New leadership for Stem Cells Australia

Professor Melissa Little and Professor Christine Wells were today appointed Program Leader and Deputy Program Leader, respectively, of Stem Cells Australia.

Professor Little is based at the Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, with expertise in Kidney Development, Disease and Regeneration. Professor Christine Wells, Director of the Centre for Stem Cell Systems, has a world leader in computational biology and stem cell systems. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and a strong vision for the future of Australian stem cell science and technologies.

The new leadership team was announced by the University of Melbourne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor James McCluskey, on behalf of the Governance Committee.

Stem Cells Australia was established in 2011 with the support of the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council’s Special Research Initiatives scheme.

The consortium links over 120 experts in bioengineering, nanotechnology, stem cell biology, advanced molecular analysis and clinical research across Australian universities and research institutes.

Many researchers of Stem Cells Australia are affiliate members of the Centre for Stem Cell Systems, which is at the heart of stem cell research, teaching and collaboration within the Parkville biomedical precinct.

About Professor Melissa Little

Professor Melissa Little is an Australian leader in stem cell science and heads a team of researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute who use human stem cell to recreate kidney tissue in the laboratory. This world leading research is currently being used to better understand inherited kidney disease to improve diagnosis and hopefully develop new treatments. In the long term, she hopes that this research will lead to stem-cell based tissue regeneration to treat chronic kidney disease patients across the globe, providing options other than dialysis or organ transplantation. Melissa is an international leader in stem cells and kidney regeneration. Melissa isa Board member of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and the President of the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research.

About Professor Christine Wells

Christine Wells is Professor of Stem Cell Systems. She is a genome biologist with a focus on the differentiation and activation of mammalian cells, and a particular interest in the intersection between innate immunity and stem cell biology in tissue injury and repair. She directs the Stemformatics collaboration resource, leads the Multiomics Stem Cell study for Bioplatforms Australia/Stem Cells Australia and is a lead participant in several major international consortia including the FANTOM consortium.