Griffith University

Researcher

Associate Professor Glen Shaw

Background

Research activities are currently being undertaken in the fields of environmental health and environmental toxicology. In particular this research relates both to algal toxins and anthropogenic chemicals in the environment. Specific research activities are listed below:

• Human health risk assessment of natural toxins and anthropogenic chemicals in the environment.
• Determination of the effects of climate change on the occurrence and toxin production by freshwater cyanobacteria.
• Investigation of the in vitro and in vivo toxicology of the cyanobacterial toxin, cylindrospermopsin.
• Studies into the freshwater cyanobacteria to determine which species are capable of toxin production.
• Investigation into factors controlling growth and dominance of the toxic freshwater cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii.
• Investigation into the ecology and toxin production by the cylindrospermopsin producing benthic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei.
• Production of treatment methodologies to remove cyanobacterial toxins from drinking waters.
• Investigations of seafood toxins in local and Great Barrier Reef areas.
• Development of analytical methodologies for ciguatoxins.
• Development of rapid bioassays for water-borne toxins.
• Studies of the environmental health implications of water chlorination disinfection byproducts in drinking waters.
• Studies of the environmental effects of water chlorination disinfection byproducts in wastewaters.
• Development of water treatment methods to reduce the levels of disinfection byproducts.

Selected publications in refereed scientific journals for the last 5 years.

