Rebecca Pavlos 
The Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (IIID), Murdoch University 
Variation in ERAP influences risk for HLA-B*57:01 positive abacavir hypersensitivity. 
Dr Pavlos examines the genetic associations and immunological mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity. Drug hypersensitivity syndromes are often severe and life-threatening, with mortality rates of up to 50 per cent. The HIV drug abacavir causes a hypersensitivity reaction in 55 per cent of those patients carrying a specific gene, HLA-B*57:01. We have shown that genetic variants in another gene called ERAP1 are important in a population of patients that are able to maintain tolerance to abacavir, despite carrying the gene HLA-B*57:01 associated with hypersensitivity. This work was recently presented at the European Allergy and Clinical Immunology Drug Hypersensitivity Meeting held in Malaga, Spain.