Associate Professor Jo Stanton

Position	Research Associate Professor
Department	Department of Anatomy
Qualifications	BSc(Hons)(ANU) PhD(UWA)
Research summary	Point-of-care molecular diagnostics, reproductive biology, genomics
Teaching	Current PhD Student: Adria Rae Abigail Eda
Memberships	EcoHealth Alliance Cassava Virus Action Project Anatomy Finance Committee Animal Ethics Committee

Research

My vision is to take complex molecular diagnostics out of the lab and into the hands of non-experts to facilitate rapid, accurate and cost-effective responses to developing situations in real time. I lead a team of cross-disciplinary scientists from both academia and industry. Together we are developing handheld molecular diagnostic devices and systems for in-field and point-of-care applications. Multiple engineering and scientific challenges must be addressed that reinvent all aspects of complex molecular nucleic acid diagnostics for portability and ease of use by non-experts. Towards this goal, two prototype devices with associated software have been produced and licenced to a biotech company (Ubiquitome Ltd) and, in collaboration with ZyGEM NZ Ltd, the PDQeX DNA extraction system has been released commercially.

I am one of New Zealand’s experts in High Throughput Sequencing technologies, having established the first fully-operational New Zealand HTS Services based around the 454 Roche GS FLX. This service expanded to include the SOLiD platform from Life Technologies before being wrapped up in 2010. Subsequently I have acquired operational experience with the bench-top sequencing technologies Ion Torrent and Ion Proton (Life Technologies). I am currently working with MinION technology (Oxford Nanopore) to adapt its use to point-of-care and in-field situations.

I use nucleic acid-based technologies to explore a range of scientific interests. These focus on infectious disease, reproduction, the microbiome, anthropology and forensics. Examples of collaborative projects I have been involved with are:

Development of the ovary, oocyte and preimplantation embryo.
Screening for HPV infection to prevent cervical cancer. Projects underway in Samoa and Northland, New Zealand.
On-farm diagnosis of plant viruses in East African cassava crops.
Using ancient DNA and modern samples to study human migrations through the Pacific.
Understanding the microbiome of New Zealand’s native frogs.
Diagnosing antimicrobial resistance in Tb.
The role of genomics in conservation and management of NZ species.
Work with ESR to discover human pathogenic organisms.

Additional details

Current funding: MBIE UOOX1703

Publications

Bowers, H. A., Pochon, X., von Ammon, U., Gemmell, N., Stanton, J.-A. L., Jeunen, G. J., … Zaiko, A. (2021). Towards the optimization of eDNA/eRNA sampling technologies for marine biosecurity surveillance. Water, 13(8), 1113. doi: 10.3390/w13081113

Heng, N. C. K., & Stanton, J.-A. L. (2020). Next-generation DNA sequencing of oral microbes at the Sir John Walsh Research Institute: Technologies, tools and achievements. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 50(1), 91-107. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2019.1687530

Boykin, L. M., Sseruwagi, P., Alicai, T., Ateka, E., Mohammed, I. U., Stanton, J.-A. L., … Rawle, C. B., … Ndunguru, J. (2019). Tree lab: Portable genomics for early detection of plant viruses and pests in Sub-Saharan Africa. Genes, 10(9), 632. doi: 10.3390/genes10090632

Phillipps, H. R., Rand, C. J., Brown, R. S. E., Kokay, I. C., Stanton, J.-A., & Grattan, D. R. (2019). Prolactin regulation of insulin-like growth factor 2 gene expression in the adult mouse choroid plexus. FASEB Journal, 33, 6115-6128. doi: 10.1096/fj.201802262R

Stanton, J.-A. L., Muralidhar, A., Rand, C. J., & Saul, D. J. (2019). Rapid extraction of DNA suitable for NGS workflows from bacterial cultures using the PDQeX. Biotechniques, 66, 208-213. doi: 10.2144/btn-2019-0006

Chapter in Book - Research
Journal - Research Article
Journal - Research Other

Chapter in Book - Research

Heng, N. C. K., & Stanton, J.-A. L. (2010). Oral bacterial genome sequencing using the high-throughput Roche Genome Sequencer FLX System. In G. J. Seymour, M. P. Cullinan & N. C. K. Heng (Eds.), Oral Biology. (pp. 197-218). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-60761-820-1_14

Stanton, J.-A. L., & Green, D. P. L. (2002). PCR-SAGE. In S. Lorkowski & P. Cullen (Eds.), Analyzing Gene Expression: A Handbook of Methods, Possibilities and Pitfalls. Wiley-VCH.

