Doctor Michael Phillips

• Biography
• Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
• Grants / Current Projects
• Selected Publications
• Contact Details

I completed my honours and PhD at the University of New South Wales in 1985 with the research emphasis on the microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract with a focus on the mucosa associated normal microbiota. Subsequently I moved to a Post Doctoral position at CSIRO Animal Production at Prospect in Sydney working in the area of Rumen Microbiology. The post doc was converted to a permanent position and the research focused on a population of unusual anaerobic fungi found in the rumen of sheep and cattle which have high plant fibre degrading abilities. This project was the main focus over 17yrs at CSIRO with the later years concentrating on the establishment and support of patents and extension of the research into field. In 2003 I moved to UWS to undertake research at the Centre for Advanced Food Research working with Dr Kaila Kailasapathy studying probiotic bacteria. In 2006 I transferred to a teaching position in the School of Natural Science. Currently my research interests are the optimisation of probiotic bacteria and the study of how these organisms interact with their hosts, encapsulation and bioactive compounds, biofilms and microbial ecology.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Interactions of probiotic bacteria with the immune system, natural gut bacteria and pathogens; survival and delivery of probiotic bacteria including the use of capsule technology; the role of biofilms in the persistence and transmission of bacterial pathogens; ecology and mechanisms of gastrointestinal pathogenesis. At UWS I have supervised 5 PhD and one MSc (Hons) completions and am currently supervising 5 PhD and one MSc (Hons).

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Grants / Current Projects

• Evaluation and characterisation of bioactive peptides in dairy foods, fish and plant foods.
• Molecular mechanisms to understand interactions between probiotic bacteria and intestinal cells.
• Biofuels: Industrial Ethanol from New Sources
• Microbial degradation of Arson residues

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Selected Publications

At UWS
Patiri G. Phillips M, Kailasapathy K. 2010 “Comparison of functional assay and microarray analysis for determination of Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 induced gut immune responses in mice.” Food research International: 43, 856-861

Salampessy J., Phillips M, Kailasapathy K. 2010 “Release of antimicrobial peptides through bromelain hydrolysis of leatherjacket (Meuchenia sp.) insoluble proteins.” Food Chemistry; 12 556 560

Paturi G, Phillips M, Kailasapathy K. 2008 “Effect of Probiotic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI l10 and Lactobacillus paracasei LAFT1 l26 on systemic immune functions and bacterial translocation in mice.” Journal of Food Protection, vol. 71, 796-801

Kailasapathy K, Harmstorf I, Phillips, M. 2008 “Survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis in stirred fruit yogurts.” LWT-Food Science and Technology. Vol. 41, 1317-1322

Paturi G, Phillips M, Jones M, Kailasapathy K, 2007 'Immune enhancing effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Lactobacillus paracasei LAFTI L26 in mice', International Journal of Food Microbiology, 115: 115-118

Anjani K, Kailasapathy K, Phillips M, 2007 'Microencapsulation of enzymes for potential application in acceleration of cheese ripening', International Dairy Journal, vol.17, pp 79-86

Phillips M, Kailasapathy K, Tran L, 2006 'Viability of commercial probiotic cultures (L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium sp., L. casei, L. paracasei and L. rhamnosus) in cheddar cheese', International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol.108, no., pp 276-280

Kailasapathy K, Perera C, Phillips M, 2006 'Evaluation of Alginate-Starch Polymers for Preparation of Enzyme Microcapsules', International Journal of Food Engineering, vol.2, no.2, pp

Darukaradhya J, Phillips M, Kailasapathy K, 2006 'Selective enumeration of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp., starter lactic acid bacteria and non-starter lactic acid bacteria from Cheddar cheese', International Dairy Journal, vol.16, no.5, pp 439-445

Madziva H, Kailasapathy K, Phillips M, 2006 'Evaluation of alginate-pectin capsules in cheddar cheese as a food carrier for the delivery of folic acid', Lwt-Food Science And Technology, vol.39, no.2, pp 146-151

Others
Lee, A. Phillips, M.W. ORourke, J. 2002. We grew the first Helicobacter and didn’t even know it. p131-143 In Helicobacter Pioneers. Ed. B. Marshall. Blackwell Publishing Oxford.

Gordon GLR, Phillips MW. 1998. The role of anaerobic gut fungi in ruminants. Nutrition Research Reviews 11:133-68.

Phillips MW, Gordon GLR. 1995. Carbohydrate fermentation by three different polycentric ruminal fungi from cattle and water buffalo in tropical Australia. Anaerobe 1:41-47.

Gordon GLR, Phillips MW. 1993. Removal of anaerobic fungi from the rumen of sheep by chemical treatment and the effect on feed consumption and in vivo fibre digestion. Letters in Applied Microbiology 17(5):220-3.

Phillips MW, Gordon GLR. 1992. Fungistatic and fungicidal effects of the ionophores monensin and tetronasin on the rumen fungus Neocallimastix sp. LM1. Letters in Applied Microbiology 15:116-9.

Lee A, Phillips MW, O'Rourke JL et al. 1992. Helicobacter muridarum sp. nov., a microaerophilic helical bacterium with a novel ultrastructure isolated from the intestinal mucosa of rodents. Int.J.Syst.Bacteriol. 42: 27-36.

Gordon GLR, Phillips MW. 1992. Extracellular pectin lyase produced by Neocallimastix sp. LM1, a rumen anaerobic fungus. Letters in Applied Microbiology 15:113-5.

Phillips MW, Gordon GLR. 1989. Growth characteristics on cellobiose of three different anaerobic fungi from the ovine rumen. Appl Environ Microbiol. 55:1695-702.

Gordon GLR, Phillips MW. 1989. Degradation and utilization of cellulose and straw by three different anaerobic fungi from the ovine rumen. Appl Environ Microbiol 55:1703-10.

Phillips, MW; Gordon, GLR 1988. “Sugar and polysaccharide fermentation by rumen anaerobic fungi from Australia, Britain and New-Zealand” Biosystems: 21, 377-383

Phillips MW, Lee A. 1984. Microbial colonization of rat colonic mucosa following intestinal perturbation. Microbial Ecology10: 79-88.

Phillips MW, Lee A. 1983. Isolation and characterization of a spiral bacterium from the crypts of the rodent gastrointestinal tract. Appl.Environ.Microbiol.: 675-83.

Lee A, Phillips MW. 1979. Isolation and cultivation of spirochetes and other spiral-shaped bacteria associated with the cecal mucosa of rats and mice. Appl.Environ.Microbiol. 35: 610-613.

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