News & Events

All seminars are held in the Doherty Auditorium, Ground Floor.Research Seminars - Held on Thursdays 12.00pm – 1.00pm.Special Research Seminars - In addition to the usual Thursday Research Seminars, there may be occasional Special Research Seminars which could be held at different times.PhD Completion Orations - Held on Friday afternoons from 3.30pm – 4.30pm.Doherty Institute Immunology Theme: Data Presentation Series - Fortnightly on Mondays 11.00am featuring speakers from across the Institute.Seminar attendees are welcome to refreshments in the Doherty Institute Tearoom on Level 5 after every Research Seminar & PhD Completion Oration.

The first round of VTAC offers have been released today. Are you considering the Bachelor of Biomedicine?

Alexandria Driessen (Phd student, Anatomy & Neuroscience) has recently been awarded the 2018 Picchi Brothers Asthma Foundation Award. In October, she was also awarded the 2018 Mendelsohn Student Lecture Award.

Collaborative research from the University of Melbourne and University of Glasgow has comprehensively analysed the differences between the childhood and adult forms of acute myeloid leukaemia, demonstrating that the childhood form is biologically different to the adult.

The University of Melbourne has honoured two of its most revered scientists at the opening of the expanded Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology on Friday 14 December. The new Nancy Millis Building will also be home to the new Margaret Sheil Mass Spectrometry laboratories.

Prospective Bachelor of Biomedicine students hit campus yesterday to learn more about the sought-after degree, including new majors and places to learn in 2019 and beyond.

Our Facebook Live Chat event for prospective Bachelor of Biomedicine students has achieved tremendous success. Since the live stream aired last Wednesday evening, the Biomed Chat has reached an audience of 21.9K, receiving 15K views.Bachelor of Biomedicine graduate Philip Qian and Dr Rose McCarty (Anatomy & Neuroscience; Pharmacology & Therapeutics) discussed everything students need to know about studying Biomed in 2019.

A sailing program for people with spinal cord injuries run by Professor Norman Saunders receives ABC TV coverage.

The NHMRC Project Grants have been formally announced. Our School has been awarded a total of 26 grants, making up for more than a third of the grants awarded by the NHMRC to researchers from the University.Please join us in congratulating the following School members on their successful grants. Special mentions to Professor Katherine Kedzierska for receiving two ARC Discovery Projects and Professor Matthew Watt for receiving two NHMRC Project Grants.

Various studies have shown that mouse and human stem cells can spontaneously organize in a dish into 3D structures that resemble embryos grown in the lab. These structures are called embryo models.

On 23-24 November 2018 we held the inaugural Reunion Weekend for alumni of the Melbourne Medical School and School of Biomedical Sciences.

Led by experts from School of Biomedical Sciences (Dept. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology), the new Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Facility for Innovative Cancer Drug Design will harness structural biology to discover innovative cancer drugs in Melbourne.

Lesley Smith (Body Donor Administrative Assistant, School of Biomedical Sciences) has been awarded a 2018 MDHS Professional Staff Values Based Award.

Dr Laura Mackay (Doherty Institute, Dept. Microbiology & Immunology) continues to kick goals, having just been appointed as the first female President of the Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania (FIMSA).

Stem Cell Tourism and the Political Economy of Hope was awarded the 2018 Stephen Crook Memorial Prize for best authored book in Australian Sociology by The Australian Sociological Association (TASA).

Congratulations to Associate Professor Enzo Porrello (Dept. Physiology) who has received a $50,000 Metcalf Prize from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia in recognition of his leadership in stem cell research. Enzo’s research work explores newborn heart development to develop heart attack drugs and engineer ‘artificial pumps’ from patient stem cells.

Nadia Rajab, PhD student with the Centre for Stem Cell Systems, is first author of a paper overviewing current methods for generating white blood cells (macrophages) from human pluripotent stem cells. This review paper constitutes the first chapter of Nadia’s PhD thesis.

Nobel Laureate Professor Randy Schekman on the value of scepticism, and why the scientific method needs to be defined now more than ever.

School of Biomedical Sciences (Doherty Institute) and Oxford University researchers have shown a specific immune cell, called MAIT cells, make a key contribution to mounting an immune response against influenza.

Professor Katherine Kedzierska (School of Biomedical Sciences) has been awarded the prestigious Woodward Medal in Science and Technology.

