Profile Details

Create Project

★★★★★

☆☆☆☆☆

USD 50 /hr

★★★★★

☆☆☆☆☆

Hire Dr. Fleur J.

Australia

USD 50 /hr

Human molecular geneticist | Expert in genetics of MND

Profile Summary

PhD with 10+ years in human genetics (neuromuscular disease and motor neuron diseases). Grants awarded (chief investigator): >$1mill, 2 projects with approved multi-site human ethics (recruitment and collection of human biological samples) H-index: 21, Citations (google scholar): 1950 National STEM ambassador (selected to represent scientific community to government ministers) PhD (University of Sydney, Institute of Neuroscience and Muscle research at the Children’s Hospital Westmead) looked at the molecular mechanisms of ACTN3, the “gene for speed,” on muscle. Postdoctoral researcher (VIC): 2 years, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne- modelled the effect of gene dosage using rAAV vectors. Postdoctoral researcher (QLD): 7+ years, Program in Complex Trait Genomics team at the University of Queensland, focussed on MND. My work has been recognised by peers and includes the awarding of a National Early Career Researcher Fellowship (2017, NHMRC), a state award (Rose-Anne Kelso award, 2022) and am now the Scott Sullivan research fellow (MNDRA and MND&Me). I am passionate about improving the outcomes of neuromuscular disease and motor neuron disease (MND).

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ Genetics
• ☆ Neurology
• ☆ Neuromuscular Disease

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI

Writing Clinical Trial Documentation, Medical Writing, Technical Writing, General Proofreading & Editing

Research Fact Checking, Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review

Consulting Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Data Cleaning, Data Processing, Data Insights

Work Experience

Scott Sullivan MND Research Fellow

University of Queensland

January 2016 - Present

Education

PhD

University of Sydney

January 2010 - July 2014

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

PREPRINT

Rheenen Wv, van der Spek RA, Bakker MK, Vugt JJv, Hop PJ, Zwamborn RA, Klein Nd, Westra H, Bakker OB, Deelen P, et al.(2021). Common and rare variant association analyses in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis identify 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology .

Hop PJ, Zwamborn RA, Hannon E, Shireby GL, Nabais MF, Walker EM, van Rheenen W, van Vugt JJ, Dekker AM, Westeneng H, et al.(2021). Genome-wide study of DNA methylation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis identifies differentially methylated loci and implicates metabolic, inflammatory and cholesterol pathways .

(2020). Functional Characterisation of a GWAS Risk Locus Identifies GPX3 as a Lead Candidate Gene in ALS . SSRN.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Nabais MF, Laws SM, Lin T, Vallerga CL, Armstrong NJ, Blair IP, Kwok JB, Mather KA, Mellick GD, Sachdev PS, et al.(2021). Meta-analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation identifies shared associations across neurodegenerative disorders . Genome biology.

F. C. Garton, B. B. Trabjerg, N. R. Wray, E. Agerbo(2021). Cardiovascular disease, psychiatric diagnosis and sex differences in the multistep hypothesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . European Journal of Neurology. 28. (2). p. 421--429. Wiley

Garton, F.C., Trabjerg, B.B., Wray, N.R., Agerbo, E.(2021). Cardiovascular disease, psychiatric diagnosis and sex differences in the multistep hypothesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . European Journal of Neurology. 28. (2). p. 421-429.

Iacoangeli A, Lin T, Al Khleifat A, Jones AR, Opie-Martin S, Coleman JRI, Shatunov A, Sproviero W, Williams KL, Garton F, et al.(2020). Genome-wide Meta-analysis Finds the ACSL5-ZDHHC6 Locus Is Associated with ALS and Links Weight Loss to the Disease Genetics . Cell reports.

Steyn FJ, Li R, Kirk SE, Tefera TW, Xie TY, Tracey TJ, Kelk D, Wimberger E, Garton FC, Roberts L, et al.(2020). Altered skeletal muscle glucose-fatty acid flux in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . Brain communications.

McCombe PA, Garton FC, Katz M, Wray NR, Henderson RD(2020). What do we know about the variability in survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? . Expert review of neurotherapeutics.

Ngo ST, Restuadi R, McCrae AF, Van Eijk RP, Garton F, Henderson RD, Wray NR, McCombe PA, Steyn FJ(2020). Progression and survival of patients with motor neuron disease relative to their fecal microbiota . Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis & frontotemporal degeneration.

