In the Media: Highlights from Immunology & Microbiology

DMI media highlights – April & May 2024

• A/Prof Ashraful Haque and his team authored a new research, published in mBio, revealing Plasmodium parasites, the pathogens causing malaria, operate like clockwork within the bloodstream, replicating in sync with the body's day-night cycle. Read more.
• Prof Matthew McKay was published in Nature Communications for an AI-powered tool that predicts the impact of influenza virus mutations and guides selection of future vaccine candidates. Read More.

• Dr Michael Duffy authored a new research, published in Plos Biology, that discovered the genes used by malaria-causing parasites that lead to severe disease.

• Prof Bill Heath, published a review featured in Nature immunology, showcasing how enhancing a standard mRNA vaccine with an immune cell-activating substance provides protection against malaria in mice.

• Dr Lynette Beattie and her team discovered gamma delta T cells have the opposite effect than previously thought in their role in building immunity against liver-stage malaria.

• Prof Stephen Rogerson and Dr Elizabeth Aitken are currently leading a team focusing on identifying antibodies that can prevent Malaria parasites from binding to placenta to protect mothers and their unborn babies. Read More.

• Dr Carolien van de Sandt authored study, published in nature immunology which reveals the mechanisms of killer T cell that lead to the elderly becoming more susceptible to contracting acute viruses. Read More.

• Prof Peter Doherty discusses how the immune system works unravels its complexities in protecting the body against diseases in a podcast for the Peter Doherty Institute. Listen here.

• Dr Susan Christo was featured on an episode of The House of Wellness, where she discussed how her team is harnessing T-cells in the immune system to treat autoimmune diseases. Listen here.

• Research Officer Isabelle Foo, authored a study published in Nature Communications, revealing the ripple effects of multiple infections on the human immune response. Read more.

• Prof Peter Doherty authored the 360info article To restore trust in science, we need great storytellers exploring issues surrounding the rise of fake news, the true meaning of scientific scepticism and the importance of evidence-based inquiry. The article also was featured in Six ways to rebuild confidence in science.

• Prof Kanta Subbarao was featured on a podcast for the Peter Doherty Institute discussing the upcoming flu season and how to prepare. Listen Here.

• Dr Alex Barrow was featured on FIVEAA Radio, Mornings with Matthew Pantelis segment commenting about possible immunotherapy treatments that may slow development of Alzheimer’s. Listen here.

• Prof Kanta Subbarao was featured on the article Bird flu outbreak in US Cows: why scientists are concerned published in Nature, sharing her expertise on the spread of the flu from birds to mammals.

• Prof Lachlan Coin contributed to new research published The Lancet, which discovered how early blood analysis could predict sepsis in children within 24 hours. Read more.

• Prof Ben Howden has been recognised as one of Australia’s Top 10 researchers by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for his significant contributions to public health and infectious diseases research. Read more.

• Dr Ouli Xie first-authored two papers published in Nature Communications, which revealed Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. Equisimilis (SDSE) and Strep A share genes and evolve together like “two tango dancers”. Read more.

• Prof Katherine Kedzierska was published in Nature Communications for research in developing the first T cell-based vaccines to fight influenza B infections. Read more. Media coverage included: The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Herald Sun, ABC News TV, The World, Channel 7, Nine News, ABC Radio, SBS News, 3AW Melbourne and more. Tejas Menon, co-author of the study, further explains the team’s breakthrough in the latest podcast for the Peter Doherty Institute. Listen here.

• Prof Laura Mackay has been honoured with the 2024 ICIS-Luminex John R.Kettman Award for her exceptional research on memory T cell populations and their regulatory cytokines. Read more.

• Prof Dale Godfrey was featured in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners article New strain emerges from world’s longest case of COVID-19 where he shared his expertise of the level of threat of virus’ originating in immunocompromised individuals.

• Prof Katherine Kedzierska research published in the Nature Reviews Immunology, was a review of decades of past and curren research to explore how our innate and adaptive immune systems fight against influenza viruses. Read more.

• Prof James McCluskey AO was awarded the Melbourne Achiever Award, recognising his significant contirbutitons to the biomedical research sector, and community, in a career spanning nearly 30 years. Read more.

• Dr Michelle Wille publishes article in The Conversation on avian influenza and the rise of an animal pandemic and was featured across various media outlets including ABC Online, ABC 7.30 TV.