Dr Laura Mackay (School of Biomedical Sciences) has been awarded a $1.25 million, five year Viertel Foundation Fellowship to further her research into co-opting  the body's existing immune cells to work against viruses and cancers.

Congratulations to Professor Gordon Lynch (Dept. Physiology) with Dr Kristy Swiderski and Dr René Koopman for their international grant success from the Duchenne Parent Project Netherlands.

As one of Australia's most influential and effective teachers of medical microbiology prepares for retirement, his legacy in global science and medical circles lives on. Here's how.

For half a century, the Med Building on the corner of Grattan Street and Royal Parade in Parkville has been the home of the Melbourne Medical School and the nucleus for medical education at the University of Melbourne, including, more recently, biomedical education.

Professor David Williams (Dept. Physiology) will become a member of the Australian Academy of Science's National Committee for Biomedical Sciences (NCBMS).

Under the Coverslip is the largest annual microscopy and imaging competition open to all RHD students across Australia. This year the judges will include Professor Fabienne Mackay (Head of School of Biomedical Sciences) and Rose Hiscock (Director Science Gallery Melbourne).

Claire Gorrie, a Doherty Institute (Dept. Microbiology & Immunology) postdoctoral research fellow and bioinformatician, was announced as a recipient of the prestigious Victoria Fellowship.

Genomics is revolutionising the practice of public health microbiology and epidemiology globally, but capacity in genomic data analysis is a key limiting factor in implementation of the technology.

Dr Elena Schneider (Pharmacology & Therapeutics) featured on Scimex: Science Media Exchange last Friday (19 October) and will be appearing on 2GB (Sydney) over the weekend as an expert on cystic fibrosis.

The 2018 Biomedicine Students' Society (BSS) Ball was held in September at The Peninsula in Docklands. The Ball sold-out, raising $22,000 in proceeds for Muscular Dystrophy Australia (MDA).

Don't know where to start with grant applications?Find out about the tools and services that can help!

Professor Daniel Hoyer was recognised as an Honorary Lifetime Member for the International Society for Serotonin Research (ISSR) at the 19th biennial ISSR meeting in Cork, Ireland, back in July. Our congratulations to Professor Hoyer!

Our congratulations to Dr Daniel Pellicci (Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Doherty Institute) for being awarded a 2019 CSL Centenary Fellowship last Thursday, 11 October 2018.

Professor Shitij Kapur (Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences) and Professor Stephen Kent (Laboratory Head, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Doherty Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences) have been awarded Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) Fellowships.They join Professor Fabienne Mackay (Head of School of Biomedical Sciences) who is an existing AAHMS Fellow.

"Simple headlines about being able to create pups from same sex mice fail to fully capture the complexity and challenges ahead" says A/Prof Megan Munsie in light of new study where scientists created pups from same-sex mice.

The School of Biomedical Sciences is pleased to welcome Professor Duncan Maskell as the University of Melbourne's newest Vice-Chancellor.

Associate Professor Megan Munsie (Anatomy & Neuroscience, Centre for Stem Cell Systems) has featured in this month's Cosmos, Issue 80 Spring 2018 – Alien intelligence. Cosmos is a quarterly science magazine known for its beautiful pictures and high-quality writing explaining the latest in scientific discoveries and breakthroughs.

Associate Professor Megan Munsie (Anatomy & Neuroscience, Centre for Stem Cell Systems) has been featured as a leading expert in stem cells and ethics, in a new Pursuit article titled What are we doing to our dogs? published on 4 October 2018. Associate Professor Munsie also spoke to David Astle on ABC Radio Melbourne on Monday 8 October, 9pm.

It’s been 50 years since the Med Building opened – as part of the inaugural Melbourne Medical Reunion Weekend, join us to help applaud those who have studied there.

More than 28,000 visitors explored the University of Melbourne on Open Day – many casting a close eye over the School of Biomedical Sciences.

Block of A1 astrocyte conversion by microglia is neuroprotective in models of Parkinson’s disease.

Head of School Professor Fabienne Mackay travels to China for the Frontiers of Immunology in Health & Disease conference.