Betina B. Trabjerg, Fleur C. Garton, Wouter van Rheenen, Fang Fang, Robert D. Henderson, Preben Bo Mortensen, Esben Agerbo, Naomi R. Wray (2020). ALS in Danish Registries . Neurology Genetics.

Katz M, Davis M, Garton FC, Henderson R, Bharti V, Wray N, McCombe P(2020). Mutations in heat shock protein beta-1 (HSPB1) are associated with a range of clinical phenotypes related to different patterns of motor neuron dysfunction: A case series . Journal of the neurological sciences.

Nabais MF, Lin T, Benyamin B, Williams KL, Garton FC, Vinkhuyzen AAE, Zhang F, Vallerga CL, Restuadi R, Freydenzon A, et al.(2020). Significant out-of-sample classification from methylation profile scoring for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . NPJ genomic medicine.

Trabjerg, B.B., Garton, F.C., Van Rheenen, W., Fang, F., Henderson, R.D., Mortensen, P.B., Agerbo, E., Wray, N.R.(2020). ALS in Danish Registries: Heritability and links to psychiatric and cardiovascular disorders . Neurology: Genetics. 6. (2).

Nabais, M.F., Lin, T., Benyamin, B., Williams, K.L., Garton, F.C., Vinkhuyzen, A.A.E., Zhang, F., Vallerga, C.L., Restuadi, R., Freydenzon, A., et al.(2020). Significant out-of-sample classification from methylation profile scoring for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . npj Genomic Medicine. 5. (1).

Katz, M., Davis, M., Garton, F.C., Henderson, R., Bharti, V., Wray, N., McCombe, P.(2020). Mutations in heat shock protein beta-1 (HSPB1) are associated with a range of clinical phenotypes related to different patterns of motor neuron dysfunction: A case series . Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 413.

Iacoangeli, A., Lin, T., Al Khleifat, A., Jones, A.R., Opie-Martin, S., Coleman, J.R.I., Shatunov, A., Sproviero, W., Williams, K.L., Garton, F., et al.(2020). Genome-wide Meta-analysis Finds the ACSL5-ZDHHC6 Locus Is Associated with ALS and Links Weight Loss to the Disease Genetics . Cell Reports. 33. (4).

Ngo, S.T., Restuadi, R., McCrea, A.F., Van Eijk, R.P., Garton, F., Henderson, R.D., Wray, N.R., McCombe, P.A., Steyn, F.J.(2020). Progression and survival of patients with motor neuron disease relative to their fecal microbiota . Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration. p. 1-14.

McCombe, P.A., Garton, F.C., Katz, M., Wray, N.R., Henderson, R.D.(2020). What do we know about the variability in survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? . Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 20. (9). p. 921-941.

Henderson, R.D., Garton, F.C., Kiernan, M.C., Turner, M.R., Eisen, A.(2019). Human cerebral evolution and the clinical syndrome of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 90. (5). p. 570-575.

Garton FC, Houweling PJ, Vukcevic D, Meehan LR, Lee FXZ, Lek M, Roeszler KN, Hogarth MW, Tiong CF, Zannino D, et al.(2018). The Effect of ACTN3 Gene Doping on Skeletal Muscle Performance . American journal of human genetics.

Henderson RD, Garton FC, Kiernan MC, Turner MR, Eisen A(2018). Human cerebral evolution and the clinical syndrome of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

Papadimitriou ID, Lockey SJ, Voisin S, Herbert AJ, Garton F, Houweling PJ, Cieszczyk P, Maciejewska-Skrendo A, Sawczuk M, Massidda M, et al.(2018). No association between ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D polymorphisms and endurance running times in 698 Caucasian athletes . BMC genomics.

Papadimitriou, I.D., Lockey, S.J., Voisin, S., Herbert, A.J., Garton, F., Houweling, P.J., Cieszczyk, P., Maciejewska-Skrendo, A., Sawczuk, M., Massidda, M., et al.(2018). No association between ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D polymorphisms and endurance running times in 698 Caucasian athletes . BMC Genomics. 19. (1).

