Danny Hatters

Professor Danny Hatters is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2002, with research on the biophysics of amyloid formation. He received his undergraduate training at the same institution prior to his doctoral studies. Following his PhD, Hatters established his independent research career at the University of Melbourne, advancing through academic ranks to full professor, with a recent promotion recognized by the Bio21 Institute. He serves as Head of the Hatters Laboratory, located at the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. Hatters was awarded an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship for the period 2019-2023. In November 2024, he was appointed Research Co-Director of the School of Biomedical Sciences, commencing January 2025, alongside Professor Chris McDevitt. His laboratory received a Human Frontier Science Program grant and other prestigious funding.

The Hatters Laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms driving neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on protein misfolding and aggregation in conditions such as Huntington's Disease and Motor Neuron Disease. Research examines why proteins misfold, how aggregates interact with cellular machinery to cause dysfunction or elicit stress responses, and the capacity of cells to maintain proteome folding integrity. The group develops biosensors to quantify protein foldedness and proteostasis, proteomics methods to detect structural protein changes, alongside transcriptomics, computational modeling, cell biology, imaging, and protein biochemistry. Current projects include 'Painting the 3D proteome: folding, conformation and interactions,' funded by an ARC Discovery Grant, and 'Trouble at the ribosome in C9ORF72-driven amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,' funded by FightMND. Key publications encompass 'Sequence grammar underlying the unfolding and phase separation of globular proteins' (Molecular Cell, 2022), 'Hidden information on protein function in censuses of proteome foldedness' (Nature Communications, 2022), 'Protein painting reveals pervasive remodeling of conserved proteostasis machinery in response to pharmacological stimuli' (NPJ Systems Biology and Applications, 2022), 'A biosensor of protein foldedness identifies increased holdase activity of chaperones in the nucleus following increased cytosolic protein aggregation' (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2022), 'Arginine-rich C9ORF72 ALS proteins stall ribosomes in a manner distinct from a canonical ribosome-associated quality control substrate' (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2023), and 'Longitudinal spatial mapping of lipid metabolites reveals pre-symptomatic changes in the hippocampi of Huntington's disease transgenic mice' (Neurobiology of Disease, 2023). Earlier work includes 'A biosensor-based framework to measure latent proteostasis capacity,' featured in Nature Communications Editors' Highlights (2018). Hatters' contributions elucidate proteostasis in neurodegeneration, informing potential therapeutic interventions.

Professional Email: dhatters@unimelb.edu.au