Leadership
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Melbourne Laureate Professor Sharon Lewin
2023 was a year of significant progress for the Doherty Institute across research, public health and education; and I am delighted to share some of our key highlights over the following pages.
Our researchers harnessed innovative technologies, leading to many discoveries. Highlights include uncovering how Golden staph evades the immune system; understanding why COVID-19 causes severe disease; and developing new platforms for clinical trials and to advance public health, such as a clinical system to improve detection and treatment of viral hepatitis and a novel test for mpox. Innovation extended to teaching, with a new workshop offering Masters students an immersive experience to learn viral structure through virtual reality, taking their learning beyond traditional classroom settings.
Our public health teams provided expert guidance on responses to antimicrobial resistance, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and Buruli ulcer to governments in Victoria, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. We also conducted capacity-building programs for Bhutan, Fiji, Kiribati, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and the US to name a few.
Collaboration is a cornerstone of our work. In 2023, we strengthened ties with key stakeholders and institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Ragon Institute, Institut Pasteur and Fudan University. In addition, we forged new strategic partnerships, including becoming the first Australian laboratory to join CEPI’s Centralised Laboratory Network, the largest global group dedicated to the standardised testing of epidemic and pandemic vaccines. We are also a Foundation partner of the newly announced Pandemic Research Alliance – a network to strengthen collaboration and research exchange in pandemic preparedness with China, Singapore and the US.
The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID), of which the Doherty Institute is a Foundation Partner alongside the University of Melbourne and Burnet Institute, continued to make great strides in 2023. The concept design of the AIID building was unveiled, showcasing state-of-the-art facilities that will house over 1,000 staff and students. Our staff, the future users of the space, have been guiding the design development through extensive consultation to ensure it meets their needs. Works commenced on site and we submitted a public policy proposal to the Australian Government, advocating for improved international rules on surveillance, early detection and response to emerging diseases to better equip the global community for future pandemics and health crises.
Doherty Clinical Trials Ltd completed its clinical facility in East Melbourne and recruited an independent board and a team of specialists. Set to launch in 2024, it will be Australia’s first purpose-built facility for innovative early-phase volunteer infection clinical trials, including studies on respiratory pathogens.
At the start of the year, the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics announced the appointment of its inaugural Chair, University of Melbourne Professor James Angus, who brings outstanding experience in medical research and leadership to the Governance Board. The Centre launched its Foundation Grants Program, awarding $17.4 million to 22 research teams. A second round of funding, open to international investigators, is underway, with results to be announced in 2024. The Centre also received a generous donation of $5 million from the Ian Potter Foundation.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to our staff and graduate researchers, as the Institute’s remarkable impact would not be possible without your hard work and dedication.
I would also like to thank our partners, funders and stakeholders for their unwavering support. Their contributions have been vital to our continued growth and endeavours.
Thank you for your interest in our work and for your ongoing support.
- Professor Sharon Lewin
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Martyn Myer
As a global leader in infection and immunity, the Doherty Institute is distinguished by the excellence of its team and the significant recognition it receives. Highly Cited Researchers, the Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research and the STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award are just a few examples of the accolades our staff received in 2023, which highlight the exceptional talent and commitment to excellence within our Institute.
In 2023, our researchers secured substantial funding from top Australian bodies, including the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as well as from international funders such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) and the Fleming Fund. This significant investment not only reflects the trust in our work but also underscores the high regard in which our research is held. Such support is critical for advancing impactful research and delivering results to the community.
As Chair, I would like to thank my fellow Doherty Council members for their commitment, expertise and contributions.
I would also like to acknowledge Professor Sharon Lewin, whose leadership and determination have been the driving force behind the Institute’s remarkable success and impact. In 2023 alone, Sharon was honoured as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the BioMelbourne Network and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by LaTrobe University. In addition to her role as Director of the Doherty Institute, Sharon is the President of the International AIDS Society, a global organisation with over 14,000 members, and continues to lead her laboratory group working on HIV. Her achievements are a testament to her unwavering dedication and the profound impact she has on both the Institute and the broader scientific community.
