Achievements

Much of MIMR’s research is on understanding the fundamentals of biology and unlocking the mysteries of the human body. As such this work provides the foundations for new approaches in medical science. It requires foresight and vision as it can often be many years before MIMR’s discoveries are transformed into approved therapies or diagnostics.

With the passing of time the value of this work becomes more apparent as more and more people worldwide benefit from the discoveries of the scientists and clinicians who have worked as part of MIMR over the years. What were initially considered groundbreaking developments are now accepted as common knowledge or standard practice in medical science.

 Recent Research Highlights 2009

Dr Caroline Gargett, from the Centre for Women’s Health Research, and her international collaborators received the prestigious Wellbeing of Women (WOW) award for their study into the importance of endometrial stem cells in developing endometriosis. The research could assist with the development of potential therapeutics for treating endometriosis.

Associate Professor Terry Johns, Centre for Cancer Research, and an international and Australian collaborative team have found a new technique to shrink cancerous tumour cells. They designed antibodies that shutdown the activity of a tumour-associated receptor called the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), causing a reduction in tumior growth.  The highly novel aspect of this work is that these antibodies only bind a form of the EGFR found on tumor cells and not normal cells.  This work provides a mechanism for specifically treating tumors without side-effects as the normal tissue and organs are not impacted.

A collaborative team of clinicians and scientists lead by Prof. Paul Hertzog, Director of the Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, received a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to research the nature of the human body’s early, innate immune response to the flu strain H1N1. Prof. Hertzog believes this is a critical factor in determining the severity of the disease outcome, response to vaccination and our ability to develop predictive tests. The results of his team’s study will be shared internationally.

Professor Bryan Williams, Director for MIMR, has led a team of researchers to discover an important new role for a protein in the body’s innate immune response to viral infections and cancer. The study, published in the prestigious journal Immunity, found that promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) plays a key role in the innate immune response, by activating a large subset of interferon-stimulated genes. In the future, PLZF could be used as a drug target for both anti-viral and anti-tumour therapy.

Associate Professor Greg Hannigan from the Centre for Cancer Research and a team of international collaborators have found a potential future therapeutic treatment for a rare form of cancer found in children; Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The study, published in the prestigious Journal for Clinical Investigation showed that by inhibiting the molecule Integrin Linked Kinase (ILK), the more aggressive form of the RMS cancer, Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is suppressed in its growth whilst the more common form Embryonal  Rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) accelerated in its overall growth. This is a significant discovery as current treatments for ARMS are ineffective.