News

Researchers from the Institute were awarded more than $14 million across nine projects that include research into malaria, HIV, cancer, chronic infections, coronaviruses and influenza.

University of Melbourne’s Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute congratulated the researchers and said it was a fantastic result for the Institute.

"Investing in immunology and infectious diseases research is not just funding science, it's backing the future of our health, environment and global security,” said Professor Lewin.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon. Mark Butler MP, congratulated the 229 researchers across Australia who were awarded a total of $411 million in funding.

“Congratulations to all researchers receiving funding as part of today’s announcement – your dedication to enhancing the collective health of Australia’s population will help improve and save the lives of millions,” said Minister Butler.

NHMRC's Investigator Grants are designed to support outstanding researchers at all career stages by providing substantial funding for health and medical research projects spanning five years. This long-term support enables researchers to explore new avenues of investigation and foster collaborations within the scientific community.

NHMRC Investigator Grant recipients from the Doherty Institute:

Dr Jillian Lau | $674,400

Advancing clinical trials towards a cure for HIV

This research program aims to identify people living with HIV who are best suited to enrol in clinical trials to test drugs that may allow individuals to maintain very low levels of HIV in their blood without medication. This could lead to HIV remission or cure.

Professor Katherine Kedzierska | $2,924,080

Harnessing optimal immunity for protection from life-threatening respiratory virus infections

This project will define optimal immunity against respiratory viruses, particularly focusing on killer T cells, a type of protective immune cells. Researchers aim to identify key factors in life-threatening diseases and decipher susceptibility in high-risk populations. The findings will inform the designs of new vaccines and therapies against severe viral infections.

Dr Kevin John Selva| $674,400

Harnessing mucosal antibodies against respiratory viral infections

This research will identify antibody features best at protecting against coronavirus and influenza, before the vaccine platforms most suited to make these antibodies and assessing the efficacy of mucosal antibody therapeutics against active coronavirus and influenza infections.

Professor Laura Mackay | $2,924,080

Unravelling the diversity and function of tissue-resident lymphocytes

This project will advance our understanding of how tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) can be generated and controlled, with a view to harness them for enhanced immune protection against disease.

Associate Professor Norelle Sherry| $504,640

Harnessing pathogen genomics to understand and control antimicrobial resistance

This research aims to leverage advancements in genomic sequencing to tackle antibiotic resistance, by detecting outbreaks more efficiently, finding resistance in hospital wastewater, and better predicting antibiotic resistance using genomic data.

Dr Sidonia Eckle | $1,603,775

Understanding a novel immune approach for malaria control and the implications for a vaccine

This research program is expected to provide entirely new insights on protective immunity to malaria and substantially advance fundamental knowledge in the emerging MAIT cell field. It will also develop new MAIT cell-based vaccines against malaria.

Dr Susan Christo | $674,400

Exploiting the diversity of tissue-resident memory T cells for novel therapies

This research will explore the diversity of tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) and the molecular signals that govern their behaviour in disease-specific contexts. The aim is to uncover new pathways that can precisely target ‘pathogenic’ TRM while preserving ‘protective’ TRM.

Professor William Heath | $2,981,630

Harnessing T cell immunity in the liver

This work will characterise immunity to malaria and use this knowledge to design more effective vaccines. In previous work, key immune cells that can fight malaria had been discovered along with key parts of the parasite to target. The next phase will involve developing pre-clinical studies to advance effective malaria vaccines, including new mRNA vaccines.

Dr Yannick Alexandre | $1,603,775

Modulating stem-like T cells to resolve chronic infections and cancer

This project focuses on specialised white blood cells, called T cells, which play a crucial role in killing infected and cancerous cells, but become non-responsive during chronic infection or cancer, failing to control the disease. Researchers will explore new ways to target and reinvigorate T cells, ultimately contributing to the development of new and improved treatments for chronic infections and cancer.