Chair of Molecular Diagnostics in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science at Griffith University.
Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Gribbles Molecular Science (GMS) and Director of Forensics at GMS.
Director of id-DNA Pty Ltd
(Queensland)
Professor Ian Findlay (Bsc., PHD.) holds the Chair of Molecular Diagnostics in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science at Griffith University. Professor Findlay brings more than a decade of leading cutting-edge diagnostic expertise, particularly in DNA analysis of small and difficult samples.
He is Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Gribbles Molecular Science (GMS), the biotech R&D division of Gribbles Pathology and now Healthscope. GMS has purpose built dedicated R&D laboratories in Brisbane and service laboratories in Melbourne.
Professor Findlay is also Director of Forensics in GMS forensic labs which recently gained NATA forensic accreditation for DNA analysis makes GMS the only independent forensic lab in Queensland (only 2nd in Australia and SE Asia) and only lab world-wide specializing in single cell forensics. Ongoing forensic work includes DNA fingerprinting of physical fingerprints, single flakes of dandruff from ransom notes, single sperm in rape cases, as well as document security for counter-terrorism applications.
Professor Findlay is also Director of id-DNA Pty Ltd, a provider of authentication/verification identification tagging through DNA technologies. These patented id-DNA technologies incorporate two established technologies: the ultimate identification system of DNA Fingerprinting combined with tagging technologies using RFID (radio frequency identification devices) providing improved tracking for a wide variety of Healthcare environments.
Professor Findlay received his PhD from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom where he directed an IVF program and led a clinical preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) programme. In 1999, he immigrated to Australia as Senior Research Fellow at the IMB and later Associate Professor at the University of Queensland before moving to GMS and Griffith University to continue his research interests.
Ian’s career has mainly focussed on DNA analysis from small numbers of cells and difficult samples. He pioneered the field of genetic identification and analysis of small samples and was the first in the world to perform DNA fingerprinting on a single cell in 1994 and which was later published in the prestigious journal “Nature” in 1997.
GMS is using this technology for major applications including non-invasive prenatal diagnosis from PAP smears, IVF, disease predisposition and pharmacogenomics using SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms, arguably the future of genomics) as well as forensics where even single cells from crime scenes can now be accurately DNA fingerprinted.
Ian’s research includes prenatal diagnosis by analyzing fetal cells isolated from Pap smears taken from pregnant women. He has developed techniques to screen these cells for a range of genetic and chromosomal abnormalities that give rise to diseases such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis or thalassaemia. Clinical trials for this technology are currently underway.
In 1998 the European Society of Human Genetics awarded him “Scientist of the Year”. Ian has also been an inventor on 11 patents and has over 50 publications in major, peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, and chapters in several textbooks. Ian has also been invited as a keynote speaker at a large number of National and International Conferences as well as author of more than 200 poster and abstract presentations.
He has also received, as a principal investigator, or co-applicant, more than $5 million dollars in competitive research grant funding including NH&MRC and ARC.