Science

Kristin is a PhD immunologist who switched to a writing career after completing postdoctoral research at Stanford University in California, USA.

Her career as a biomedical researcher began with undergraduate and Honours studies at the Flinders University of South Australia, followed by postgraduate studies at the University of Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Her research was supported by a Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand.

She is the principal author of several academic publications and is the recipient of an award from the International Association of Forensic Sciences.

As a science writer Kristin has written for Science, the international science magazine, in addition to publications from Harvard and Stanford Medical Schools. Her magazine articles have been awarded the silver medal for Best Articles of the Year, from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and an Award of Distinction for Medical Science Writing from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Academic Publications

Immunogenetics. 1998 Nov-Dec; 48(6):413-6. Evidence for recombination as a mechanism for KIR diversification. Shilling HG, Lienert-Weidenbach K, Valiante NM, Uhrberg M, Parham P.

Biology of Blood & Marrow Transplantation. 1997 Nov; 3(5):255-60. Mismatches for two major and one minor histocompatibility antigen correlate with a patient’s rejection of a bone marrow graft from a serologically HLA-identical sibling. Lienert-Weidenbach K, Valiante NM, Brown C, White C, Johnston-Dow L, McGinnis M, Krausa P, Lakes DM, Wolf JL, Blume KG, Parham P.

Immunity. 1997 Dec; 7(6):753-63. Human diversity in killer cell inhibitory receptor genes. Uhrberg M, Valiante NM, Shum BP, Shilling HG, Lienert-Weidenbach K, Corliss B, Tyan D, Lanier LL, Parham P.

Immunity. 1997 Dec; 7(6):739-51. Functionally and structurally distinct NK cell receptor repertoires in the peripheral blood of two human donors. Valiante NM, Uhrberg M, Shilling HG, Lienert-Weidenbach K, Arnett KL, D’Andrea A, Phillips JH, Lanier LL, Parham P.

Journal of Immunology. 1997 Jun 1; 158(11):5242-50. Natural inactivation of a common HLA allele (A*2402) has occurred on at least three separate occasions. Magor KE, Taylor EJ, Shen SY, Martinez-Naves E, Valiante NM, Wells RS, Gumperz JE, Adams EJ, Little AM, Williams F, Middleton D, Gao X, McCluskey J, Parham P, Lienert-Weidenbach K.

Immunological Reviews. 1997 Feb; 155:155-64. Killer cell receptors: keeping pace with MHC class I evolution. Valiante NM, Lienert K, Shilling HG, Smits BJ, Parham P.

Tissue Antigens. 1996 Sep; 48(3):187-91. Stable inheritance of an HLA-“blank” phenotype associated with a structural mutation in the HLA-A*0301 gene. Lienert K, Russ G, Lester S, Bennett G, Gao X, McCluskey J.

Immunology & Cell Biology. 1996 Aug; 74(4):349-56. Evolution of MHC class I genes in higher primates. Lienert K, Parham P.

Tissue Antigens. 1995 Nov; 46(5):394-7. HLA-A*3004: a new A30 allele identified in an Australian Caucasoid population. Lienert K, Russ G, Bennett G, Gao X, McCluskey J.

Tissue Antigens. 1995 Jan; 45(1):12-7. HLA class I variation in Australian aborigines: characterization of allele B*1521. Lienert K, McCluskey J, Bennett G, Fowler C, Russ G.

Human Immunology. 1993 Mar; 36(3):137-41. HLA DPB1 genotyping in Australian aborigines by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis. Lienert K, Krishnan R, Fowler C, Russ G.

Biotechniques. 1992 Aug; 13(2):276-81. Analysis of mixed human/microbial DNA samples: a validation study of two PCR AMP-FLP typing methods. Lienert K, Fowler JC.