In 2023, we welcomed Professor Paul Gorry as the new Deputy Director of the Doherty Institute. Paul will oversee the portfolios of research and engagement, and lead initiatives related to the Strategic Plan’s Areas for Acceleration. A respected molecular virologist, Paul brings extensive experience in research and leadership through his work in research institutes and the higher education sector. He is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Doherty Institute and an Honorary Senior Principal Research Fellow at Burnet Institute. I would like to thank Professor Andrew Brooks, Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute, for his contribution as Deputy Director for the past nine years.
Finally, I would like to praise our staff and students and acknowledge that their collective effort is what makes the Doherty Institute, after only nine years, one of the leading institutions in infection and immunity in the world.
With a record of outstanding publications, high success in grant awards and notable individual staff achievements, I am confident that the Doherty Institute will continue to lead and excel in research, public health and education for years to come.
- Martyn Myer, Independent Chair, Doherty Institute Council
REFLECTIONS ON PAST AND FUTURE PANDEMICS FROM OUR PATRON
Laureate Professor Peter Doherty
Through the 20th into the 21st century, humanity has lived through three major pandemics – the H1N1 influenza of 1918-19, the HIV pandemic that came to global consciousness in 1981 and now COVID-19, which began at the end of 2019 and is now in its fifth year. From 1901 to 2023, the size of the human population increased five-fold, from 1.6 to over eight billion, so, disastrous though these events might seem, they have in no sense compromised our continuity. A contributory factor to this extraordinary increase in human numbers has been the science of infection and immunity, which begins effectively with figures like Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Emil von Behring, Paul Ehrlich and Eli Metchnikoff from the latter part of the 19th century.
Before that, Edward Jenner had shown that inoculation with cowpox virus protects against smallpox, the only human infectious disease ever eliminated. But it was the formal understanding of science that advanced vaccinology to protect against a wider range of pathogens and their deadly toxins. Then, there is therapeutics, which involves dosing with small molecules (chemicals) and antibiotics (made by various fungi) to stop bacterial infections. As we are all aware, this great triumph of modern medicine, which led some prominent figures to claim in the 1960s that ‘the era of infectious disease is over’, is now compromised by mutations and the emergence of multi-drug resistance.
Returning to our three pandemics, all were caused by viruses that mutate to escape the immune system and all may be with us in perpetuity. Influenza A viruses continue to exist and circulate in nature due to their common presence in wild aquatic birds. So, unless all the birds are wiped out by climate change – in which case we won’t be far behind – the viruses remain a continuing threat to avian and mammalian (from sea lions to us) species. The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) carry a reverse transcriptase that copies the viral genome into our own DNA upon infection. Once infected, they can’t be eliminated. Though we have reasonably good influenza vaccines now, none were available during the 1918-19 pandemic; and it wasn’t until 1931 that the first influenza virus was detected by animal transmission. Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars, there is still no vaccine for HIV. When it comes to vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, vaccination may keep us out of hospital, but it does not prevent infection with rapidly emerging mutant strains and some fully vaccinated people still go on to develop the debilitating condition of Long COVID.
The great medical triumph with HIV has been the development of small molecule therapeutics, which allow those who are infected and have access to the drugs to lead completely healthy lives. Similarly, small molecule treatments exist for influenza infections (e.g. Tamiflu) and COVID-19 (e.g. Paxlovid), though they are only effective if taken as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms. Our new Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics offers a magnificent opportunity for researchers to contribute in novel ways to this global effort, by expanding this limited pipeline for influenza viruses and coronaviruses, while also advancing the development of new drugs to reduce the lethality of other RNA viruses that may jump across into humans (e.g. paramyxoviruses and filoviruses).
The other uncomfortable lesson we are in the process of learning is that, with eight billion humans and rapid, mass international travel, it is now inevitable that pandemics will happen with much higher frequency than in the past. This will likely mean that the spectrum of RNA viruses that become established permanently in the human family will also increase with time. Whether it be on the diagnostic, vaccine or therapeutic fronts, there is a great deal for us to do if we are to help blunt the impact of what is coming at us. The collegial culture of our Institute, key to our efforts through the COVID years, puts us in a strong position to continue making significant contributions to Australia’s preparedness and capacity to mitigate the effects of future pandemics.
- Laureate Professor Peter Doherty
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