• Senogles-Derham, P-J, Seawright, AA, Shaw, G, Wickramasinghe, W and Shahin, M. (2003). Toxicological aspects of treatment to remove cyanobacterial toxins from drinking water determined using the heterozygous P53 transgenic mouse model. Toxicon, 41, 979-988.
• Nicholson, B.C., Shaw, G.R., Morrall, J., Senogles, P.-J., Woods, T.A., Papageorgiou, J., Kapralos, C., Wickramasinghe, W., Davis, B.C., Eaglesham G.K. and Moore, M.R. (2003), "Chlorination for degrading saxitoxins (paralytic shellfish poisons) in water", Environmental Technology, 24, 1341-1348
• Moore, D., O'Donohue, M., Shaw, G., and Critchley, C. (2003).  Potential triggers for akinete differetniation in an Australian strain of the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (AWT 205/1).  Hydrobiologia 506(1):175 - 180
• Hoeger, SJ, Shaw, G, Hitzfeld, BC and Dietrich, DR (2004). Occurrence and elimination of cyanobacterial toxins in two Australian drinking water treatment plants. Toxicon, 43 (6), 639-649.
• Moore, D., McGegror, G.B., and Shaw, G. (2004) "Morphological changes during akinete germination in Cylindrspermopsis raciborskii (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria) Journal of Phycology, 40, 1098
• Moore, D, O'Donohue, M, Garnett, C, Critchley, C and Shaw, G (2005). Factors affecting akinete differentiation in Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria), Freshwater Biology, 50, 345-352.
• Capper, A, Tibbetts, I, O'Neil, J and Shaw, GR (2005), The fate of Lyngbya majuscula in three potential consumers. J. Chem. Ecol., 31, 7, 1595-1606
• Ho. L., Wijesundara, S., Shaw, G., O'Donohue, M., Saint, C., Newcombe, G. (2005). Biological filtration processes for the removal of algal metabolites. Water, 32, NO5, 64-68.
• Sadler, R, Seawright, A, Shaw, G, Dennison, N, Connell, D, Barron, W and White, P (2005) Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides from contaminated soil by cattle.  Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, 87 (4), 575-582.
• Hawkins, PR, Novic, S, Cox, P, Neilan, BA, Burns, BP, Shaw, G, Wickramasinghe, W, Peerapornpisal, Y, Ruangyuttikarn, W, Itayama, T, Saitou, T, Mizouchi,M and Inamori, Y (2005) A review of analytical methods for assessing the public health risk from microcystin in the aquatic environment, Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - Aqua, 54. 8. 509-518. 
• Wickramasinghe, WW and Shaw, GR (2005). Cyanobacterial toxins, drinking water and human health. Korean Journal of Environmental Health, 31: 3, 192-198.
• Arthur, KE, Limpus, CJ, Roelfsema, CM, Udy, JW and Shaw, GR, (2006) A bloom of Lyngbya majuscula in Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, Australia: An important feeding ground for the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Harmful Algae, 5, 251-265.
• Stewart I, Webb PM, Schluter PJ, Fleming LE, Burns JW, Jr, Gantar M, Backer LC, Shaw GR. (2006) Epidemiology of recreational exposure to freshwater cyanobacteria - an international prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 2006, 6:93
• Stewart I, Robertson IM, Webb PM, Schluter PM, Shaw GR. (2006) Cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to freshwater cyanobacteria - human volunteer studies. BMC Dermatol  6:6
• Stewart I, Seawright AA, Schluter PJ, Shaw GR. (2006) Primary irritant and delayed-contact hypersensitivity reactions to the freshwater cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and its associated toxin cylindrospermopsin. BMC Dermatol  6:5.
• Stewart I, Webb PM, Schluter PJ, Shaw GR. (2006) Recreational and occupational field exposure to freshwater cyanobacteria - a review of anecdotal and case reports, epidemiological studies and the challenges for epidemiologic assessment. Environ Health, 5:6.
• Stewart I, Schluter PJ, Shaw GR. (2006) Cyanobacterial lipopolysaccharides and human health - a review. Environ Health, 5:7
• Seifert, M, McGregor, G, Eaglesham, G, Wickramasinghe, W and Shaw, G (2007). First evidence for the production of cylindrospermopsin and deoxycylindrospermopsin by the freshwater benthic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei (Farlow ex Gomont) Speziale and Dyck, Journal of Harmfull Algae 6, 73-80.
• Arthur, K, Shaw, G., Limpus, C and Udy, J. (2006). A review of the potential role of tumour promoting compounds produced by Lyngbya majuscula in turtle fibropapillomatosis. African Journal of Marine Science, 28 (2), 441-446.
• Osborne, N, Webb, P and Shaw, G (2007). Health Effects of Recreational Exposure to Moreton Bay, Australia Waters during a Lyngbya majuscula Bloom. Environment International. 33 (3): 309-314 
• Takahashi, E, Yu, Q, Eaglesham, G, Connell, D, McBrook, J and Shaw, G (2007). Occurrence and seasonal variations of algal toxins in water, phytoplankton and shellfish from North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Marine Environmental Research 64, 429-442.
• Arthur, K, Limpus, C, Balazs, G, Capper, A, Udy, J, Shaw, G and Keuper-Benett, U. (2007). The exposure of green turtles Chelonia mydas) to tumour promoting compounds produced by the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula and their potential role in the aetiology of fibropapillomatosis. Harmful algae, 7, 114-125 .
• Shaw, G and Lam, P (2007). Health aspects of freshwater cyanobacterial toxins. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply 7(2,) 193-203.
• Bain, P, Shaw, G. and Patel, B (2007). Induction of P53-Regulated Gene Expression in Human Cell Lines Exposed to the Cyanobacterial Toxin Cylindrospermopsin. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: 70:19, 1687-1693
• Neumann, C, Bain, P and Shaw, G (2007). Studies of the Comparative In Vitro Toxicology of the Cyanobacterial Metabolite, Deoxycylindrospermopsin, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 70:19, 1679-1686
• Stewart, IR, Seawright, AA and Shaw, GR (2007). Cyanobacterial poisoning in livestock, wild mammals and birds - an overview. In: Proceedings of the Interagency, International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms, K. Hudnell Ed., Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 599-623.
• Azavedo, MFO, Chernoff, N, Falconer, IR, Gage, M, Hilborn, ED, Hooth, MJ, Jensen, K, MacPhail, R, Rogers, E, Shaw, GR and Stewart, IR (2007). Human Health Effects Workgroup Report. In: Proceedings of the Interagency, International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms, K. Hudnell Ed., Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 565-592.
• Ruebhart, DR, Cock, IE and Shaw, GR (2008). Brine Shrimp bioassay: Importance of correct taxonomic identification of Artemia (Anostraca) species. Environmental Toxicology, DOI 10.1002/tox.20358.
• Froscio, SM, Humpage, AR, Wickramasinghe, W, Shaw, G and Falconer, IR. (2008). Interaction of the cyanobacterial toxin, cylindrospermopsin with the eukaryotic protein synthesis system. Toxicon, 51, 191-198.
• Smith M.J., Shaw G.R., Eaglesham G.K., Ho L. and Brookes J.D. (2008) Elucidating the factors influencing the biodegradation of cylindrospermopsin in drinking water sources. Environmental Toxicology 23(3), 413-421.
• Takahashi, EM, Arthur, KE and Shaw, GR (2008). Occurrence of okadaic acid in the feeding grounds of dugongs (Dugong dugon) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Moreton Bay, Australia. Harmful Algae 7, 430-437
• Ruebhart DR, Cock IE, Shaw GR. 2008b. Invasive character of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana Kellogg 1906 (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) and its potential impact on Australian inland hypersaline waters. Marine and Freshwater Research 59(7):587-595.
• Osborne, N, Seawright, A and Shaw, G (2008). Dermal toxicity of Lyngbya majuscula from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Harmful Algae, 7, 584-589.