Leading malaria researcher Professor Leann Tilley (Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and her team have discovered that cancer treatments can help overcome growing resistance to a frontline antimalarial drug, artemisinin.Our congratulations to Professor Tilley and her team for the publication of their research paper 'Artemisinin kills malaria parasites by damaging proteins and inhibiting the proteasome' in Nature Communications on Tuesday 18 September.

As the weather warms up so do Australia's snakes, but experts say there is no cause for alarm if you know what to do.

University of Melbourne Body Donor Program hosts seventh annual Commemorative Thanksgiving Service.

Help celebrate the excellence of leading women researchers at the 2018 Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology researcher awarded inaugural Dean’s Innovation Grant.

Universities foster ties as the Bio21 Institute welcomed University of Padua delegates last week.

University researcher, Theo Mantamadiotis, leads the study for this important paper.

The Centre for Stem Cell Systems is happy to announce that its website is now live!

Year 10 and 11 students go behind-the-scenes working alongside GTAC scientists and exploring the biomed zone.

The New Student Precinct, in partnership with Next Wave, is proud to present two student arts opportunities (open to all University of Melbourne students): the New School Art Prize and the Participatory Art Workshop Series. This is a fantastic chance for students to showcase their creativity on the Parkville campus!

The fourth annual GTAC Biomedical Sciences Day is happening this Friday 31 August. Senior students from rural and regional Victoria will be visiting the University of Melbourne's Parkville campus for a taste of what it's like to study biomedical sciences.

Professor Fabienne Mackay (Head, School of Biomedical Sciences) will be presenting as a keynote speaker at the second Comprehensive Cancer Student Symposium: Translating Discoveries on Thursday 30 August.

Karthik Pullela, PhD student from the Department of Microboplogy and Immunology, was named a finalist in the 2018 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition Grand Final.

The ARC Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies (Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics) is currently seeking expressions of interest from outstanding students for multiple PhD scholarship opportunities.

Our congratulations to Dr Laura Mackay (School of Biomedical Sciences and the Peter Doherty Institute) who was awarded the 2018 Michelson Prize for Human Immunology and Vaccine Research in June.

Congratulations to the following School members on their successful fellowships.

Professor Fabienne MacKay, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences, appeared on Episode 2: A new frontier of the Doherty Institute's four-part series, A Hypothetical.

Applications for the next round of Superstars of STEM are now open!

The Department of Physiology's Virtual Reality Learning Studio (VRLS) featured on channel ELEVEN's (Network Ten) children's science program Scope (S04E58). The episode aired on Sunday 22 July 2018.

Dr Laura Mackay's (School of Biomedical Sciences and Peter Doherty Institute) research on tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm cells) has been featured in this Pursuit article.

Congratulations to Professor Katherine Kedzierska (School of Biomedical Sciences and Peter Doherty Institute) whose research on a lifelong flu vaccine was featured on the front page of the Herald Sun.

Our congratulations to Professor Tim Stinear (School of Biomedical Sciences and Peter Doherty Institute) whose new study on alcohol-based hygiene products becoming less effective against the hospital superbug, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), featured on the front page of The Age last Thursday 2 August.

Video footage from Tuesday 17 July's Creating Bioentrepreneurs: Enterprise Specialisation Launch is now available and can be viewed below and on the Faculty of MDHS Vimeo page.Hear from Lynn Johnson-Langer as she shares the Johns Hopkins (USA) experience, and from our panel as they share a conversation about what is needed in this space and the way forward. For more information about the Master of Biomedical Science, Enterprise Specialisation, please visit the Enterprise website.

Thank you to all who attended and supported Creating Bioentrepreneurs: Enterprise Specialisation Launch, on Tuesday 17 July. The event was a great success, with a packed house at the Woodward Conference Centre taking part in invigorating discussion around the need and potential for greater innovation and commercialisation within the biomedical sector.

Dr Lynn Johnson Langer (Johns Hopkins University, USA), discusses getting biotech science out of the lab and into market, while visiting Melbourne for the launch of the Master of Biomedical Science, Enterprise specialisation.

Our congratulations to the EMCRA (Early-Mid Career Researchers Association) Collaborative Award winners for 2018

Leading artists and scientists will examine storms scientifically, artistically and metaphorically as part of a public exhibition on how art and science can combine to communicate and solve problems.

Congratulations to Professor Fabienne Mackay who received a Concept award from the Lupus Research Program. Thirteen awards were made in 2018 and she was the only Australian recipient.

