms of respiratory and early life disease, the Metabolomics Society President's medal, which is the highest honour possible for an early or mid-career scientist in Dr Reinke’s research field. Presented for her outstanding contribution to the field of respiratory metabolomics and in recognition of her leadership role within the society, Dr Reinke said:
"I believe that this award will help solidify my reputation as a rigorous and conscientious researcher, thereby enabling me to achieve my ambition of contributing to better health outcomes in Australia."
View a ECU video on Dr Stacey Reinke.
1. As a woman in research, what or who inspired you to pursue your career in the field of respiratory metabolomics?
Several people and events inspired me to pursue a career in biochemistry and computational systems biology. The first and probably the most important influence was my father. He was a dedicated high-school biology teacher in my hometown of Bawlf (Alberta, Canada) and an avid fisherman. My first biology lessons were in fish anatomy. My father would take our family on trips to British Columbia, where we would camp out on shale riverbanks fishing for wild salmon while keeping an eye out for hungry grizzly bears. This exposure to biological life, and death, at and early age sparked an interest in understanding the mechanisms of biology that remains to this day and started me on my quest to further my education. At university, studying for my undergraduate degree, my biochemistry professor was particularly passionate about his subject. His enthusiasm was infectious, and it inspired me to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Alberta (UofA). During my PhD I was incredibly fortunate to be mentored by Professor Brian Sykes, a world-leading researcher in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy who introduced me to the world of metabolomics (the study of small molecules in biofluids). Near the end of my PhD, I met an assistant professor, newly recruited from UK by the UofA, who encouraged me to learn about computational biology and data science. He also encouraged me to expand my horizons and look for research opportunities outside of Canada. This was a pivotal moment in my life that ultimately led me to obtain funding from the Canadian government to work at the highly prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden as a postdoctoral fellow, where I was involved in a large European multi-institute respiratory medicine project called U-BIOPRED. My positive input into this world-leading research project was the springboard for my current career in respiratory metabolomics and gave me the confidence to lead my own research team.
2. What challenges you about being a researcher in the Centre of Integrative Metabolomics & Computational Biology (CIMCB) within ECU’s School of Science?
My research area is hugely multidisciplinary. It spans medical sciences, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and data science. CIMCB is a small but very dedicated team of researchers with individual expertise in all these key areas. As such every project is a team effort. It is often challenging to navigate projects through the various stages to completion when we are fundamentally reliant on each other’s specific expertise and time. The whole team is juggling multiple and diverse projects, which can be a challenge for time management but incredibly rewarding to be involved in such a wide range of research and be part of a thriving team.
3. In 2020, you received the Metabolomics Society President's medal, what does this mean for your career and how will this support your research?
It was a huge honour to be recognised by the Metabolomics Society in this way. This medal has already opened doors to research collaborations across the world that would not have been available to me without my involvement in the international community through the Society. I continue to work with researchers in UK and mainland Europe and have recently established a collaboration with Harvard Medical School in multi-omic respiratory health. I hope that these initiatives will strengthen my reputation here in Australia and help enable me to receive federal research funding.
4. Working with fellow scientists on potential ways to predict childhood asthma, how does your research translate into a real-world application. How do you manage these relationships either formally or informally?
The burden of respiratory illness in children of preschool age remains excessively high with no effective treatments to control recurrent wheeze (inflamed airways leading to breathing problems). Wheeze is a common presentation in young children, but the current inability to differentiate between children who will outgrow their symptoms and those who will ultimately have asthma confirmed at school age is a major barrier to effective, appropriate, and timely treatment. The development of a urinary biochemical profile that can be used to screen preschool children for later asthma, could be life changing and lifesaving. Such a urinary metabolite assay will aid clinicians in precise diagnosis and targeted prescription of treatments to children who will most benefit and avoid unnecessary use of drugs with possible adverse side-effects.
Clinical research involving small children is difficult and requires a large amount of planning, ethical considerations, and has significant financial burden, both in terms of the logistics of collecting test samples and development of biochemical assays. The required expertise to complete this kind of work is both broad and deep. Our team spans from clinical doctors to experts in artificial intelligence. Coordinating this diverse group of people is a challenge. Fortunately, the Centre of Integrative Metabolomics & Computational Biology provides a backbone of infrastructure and primary expertise, and our partnership with Telethon Kids Institute provides access to the Perth Children’s hospital, a dedicated team of respiratory health clinicians and researchers, and a wealth of experience in translational paediatric medicine.
5. You have become a role model for women researchers and women in STEMM, as head of computational biology at ECU’s CIMCB, do you have any advice for how women can succeed and thrive within their own research careers?
I have three pieces of advice for women embarking on their own research career.
(1) Have confidence in yourself. It’s easy to have low confidence early in your career, particularly if you are exposed to people who seem to have access to more resources, mentorship, or greater opportunity. Set some goals and then set out the steps you need to take to achieve them. They don’t have to be big goals but ticking them off will help you gain confidence. If you identify things you need help with then ask. You will be surprised how much people will help if asked but it is up to you to make the first move.
(2) Take opportunities where they arise. This can be difficult if you have family commitments, but the best thing I did in my career was move abroad for a research opportunity. It exposed me to different ways of thinking about science and gave me the opportunity to follow my dream. It was a huge personal commitment, but I can say, with certainty, that the confidence I gained from having to rely primarily on my own ability and my own determination during this period changed my life.
(3) Have grit. The leader of research group at the Karolinska Institute taught me this. If you have a passion for a particular long-term goal, you must not give up if life throws obstacles in your way. In research, often perseverance is a more important skill than talent. Be organised. Make a plan and keep pushing.