Lord, E. A., Stanton, J.-A. L., Martin, S. K., Li, C., Clark, D. E., & Suttie, J. M. (2001). Characterization of genes expressed in the growing velvet antler tip of red deer (Cervus elaphus). In J. S. Sim, H. H. Sunwoo, R. J. M. Hudson & B. T. Jeon (Eds.), Antler science and product technology. (pp. 189-199). Edmonton, Canada: Antler Science and Product Techology Research Center.

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Journal - Research Article

Rijnberg, V., Hansen, P., Ekeroma, A., & Stanton, J.-A. L. (2019). Is cervical cancer screening cost-effective for Samoa? A cost-utility analysis based on a cohort Markov model. Pacific Journal of Reproductive Health, 1(8), 423-439. doi: 10.18313/pjrh.2019.903

Smith, P., Stanton, J.-A. L., Quirke, L., & Juengel, J. L. (2019). Gestational nutrition 1: Alterations to gestational nutrition can increase indicators of fertility in sheep. Reproduction, 157(3), 199-213. doi: 10.1530/rep-18-0357

Smith, P., Juengel, J., Maclean, P., Rand, C., & Stanton, J.-A. L. (2019). Gestational nutrition 2: Gene expression in sheep fetal ovaries exposed to gestational under nutrition. Reproduction, 157, 13-25. doi: 10.1530/rep-18-0358

Sutton, J. T., Castro, I., Robertson, B. C., Tompkins, D. M., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Jamieson, I. G. (2016). MHC genetic diversity and avian malaria prevalence in Mokoia Island saddlebacks. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 40(3), 351-360.

Mackintosh, C. G., Griffin, J. F. T., Scott, I. C., O'Brien, R., Stanton, J. L., Maclean, P., & Brauning, R. (2016). SOLiD SAGE sequencing shows differential gene expression in jejunal lymph node samples of resistant and susceptible red deer (Cervus elaphus) challenged with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Veterinary Immunology & Immunopathology, 169, 102-110. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.10.009

Rawlence, N. J., Collins, C. J., Anderson, C. N. K., Maxwell, J. J., Smith, I. W. G., Robertson, B. C., Knapp, M., Horsburgh, K. A., Stanton, J.-A. L., Scofield, R. P., … Matisoo-Smith, E. A., & Waters, J. M. (2016). Human-mediated extirpation of the unique Chatham Islands sea lion and implications for the conservation management of remaining New Zealand sea lion populations. Molecular Ecology, 25(16), 3950-3961. doi: 10.1111/mec.13726

Banks, J. C., Clarke, J. A., Nield, P., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Wagner, E. (2016). Haplotyping cryptic Adélie penguin taxa using low-cost, high-resolution melt curves. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 43(2), 163-170. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2015.1129971

Reader, K. L., Cox, N. R., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Juengel, J. L. (2015). Effects of acetyl-L-carnitine on lamb oocyte blastocyst rate, ultrastructure, and mitochondrial DNA copy number. Theriogenology, 83, 1484-1492. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.01.028

Reader, K. L., Cox, N. R., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Juengel, J. L. (2015). Mitochondria and vesicles differ between adult and prepubertal sheep oocytes during IVM. Reproduction, Fertility & Development, 27(3), 513-522. doi: 10.1071/RD13359

Clarke, A. C., Prost, S., Stanton, J.-A. L., White, W. T. J., Kaplan, M. E., Matisoo-Smith, E. A., and the Genographic Consortium. (2014). From cheek swabs to consensus sequences: An A to Z protocol for high-throughput DNA sequencing of complete human mitochondrial genomes. BMC Genomics, 15, 68. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-68

Jiang, Y., Xie, M., Chen, W., Talbot, R., Maddox, J. F., Faraut, T., … Stanton, J.-A., … Dalrymple, B. P. (2014). The sheep genome illuminates biology of the rumen and lipid metabolism. Science, 344(6188), 1168-1173. doi: 10.1126/science.1252806

Peacey, M., Hall, R. J., Wang, J., Todd, A. K., Yen, S., Chan-Hyams, J., Rand, C. J., Stanton, J.-A., & Huang, Q. S. (2013). Enterovirus 74 Infection in Children. PLoS ONE, 8(10), e76492. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076492

Fineran, P. C., Iglesias Cans, M. C., Ramsay, J. P., Wilf, N. M., Cossyleon, D., McNeil, M. B., … Stanton, J.-A. L., … Salmond, G. P. C. (2013). Draft genome sequence of Serratia sp. strain ATCC 39006, a model bacterium for analysis of the biosynthesis and regulation of prodigiosin, a carbapenem, and gas vesicles. Genome Announcements, 1(6), e01039-13. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01039-13

Wyatt, A. K., Zavodna, M., Viljoen, J. L., Stanton, J.-A. L., Gemmell, N. J., & Jasoni, C. L. (2013). Changes in methylation patterns of Kiss1 and Kiss1r gene promoters across puberty. Genetics & Epigenetics, 5, 51-62.

