Doctor Nysa McGowan

Nysa smiling at the camera

Dr Nysa McGowan

Senior Research Fellow

Connect with Dr McGowan

Nysa's research is on the molecular biology of blood groups with a special interest in the Rh blood group system.

Nysa received her PhD from the University of Queensland on the development of monoclonal anti-D antibodies and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in blood group gene regulation at the Division of Transfusion Medicine at Lund University in Sweden.  

Awards
  • ANZSBT CSL Behring Overseas Grant (2025)
  • Pathology Update Roche Scientific E-poster Display: Winner in Genetic Pathology (2022)
  • ANZSBT Virtual Registration Grant for Blood (2021)
  • 3-Minute Thesis winner at Australian Institute of Biotechnology (2019)
  • Harold Gunson Fellowship (2017)
  • New Investigator Project Grant - The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation (2013)
Leadership
  • Chair (2023/24) and Secretary (2022/23) of ISBT Young Professionals Council (Western Pacific representative)
  • Peer reviewer for Vox Sanguinis, Blood Advances and Blood Journal
  • Member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion

Key Publications

An intronic polymorphism associated with 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate levels in human red cells is linked to expression of RhCE blood groups

McGowan EC, Storry JR, Olsson ML
2023
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S
121 (36) e2412585121

A Bioinformatically Initiated Approach to Evaluate GATA1 Regulatory Regions in Samples with Weak D, Del, or D- Phenotypes Despite Normal RHD Exons

McGowan EC, Wu PC, Hellberg Å, Lopez GH, Hyland CA, Olsson ML
2024
Transfus Med Hemother
51 (4): 252–264

Feasibility for non-invasive prenatal fetal blood group and platelet genotyping by massively parallel sequencing: A single test system for multiple atypical red cell, platelet and quality control markers

McGowan EC, O'Brien H, Sarri ME, Lopez GH, Daly JJ, Flower RL, Gardener GJ, Hyland CA
2024
Br J Haematol
204(2):694-705

Aggregates in blood filter chambers used from the plasma donations of anti-D donors: evaluation for monoclonal antibody discovery using phage display

McGowan EC, Flower RL, Jones ML, Irving DO, Barnard RT, Hyland CA, Mahler SM, Bui XT
2021
Blood Transfus
19:64-72

Diverse and novel RHD variants in Australian blood donors with a weak D phenotype: implication for transfusion management

McGowan EC, Lopez GH, Knauth CM, Liew YW, Condon JA, Ramadi L, Parsons K, Turner EM, Flower RL, Hyland CA
2017
Vox Sang
112(3):279-287