Garton, F.C., Houweling, P.J., Vukcevic, D., Meehan, L.R., Lee, F.X.Z., Lek, M., Roeszler, K.N., Hogarth, M.W., Tiong, C.F., Zannino, D., et al.(2018). The Effect of ACTN3 Gene Doping on Skeletal Muscle Performance . American Journal of Human Genetics. 102. (5). p. 845-857.

Gratten J, Zhao Q, Benyamin B, Garton F, He J, Leo PJ, Mangelsdorf M, Anderson L, Zhang ZH, Chen L, et al.(2017). Whole-exome sequencing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis suggests NEK1 is a risk gene in Chinese . Genome medicine.

Benyamin B, He J, Zhao Q, Gratten J, Garton F, Leo PJ, Liu Z, Mangelsdorf M, Al-Chalabi A, Anderson L, et al.(2017). Cross-ethnic meta-analysis identifies association of the GPX3-TNIP1 locus with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . Nature communications.

Fleur C. Garton, Beben Benyamin, Qiongyi Zhao, Zhijun Liu, Jacob Gratten, Anjali K. Henders, Zong-Hong Zhang, Janette Edson, Sarah Furlong, Sarah Morgan, et al.(2017). Whole exome sequencing and DNA methylation analysis in a clinical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohort . Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine. Wiley-Blackwell

Willems SM, Wright DJ, Day FR, Trajanoska K, Joshi PK, Morris JA, Matteini AM, Garton FC, Grarup N, Oskolkov N, et al.(2017). Large-scale GWAS identifies multiple loci for hand grip strength providing biological insights into muscular fitness . Nature communications.

Willems, S.M., Wright, D.J., Day, F.R., Trajanoska, K., Joshi, P.K., Morris, J.A., Matteini, A.M., Garton, F.C., Grarup, N., Oskolkov, N., et al.(2017). Large-scale GWAS identifies multiple loci for hand grip strength providing biological insights into muscular fitness . Nature Communications. 8.

Benyamin, B., He, J., Zhao, Q., Gratten, J., Garton, F., Leo, P.J., Liu, Z., Mangelsdorf, M., Al-Chalabi, A., Anderson, L., et al.(2017). Cross-ethnic meta-analysis identifies association of the GPX3-TNIP1 locus with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . Nature Communications. 8. (1).

Gratten, J., Zhao, Q., Benyamin, B., Garton, F., He, J., Leo, P.J., Mangelsdorf, M., Anderson, L., Zhang, Z.-H., Chen, L., et al.(2017). Whole-exome sequencing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis suggests NEK1 is a risk gene in Chinese . Genome Medicine. 9. (1).

Garton, F.C., Benyamin, B., Zhao, Q., Liu, Z., Gratten, J., Henders, A.K., Zhang, Z.-H., Edson, J., Furlong, S., Morgan, S., et al.(2017). Whole exome sequencing and DNA methylation analysis in a clinical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohort . Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine. 5. (4). p. 418-428.

Fleur C. Garton, Kathryn N. North, Lauren G. Koch, Steven L. Britton, Gisela Nogales-Gadea, Alejandro Lucia(2016). Rodent models for resolving extremes of exercise and health . Physiological Genomics. 48. (2). p. 82--92. American Physiological Society

Garton, F.C., North, K.N., Koch, L.G., Britton, S.L., Nogales-Gadea, G., Lucia, A.(2016). Rodent models for resolving extremes of exercise and health . Physiological Genomics. 48. (2). p. 82-92.

Papadimitriou, I.D., Lucia, A., Pitsiladis, Y.P., Pushkarev, V.P., Dyatlov, D.A., Orekhov, E.F., Artioli, G.G., Guilherme, J.P.L.F., Lancha, A.H., Ginevičiene, V., et al.(2016). ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D gene variants influence performance in elite sprinters: A multi-cohort study . BMC Genomics. 17. (1).

Hogarth, M.W., Garton, F.C., Houweling, P.J., Tukiainen, T., Lek, M., Macarthur, D.G., Seto, J.T., Quinlan, K.G.R., Yang, N., Head, S.I., et al.(2016). Analysis of the ACTN3 heterozygous genotype suggests that α-actinin-3 controls sarcomeric composition and muscle function in a dose-dependent fashion . Human Molecular Genetics. 25. (5). p. 866-877.