Our congratulations to Dr Amy Chung and colleagues, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, on having their recent publication featured in American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) news.

The way forward after the World Health Organization resolution on snakebite will be to boost access to quality antivenoms and prevention efforts.

Dr David Williams, Head of AVRU, has long championed the snakebite cause through the Global Snakebite Initiative. Congratulations to David and his colleagues on having this resolution adopted by the WHO.

Congratulations to Professor Geoffrey Burnstock, who is the 2018 recipient of the Australian Academy of Science’s prestigious Macfarlane Burnet Medal.

With comment from Professor Damian Purcell (Dept Microbiology & Immunology) local GVN spokesperson for the Doherty Institute, one of 41 international centres of excellence represented by GVN.

Our congratulations to Dr Elena Schneider, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, on receiving the TSANZ / Vertex Research Award.

Our congratulations to Dr Terry Mulhern (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) on receiving the David White Award for Teaching Excellence, and to Associate Professor Sammy Bedoui (Microbiology & Immunology) on receiving the Award for Excellence in Internationalisation of Research

A overview of Professor Fabienne Mackay's SLE research in the context of World Lupus Day (10 May)

Professor Gary Anderson and and Associate Professor Louis Irving, both from the Lung Health Research Centre (Dept of Pharmacology & Therapeutics) are featured researchers in this Pursuit article.

The PNG Snakebite Partnership launched recently is a three-year project that will involve the National Department of Health (PNG), the Australian Government, Seqirus Pty Ltd, and the Australian Venom Research Unit (Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics) at the University of Melbourne.

Our congratulations to Professor Tim Stinear* and his colleagues on obtaining a NHMRC Project Partnership grant for their research into Buruli ulcer (*Dept Microbiology & Immunology)

Our congratulations to Professor Fabienne Mackay on her appointment to the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science

Applications for this year's award open on 1st May and will close on 31st May, 2018

Our congratulations to Associate Professor Danny Hatters, Dept of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, whose recent paper, 'A biosensor-based framework to measure latent proteostasis capacity', was chosen to feature on the Nature Communications Editors' Highlights Webpage

Our congratulations to Dr Fern Koay (Dept Microbiology & Immunology) on winning a Basic Science Researcher Award in the 2018 Premier's Awards for  Health and Medical Research

A reminder that the important dates for the EMCRA Collaborative Awards are now available

Our congratulations to Professor Mary Wlodek (Department of Physiology), Associate Professor Paul Soeding (Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and their colleagues from Deakin and Monash Universities whose recent research features in the New York Times

University of Melbourne research into chemically-altering old forgotten antibiotics is helping to open a new front in the critical war against drug resistance. (Pursuit - featured researcher Associate Professor Tony Velkov)

Our congratulations to Associate Professor Megan Munsie* on receiving this prestigious award. To date, the ISSCR has only awarded this prize to eight other researchers. [*Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience]

Fernando Jativa from @Pharm_UniMelb is competing in the Pitch it Clever competition. Participants share a short video of their research to be showcased in the Higher Education Conference in Canberra. You can view & vote for his video

Three of the ten shortlisted finalists for the two categories Public Health Researcher and Basic Science Researcher in the PAHMR, are from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Neuroscience PhD students - you are invited to the Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) for the Melbourne Neuroscience PhD Program (MNPP) Student Association.

EMCRA has a new steering committee for 2018 and the funding rules for the upcoming EMCRA Collaborative Awards are now available.

Our congratulations to Sangwon Yoo on winning this award

Our congratulations to Dr Jessica Fletcher on being awarded a 2018 MNI Fellowship

Our congratulations to Professor Katherine Kedzierska and her colleagues on publication of their research in Nature Communications

Our warmest congratulations to Professor Mary Wlodek and her colleagues on the publication of their invited review in the current issue of Nature

The inaugural School-wide Sessional Staff Professional Development workshop was held on Monday 19th February

Congratulations to Dr Theo Mantamadiotis, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, on securing a CASS Foundation Medicine Science Grant for his ongoing research

Our congratulations to Dr Schneider on been chosen as one of the 75 international participants in the 2018 Merck Innovation Cup.

Our congratulations to Professor Katherine Kedzierska and colleagues on the publication of their recent research in Science Translational Medicine  (Department of Microbiology & Immunology)

Our warmest congratulations to Professor Norman Saunders, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, who was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day honours list.

