Dr Peter R Clements was awarded his Ph.D from the University of Adelaide in 1978 with the Thesis Title: "Pyruvate carboxylase: The mode of action of acetyl CoA". From 1978 - 1979 he was a Teaching Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA, with Dr. Roland E. Barden. He taught General Biochemistry to 2nd year undergraduates and Enzymology to graduate students. His research project was affinity labelling of enzymes that bind acetyl-coenzyme A.
From 1979 - 1981 he was a post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Physiological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA, with Professor M. Daniel Lane. His research project at Hopkins was the photoaffinity labelling of the insulin receptor with photoreactive derivatives of insulin.
In 1981 - 1982, he was appointed Research Officer to Dr Hopwood’s group in the Department of Chemical Pathology, Adelaide Children's Hospital and began the purification of lysosomal enzymes. A year later he was appointed Hospital Scientist in the Department of Chemical Pathology, Adelaide Children's Hospital then Senior Hospital Scientist in 1983 and in 1990 was promoted to Principal Medical Scientist.
Dr Clements has been a chief investigator in the group since it was awarded its first Program Grant from the NHMRC in 1988.
Along with the other chief investigators of the Lysosomal Diseases Research Unit he was awarded the Public Service Innovation award in 1990 for work towards the goal of enzyme replacement therapy for the lysosomal storage disorders.
Research
Dr Clements is a chief investigator in the Lysosomal diseases Research Unit headed by Professor JJ Hopwood. with Dr Don Anson, Dr Sharon Byers, Dr Doug Brooks and Dr Peter Meikle. The team has held a program grant since 1988.
Research Interests:
Phenotype/ genotype correlations using enzyme catalytic measurements (in collaboration with Dr Doug Brooks). Measurement of catalytic capacity in fibroblast cell lines from mucopolysaccharidosis type I patients allows a good correlation with clinical severity of patients in the mild to intermediate range. Measurement of catalytic capacity is determined from kinetic parameters and immunoquantification of enzyme protein levels.
Structure / Function Studies of Lysosomal Hydrolases starting with the Sulphatases. The understanding of the mechanism of action and the basis of the unique specificities of the lysosomal sulphatases towards their individual substrates as determined by the identification of functional amino acids.
Pre and post natal diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidoses using enzyme assays with radiolabelled polysaccharide substrates. Oligosaccharide screening for lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) of glycoprotein metabolism. This work is undertaken in collaboration with Vivienne Muller from the National Referral Laboratory.
Diagnostic Research
Development of new mass spectrometer screening for mucopolysaccharidoses, oligosaccharidurias, sialuria and sialic acid storage disorders.
Screening of urine has been the obvious choice for development as a method of detecting LSD since these diseases are invariably accompanied by the urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans (although this is age-dependent). Screening allows us to detect and distinguish between some of the various LSD types as a first approximation thus reducing the effort and expense required to assay all the individual enzyme activities.
Professional
Dr Clements is a past President of SA Branch of Human Genetics Society of Australasia (1993-1996) and Convenor of the 2002 Adelaide scientific meeting of the HGSA.
He is Chairman of the Women’s and Children’s hospital Scientific and Technical Staff association and Chairman of the WCH Environmental Care Committee which has received several KESAB awards for its environmental programmes
in the hospital.
Recent Publications
Moule Cj, Clements Pr, Hopwood Jj And Crisp Gt Affinity labelling at the 4-hydroxyl group of N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine. Synthetic Communications (2000) 30(8):1489-1501.
Bunge S, Clements Pr, Byers S, Kleijer Wj, Brooks Da And Hopwood Jj. Genotype-phenotype correlations in mucopolysaccharidosis type I using enzyme kinetics, immunoquantification and in vitro turnover studies. (1998) Biochimica Biophysica Acta 1407: 249-256.
Alvaro F, Toogood I, Fletcher Jm, Mcmannis J, Clements Pr, Rawling T And To B. Allogeneic CD34 selected peripheral stem cell transplant for Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type VI): rapid haemopoietic and biochemical reconstitution.
Bone Marrow Trans. 21: 419-421.
Bond Ca, Clements Pr, Ashby Sj, Collyer Ca, Harrop Sj, Hopwood Jj And Guss Jm. Structure of a human lysosomal sulfatase. (1997) Structure 5:277-289
Weber B, Blanch L, Clements Pr, Scott Hs And Hopwood Jj Cloning and expression of the gene involved in Sanfilippo B syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB) (1996) Human Molecular Genetics 5:771-777
Ashby Sj, Clements Pr, Guss M, Harvey I And Hopwood Jj. Crystallisation and preliminary characterisation of human recombinant N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase. (1995) Acta Crystallography D51:1082-1083.
Contact:
Dr. P. R. Clements,
Department of Chemical Pathology,
Women's and Children's Hospital,
72 King William Road,
North Adelaide
South Australia, 5006
AUSTRALIA
Telephone: +61 8 8161 6700
Facsimile: +61 8 8161 7100
Email: clementsp@wch.sa.gov.au