Rankinen, T., Fuku, N., Wolfarth, B., Wang, G., Sarzynski, M.A., Alexeev, D.G., Ahmetov, I.I., Boulay, M.R., Cieszczyk, P., Eynon, N., et al.(2016). No evidence of a common DNA variant profile specific to world class endurance athletes . PLoS ONE. 11. (1).

Garton, F.C., North, K.N.(2016). The Effect of Heterozygosity for the ACTN3 Null Allele on Human Muscle Performance . Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 48. (3). p. 509-520.

Pitsiladis, Y.P., Tanaka, M., Eynon, N., Bouchard, C., North, K.N., Williams, A.G., Collins, M., Moran, C.N., Britton, S.L., Fuku, N., et al.(2016). Athlome project consortium: A concerted effort to discover genomic and other "omic" markers of athletic performance . Physiological Genomics. 48. (3). p. 183-190.

Webborn, N., Williams, A., McNamee, M., Bouchard, C., Pitsiladis, Y., Ahmetov, I., Ashley, E., Byrne, N., Camporesi, S., Collins, M., et al.(2015). Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement . British Journal of Sports Medicine. 49. (23). p. 1486-1491.

Sullivan, K., El-hoss, J., Quinlan, K.G., Deo, N., Garton, F., Seto, J.T., Gdalevitch, M., Turner, N., Cooney, G.J., Kolanczyk, M., et al.(2014). NF1 is a critical regulator of muscle development and metabolism . Human Molecular Genetics. 23. (5). p. 1250-1259.

Garton, F.C., Seto, J.T., Quinlan, K.G., Yang, N., Houweling, P.J., North, K.N.(2014). α-Actinin-3 deficiency alters muscle adaptation in response to denervation and immobilization . Human molecular genetics. 23. (7). p. 1879-1893.

Eynon, N., Hanson, E.D., Lucia, A., Houweling, P.J., Garton, F., North, K.N., Bishop, D.J.(2013). Genes for elite power and sprint performance: ACTN3 leads the way . Sports Medicine. 43. (9). p. 803-817.

Seto, J.T., Quinlan, K.G.R., Lek, M., Zheng, X.F., Garton, F., Macarthur, D.G., Hogarth, M.W., Houweling, P.J., Gregorevic, P., Turner, N., et al.(2013). ACTN3 genotype infuences muscle performance through the regulation of calcineurin signaling . Journal of Clinical Investigation. 123. (10). p. 4255-4263.

Seto, J.T., Lek, M., Quinlan, K.G., Houweling, P.J., Zheng, X.F., Garton, F., MacArthur, D.G., Raftery, J.M., Garvey, S.M., Hauser, M.A., et al.(2011). Deficiency of α-actinin-3 is associated with increased susceptibility to contraction-induced damage and skeletal muscle remodeling . Human Molecular Genetics. 20. (15). p. 2914-2927.

Pistilli, E.E., Bogdanovich, S., Garton, F., Yang, N., Gulbin, J.P., Conner, J.D., Anderson, B.G., Quinn, L.S., North, K., Ahima, R.S., et al.(2011). Loss of IL-15 receptor α alters the endurance, fatigability,and metabolic characteristics of mouse fast skeletal muscles . Journal of Clinical Investigation. 121. (8). p. 3120-3132.

Garton, F., Seto, J.T., North, K.N., Yang, N.(2010). Validation of an automated computational method for skeletal muscle fibre morphometry analysis . Neuromuscular Disorders. 20. (8). p. 540-547.

OTHER

Christa Caggiano, Barbara Celona, Fleur Garton, Joel Mefford, Brian Black, Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, Andrew Dahl, Noah Zaitlen(2020). Estimating the rate of cell type degeneration from epigenetic sequencing of cell-free DNA . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

BOOK

Caggiano, C., Celona, B., Garton, F., Mefford, J., Black, B., Lomen-Hoerth, C., Dahl, A., Zaitlen, N.(2020). Estimating the rate of cell type degeneration from epigenetic sequencing of cell-free dna . Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics). 12074 LNBI. p. 240-242.

Yang, N., Garton, F., North, K.(2009). α-actinin-3 and performance . Medicine and Sport Science. 54. p. 88-101.

BOOK CHAPTER

Seto, J.T., Garton, F.C., North, K.N., Houweling, P.J.(2019). Αlpha- actinin- 3’s role in the genetic control of muscle strength and performance . Routledge Handbook of Sport and Exercise Systems Genetics. p. 323-344.