Sutton, J. T., Robertson, B. C., Grueber, C. E., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Jamieson, I. G. (2013). Characterization of MHC class II B polymorphism in bottlenecked New Zealand saddlebacks reveals low levels of genetic diversity. Immunogenetics, 65(8), 619-633. doi: 10.1007/s00251-013-0708-7

Todd, A. K., Hall, R. J., Wang, J., Peacey, M., McTavish, S., Rand, C. J., Stanton, J.-A., … Huang, Q. S. (2013). Detection and whole genome sequence analysis of an enterovirus 68 cluster. Virology Journal, 10(1). doi: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-103

Horsburgh, K. A., Prost, S., Gosling, A., Stanton, J.-A., Rand, C., & Matisoo-Smith, E. A. (2013). The genetic diversity of the Nguni breed of African Cattle (Bos spp.): Complete mitochondrial genomes of haplogroup T1. PLoS ONE, 8(8), e71956. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071956

Knapp, M., Horsburgh, K. A., Prost, S., Stanton, J.-A., Buckley, H. R., Walter, R. K., & Matisoo-Smith, E. A. (2012). Complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequences from the first New Zealanders. PNAS, 109(45), 18350-18354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1209896109

Kennedy, D. M., Stanton, J.-A. L., García, J. A., Mason, C., Rand, C. J., Kieser, J. A., & Tompkins, G. R. (2012). Microbial analysis of bite marks by sequence comparison of streptococcal DNA. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51757. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051757

Kalamorz, F., Keis, S., McMillan, D. G. G., Olsson, K., Stanton, J.-A., Stockwell, P., Black, M. A., … Cook, G. M. (2011). Draft genome sequence of the thermoalkaliphilic Caldalkalibacillus thermarum strain TA2.A1. Journal of Bacteriology, 193(16), 4290-4291. doi: 10.1128/jb.05035-11

Heng, N. C. K., Haji-Ishak, N. S., Kalyan, A., Wong, A. Y. C., Lovrić, M., Bridson, J. M., Artamonova, J., Stanton, J.-A. L., Wescombe, P. A., Burton, J. P., Cullinan, M. P., & Tagg, J. R. (2011). Genome sequence of the bacteriocin-producing oral probiotic Streptococcus salivarius strain M18. Journal of Bacteriology, 193(22), 6402-6403. doi: 10.1128/jb.06001-11

Prasad, P. D., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Assinder, S. J. (2010). Expression of the actin-associated protein transgelin (SM22) is decreased in prostate cancer. Cell & Tissue Research, 339(2), 337-347. doi: 10.1007/s00441-009-0902-y

Howden, B. P., Seemann, T., Harrison, P. F., McEvoy, C. R., Stanton, J.-A. L., Rand, C. J., Mason, C. W., … Stinear, T. P. (2010). Complete genome sequence of Staphylococcus aureus strain JKD6008, a ST239 clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with intermediate level vancomycin resistance. Journal of Bacteriology, 192(21), 5848-5849. doi: 10.1128/JB.00951-10

Abdelkrim, J., Robertson, B. C., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Gemmell, N. J. (2009). Fast, cost-effective development of species-specific microsatellite markers by genomic sequencing. Biotechniques, 46(3), 185-192. doi: 10.2144/000113084

Assinder, S. J., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Prasad, P. D. (2009). Transgelin: An actin-binding protein and tumour suppressor. International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 41(3), 482-486. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2008.02.011

Li, C., Gao, Z., Yang, F., Martin, S. K., Haines, S. R., Deng, X., Schofield, J., & Stanton, J.-A. L. (2009). Development of a nude mouse model for the study of antlerogenesis: Mechanism of tissue interactions and ossification pathway. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular & Developmental Evolution, 312B(2), 118-135. doi: 10.1002/jez.b.21252

Li, C., Stanton, J.-A. L., Robertson, T. M., Suttie, J. M., Sheard, P. W., Harris, A. J., & Clark, D. E. (2007). Nerve growth factor mRNA expression in the regenerating antler tip of red deer (Cervus elaphus). PLoS ONE, 2(1), e148. Retrieved from http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000148

Stanton, J.-A. L., MacGregor, A. B., Mason, C., Dameh, M., & Green, D. P. L. (2007). Building comparative gene expression databases for the mouse preimplantation embryo using a pipeline approach to UniGene. Molecular Human Reproduction, 13(10), 713-720.

Anas, M.-K. I., Hammer, M.-A., Lever, M., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Baltz, J. M. (2007). The organic osmolytes betaine and proline are transported by a shared system in early preimplantation mouse embryos. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 210, 266-277.

