Professor Nick Spencer
Matthew Flinders Professor
College of Medicine and Public Health
Nick Spencer completed his BSc(Hons) in 1995 and then his PhD in Neurophysiology in 1998 at the Department of Physiology, Monash University, Australia. In 1998, Nick then moved to The University of Nevada School of Medicine. In 2002, Nick obtained a 5 year NIH grant to study intrinsic neural circuitry in the gastrointestinal tract. In 2006, he was offered a tenure-track permanent position at The University of Nevada, but decided to accept a permanent position at Flinders University.
Since arriving at Flinders University 17 years ago, Nick has been a chief investigator on 15 NH&MRC project grants and 5 ARC Discovery grants ($10 million AUD). He was lead investigator on 12 of these 20 federal-funded grants. Nick is interested in developing techniques or novel recording approaches that have been previously unavailable to the field, to address major questions that have eluded scientific investigation. To achieve these goals he works closely with a number of top institutions, including the outstanding laboratory of Prof John Rogers at Northwestern University, using bioelectronic implantable devices. In 2018, he published with Prof Hongzhen Hu at Mount Sinai University, New York, the first wireless optogenetic control of the gut, in the leading journal Gastroenterology.
Nick teaches extensively in biomedical science, and was the Course Coordinator of the Bachelor of Medical Science degree from 2011-2015 and is currently Coordinator of neuroanatomy for Year 2 Medicine.
In 2014, Nick was the Treasurer of the Australasian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANGMA)and in 2016, was elected President of ANGMA.
From 2022-2024, Nick was Chair of Optogenetics Australia
Nick has worked with Vibrant (Israel), Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Fonterra (N.Z) & formerly GlaxoSmithKline.
BSc(Hons) (1994), Monash University, Australia
PhD (1998), Monash University, Australia
2024 Elected Fellow of the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS)
2022 Matthew Flinders Professor
2018 Senior Research Award, College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University.
2014 Bren Gannon Award: Teaching Excellence
2005 Janssen Prize in Gastroenterology, (DDW, Chicago) U.S.A
2022- Chair, Optogenetics Australia.
2016-2020 -Chair, Local Organizing Committtee- Federation of Neurogastroenterology & Motility Meeting (FNM 2020), Australia.
2016 -2018: President, Australasian Neurogastroenterology & Motility Association (ANGMA)
2014-2016: Inaugural Treasurer, Australasian Neurogastroenterology & Motility Association (ANGMA)
2014- current: Coordinator of Medical Neuroanatomy, 2nd year Graduate Entry Medical Program
CURRENT EXTERNAL FEDERAL FUNDING- AUSTRALIA -
2025-2028 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant (DP250100648 ) ($783,619 AUD)
Title: Recording gut activity in freely moving animals using wireless technology
N.J Spencer (CIA) & John Rogers (CIB) (Northwestern University)
Aim: To record the activity in the gastrointestinal tract for the first time, without constraints of current recording technology.
2022-2026 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant (DP220100070) ($438,619 AUD)
Title: How Spinal afferent neurons control appetite and thirst
N.J Spencer (CIA) & Zachary Knight (CIB) (UCSF)
Aim: To determine the role of spinal afferent neurons in thirst and appetite sensations.
2019- 2022 National Health &Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) - project grant (APP1156427) ($988,243 AUD)
Title: Silencing visceral pain pathways using novel optogenetic techniques in vivo.
N.J. Spencer (CIA), S. Brierley, V. Zagorodnyuk & A Harrington.
Aim: to use wireless optogenetics to silence visceral pain.
2019-2022 National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) - project grant (APP1156416) ($788,334 AUD)
Title: Wireless optogenetic induction of gastrointestinal transit in conscious mice.
N.J. Spencer (CIA) & Hongzhen Hu (CIB) (Mount Sinai University)
Aim: to use wireless optogenetics to stimulate the GI-tract.
2017-2020. National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) - project grant 1127140 ($637,356 AUD)
Title: A novel technique for prolonged silencing of visceral pain without opiates.
N.J Spencer (CIA), S.J. Brookes (CIBA) :- Flinders University.
Aim: To use a harmless virus to selectively silence the pain pathway to a specific organ, without side effecs of opiates.
2019-2021 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant (DP190103628) ($453,000 AUD)
Title:Cellular bases of enteric neural circuitry underlying gut propulsion
N.J Spencer , Costa M, Brookes SJ & Dinning PJ :- Flinders University.
Aim: To investigate the neural bases of behavior in the intestine.
2019-2021. Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant (DP190103525) ($530,000 AUD)
Title: Defining how gut serotonin regulates gut motility.
D. Keating, N.J Spencer & S. Ro – Flinders University & University of Nevada, Reno.
Aim: To determine the functional role of mucosal serotonin in gut motility.
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
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