Congratulations to Professor Katherine Kedzierska* and her co-authors on having their manuscript on immunity to influenza viruses in the elderly selected as the cover story of the February issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (*Department of Microbiology & Immunology).

Ongoing research of the newly appointed Head of Department of Physiology, Professor Matthew Watt, was recently featured (12 January) on the Diabetes Australia Facebook page.

Backgrounding Dr David Williams who has recently been appointed chair of the World Health Organisation’s specialist Snakebite Group. David is Head of the Australian Venom Research Unit in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Scott Mueller, Dr Laura Mackay and their colleagues on having their paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Immunology

Our congratulations to Dr Marlene Hao, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, on securing a CASS grant for her project “A gut feeling about new therapies for glioma treatment”

Dr David Williams, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, is one of the experts interviewed for the online CNN report 'The battle to contain Africa's hidden killers'.

Professor Norman Saunders, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Professorial Fellow in Neuroscience was recently honoured at the 12th International Conference on Cerebral Vascular Biology.

SBS staff secure funding for projects in this year's MDHS Learning and Teaching Initiative Seed Funding: three of the seven successful projects were from our School.

Professor Danny Hoyer and the Somnivore Team were one of four winning teams at this year’s Pitch Night

Our warmest congratulations to  Professor Emeritus James Angus on receiving a University of Melbourne Award

Mai wants to spread the news to other disadvantaged students who may be able to benefit from the program.

Dr Amanda Caples, an alumni of the Department of Pharmacology, has been appointed Lead Scientist to the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

The Hyslop Medal was recognises alumni or staff whose outstanding contributions have been integral to the success of social work at the University.

The life of the first female Jewish painter, Catherine Rachel Mendes da Costa, chronicled by alumnus Dr Henry Lew.

Professor Daniel Hoyer, Chair and Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, was awarded the Maurice Rapport Prize and delivered the Rapport Plenary Lecture at the 2016 International Society of Serotonin Research (ISSR) Meeting.

A Melbourne researcher has found a new avian influenza virus in Antarctica, causing concern viruses could be reaching the continent more often than previously thought, potentially having implications for the health of the unique species of birdlife.

Showcasing our School and Department shared equipment and research initiatives in the School.  To highlight a few:Master Collaboration Agreement - WEHI and University of Melbourne - CRISPR miceAccess to a list of equipment and facilities in our School

It is great to see the School Researchers and Students recognised in the Media for their latest published work. Just to name a few:Historic University collaboration launched to discover new medicines - Daniel HoyerParacetamol and Pregnancy - Norman Saunders and Mark Habgood Genetics of Autism and the Gut - Elisa HillLegionnaires Disease - Elizabeth Hartland, Ian van Driel, Andrew Brown, Sammy Bedoui

Showcasing our teaching initiatives and awards in our School.Congratulations to several members of the School who were successful in the recent round of 2016 Learning and Teaching Initiative Grants.

It is with great pleasure that I officially welcome you all to our inaugural School of Biomedical Sciences Newsletter – a great way to celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of our School.

All staff and students are encouraged to attend any of the following School Events. It is important to support each other and learn of the great work and facilities we have in the School.Upcoming events include: ARC Grant Mentoring Session, Biosensor Symposium and our School Celebratory Presentation.

Thank you to all the School members who assisted with our second year GTAC Program where Year 10 and 11 Students from rural areas in victoria and tasmania were introduced to Biomedical science disciplines on 13 September.

It's a pleasure to acknowledge our School Academic and Professional colleagues recently promoted, appointed to new or other roles, and welcoming new members to our School.  Congratulations to Professor Andrew Brooks appointed Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Professor Elizabeth Hartland as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Partnerships and External Relations); Professor Daniel Hoyer as Deputy Head of School; Academics promoted to Level C and a warm welcome to our new staff, Suzie Benson and Gillian Waters.

Please join me in congratulating the following recipients of prestigious awards in recognition of their hard work and talent: Our researchers - Professor Fred Hollande, Professor Leann Tilley, Professor Christine Wells, Professor Roberto Cappai and Professor Erica Fletcher. Also our students -  Savant Thakur, Gabriel Bernasochi, Hai Ly, Khurran Khan, Ee Ming Wong and Dusty Flanagan.