Quinn, M. C. J., McGregor, S. B., Stanton, J. L., Hessian, P. A., Gillett, W. R., & Green, D. P. L. (2006). Purification of granulosa cells from human ovarian follicular fluid using granulosa cell aggregates. Reproduction, Fertility & Development, 18, 501-508.

Quennell, J. H., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Hurst, P. R. (2004). Basic fibroblast growth factor expression in isolated small human ovarian follicles. Molecular Human Reproduction, 10(9), 623-628.

Stanton, J.-A. L., Macgregor, A. B., & Green, D. P. L. (2003). Gene expression in the mouse preimplantation embryo. Reproduction, 125, 457-468.

Stanton, J.-A. L., Macgregor, A., & Green, D. P. L. (2002). Using expressed sequence tag databases to identify ovarian genes of interest. Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology, 191(1), 11-14.

Stanton, J. L., Bascand, M., Fisher, L., Quinn, M., Macgregor, A., & Green, D. P. L. (2002). Gene expression profiling of human GV oocytes: An analysis of a profile obtained by serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 53, 193-201.

Li, C., Clark, D. E., Lord, E. A., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Suttie, J. M. (2002). Sampling technique to discriminate the different tissue layers of growing antler tips for gene discovery. Anatomical Record, 268, 125-130.

Stanton, J.-A. L., & Green, D. P. L. (2002). A set of 1542 mouse blastocyst and pre-blastocyst genes with well-matched human homologues. Molecular Human Reproduction, 8(2), 149-166.

Stanton, J.-A. L., & Green, D. P. L. (2001). A set of 840 mouse oocyte genes with well-matched human homologues. Molecular Human Reproduction, 7(6), 521-543.

Bedford, J. J., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Leader, J. P. (2001). A taurine transporter isolated from rat cardiac muscle. Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology, 483, 523-534.

Stanton, J.-A. L., & Green, D. P. L. (2001). Meta-analysis of gene expression in mouse preimplantation embryo development. Molecular Human Reproduction, 7(6), 545-552.

Neilson, L., Andalibi, A., Kang, D., Coutifaris, C., Strauss, III, J. F., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Green, D. P. L. (2000). Molecular phenotype of the human oocyte by PCR-SAGE. Genomics, 63, 13-24.

Stanton, J., Taucher-Scholz, G., Schneider, M., Heilmann, J., & Kraft, G. (1993). Protection of DNA from high LET radiation by two OH radical scavengers, tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane and 2-mercaptoethanol. Radiation & Environmental Biophysics, 32(1), 21-32. doi: 10.1007/BF01213127

Taucher-Scholz, G., Stanton, J.-A., Schneider, M., & Kraft, G. (1992). Induction of DNA breaks in SV40 by heavy ions. Advances in Space Research, 12(2-3), 73-80. doi: 10.1016/0273-1177(92)90093-D

Stanton, J., Taucher-Scholz, G., Schneider, M., & Kraft, G. (1990). Comparison between indirect and direct effects for high and low LET radiations in SV40 DNA strand break induction. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 31(1-4), 253-256. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a080674

Kraft, G., Kraft-Weyrather, W., Ritter, S., Scholz, M., & Stanton, J. (1989). Cellular and subcellular effect of heavy ions: A comparison of the induction of strand breaks and chromosomal aberration with the incidence of inactivation and mutation. Advances in Space Research, 9(10), 59-72. doi: 10.1016/0273-1177(89)90423-7

Kraft-Weyrather, W., Kraft, G., Ritter, S., Scholz, M., & Stanton, J.-A. (1989). The preparation of biological targets for heavy-ion experiments up to 20 MeV/u. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A, 282(1), 22-27. doi: 10.1016/0168-9002(89)90104-6

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Journal - Research Other

Reader, K. L., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Juengel, J. L. (2017). The role of oocyte organelles in determining developmental competence. Biology, 6(3), 35. doi: 10.3390/biology6030035

Green, D. P. L., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Macgregor, A. B. (2003). New Zealand Bioinformatics Conference 2003 [Editorial forward]. Applied Bioinformatics, 2(3 Suppl.), S1-S2.

Stanton, J. L., Wilton, S. D., & Laing, N. G. (1996). Characterisation of the chicken Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase gene [Short communication]. DNA Sequence, 6(6), 357-360. doi: 10.3109/10425179609047575

Tizard, B. K., Stanton, J.-A. L., & Laing, N. G. (1994). DiffScreen: The merging of image subtraction and molecular genetics for the rapid analysis of differentially screened cDNA libraries [Application note]. Bioinformatics, 10(2), 209-210. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/10.2.209

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