Institute researchers have discovered the likely ‘cell of origin’ of the second most common type of lung cancer, lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Led by Dr Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat and PhD student Ms Clare Weeden, the study used donated lung tissue obtained through the Victorian Cancer Biobank to investigate lung stem cells and understand how lung cancers develop.

Riddled with errorsThe team isolated basal stem cells from the

airway of the lung and discovered that, when exposed to harmful chemicals such as cigarette smoke, the cells would try to rapidly repair any damage. However, there was a problem: the repair process was riddled with errors.

Dr Asselin-Labat said the basal stem cells tried to repair the damage caused, but the repair attempts were faulty.

“Our team has unearthed some of the first evidence that the basal stem cell DNA repair process is flawed, which points to the accumulation of DNA errors and genetic mutations that eventually lead to cancer,” Dr Asselin-Labat said.

A genetic match Further genetic analysis, using a technique

developed by Professor Gordon Smyth and Dr Yunshun Chen in the Institute’s bioinformatics department, confirmed similarities between the genetic signatures of the lung basal stem cells and lung squamous cell carcinoma. This genetic data reinforced that lung basal stem cells could be the ‘seed’ from which a cancer is able to grow.

“We hope our work will be a gateway to tailored prevention

and treatment measures for patients.”

Ms Weeden said the findings could advance research into the early detection of cancer.

“We hope our work will be a gateway to tailored prevention and treatment measures for patients with lung diseases,” Ms Weeden said.

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Ms Clare Weeden found lung stem cells were the likely source of a common type of lung cancer.

From the directorImproving health outcomes and fostering an Institute of exceptional people.NHMRC support for Institute research$31.9 million awarded to project grants and fellowships.‘Organoids bank’ to help patient survivalAn innovative approach to personalising pancreatic cancer treatment.The future of information processingMeet Milton: a fast new computing solution for analysing massive data sets.Diabetes Australia support for disease preventionA $60,000 boost to study aiming to prevent type 1 diabetes.Staff profilesMeet Ms Maria Bergamasco and Dr Jakub Gruszcyk.Australian approval for powerful anti-leukaemia pillTGA gives new CLL drug venetoclax the green light.On-site childcare centreNew centre to support researchers with childcare responsibilities.Embracing gender equityThe Institute is a proud advocate of ‘Safe and Strong’, the Victorian Government’s gender equity strategy.Gene discovery could prevent muscular dystrophySMCHD1 gene found to play a key role in disease development.Transforming treatment for rheumatoid arthritisThe John T Reid Charitable Trusts are improving the lives of patients.Keeping Giardia on ice The Pierce Armstrong Foundation supports parasite research with a cool new piece of equipment.In the footsteps of KellawayThe annual Kellaway awards celebrate exceptional service to science.Coming events

New clues for early detection of lung cancer

I L L U M I N A T EIssue Number 31 | March 2017

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www.wehi.edu.au WEHIresearch WEHIalumni @WEHI_research wehi_research WEHImovies Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

NHMRC support for Institute researchThe Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has received $31.9 million in support of project grants and fellowships in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)

Improved treatments for cancers, blood diseases, asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases are among the goals of the Institute scientists who have received grants.

Treating blood-based diseasesDr Samir Taoudi received $1 million in NHMRC

funding, which will support his team’s research into how blood cells are formed.

Dr Taoudi said the new funding would enable the team to make urgently needed advances in the laboratory-based production of blood.

Immunologist Professor Gabrielle Belz received a $700,000 NHMRC project grant to uncover new molecules that control innate immune cells.

Professor Belz said the funding would make an enormous difference to advancing her research. “This funding could help to improve the treatment of immune disorders such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease,” she said.

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton said the Institute was deeply appreciative of the NHMRC’s support.

“It is important that Australia continues to support scientists at all stages of their research careers,” Professor Hilton said.

The Institute received 21 project grants with a total of $15.6 million and institute scientists received $9.3 million in fellowships grants.

A place for exceptional people

Great research requires great people, and we have been working hard to ensure all the staff and students at the Institute have a great working environment. Recognising and celebrating excellence in the workplace, in all its forms, is an important part of this. I would like to congratulate the winners of the Institute’s staff and student recognition scheme, the Kellaway Excellence Awards, who have all contributed to the Institute’s successes.

Another exciting development at the Institute has been the progression of our plans to open an Early Childhood Education and Care Centre in 2018. Our goal is to support people at the Institute who have the responsibility of caring for young children. It has been heartening to see this important initiative so enthusiastically received both by our staff and students, and by our supporters in philanthropic and government sectors. I was particularly pleased that in December we received a New Early Learning Facilities grant from the Victorian Government that, with major donations from Terry and Sally Speed and The Dyson Bequest, will support this facility.

The importance of government support

Research at the Institute would not be possible without the ongoing support of the Victorian and Australian Governments. The recently announced Australian Government funding of research at the Institute through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s grants and fellowships programs has provided a boost to some very exciting research programs at the Institute.

2017 will be an exciting year for the Institute and I am looking forward to sharing this with you.

With very best wishes,Doug.

Welcome to the first Illuminate of 2017, a year that is already shaping up as an exciting one for the Institute and its supporters and friends.

Improving health outcomesWhen I commenced as director in 2009, the

Institute was positioned very much as a basic research institute. One of my immediate priorities in the role was to emphasise the importance of clinical translation and entrepreneurship to complement our historic basic research strengths. Over the past eight years I have been thrilled to see researchers across the Institute enthusiastically and creatively work to ensure that research done at the Institute has a health impact.

This cultural change is typified by the approval of a new cancer drug in Australia for treating people with certain forms of leukaemia (see page 5). The discoveries underpinning this medicine emerged from a basic research program at the Institute. The translational journey required long-term investment in structural biology, medicinal chemistry, clinical translation and business development. Ultimately, success was achieved through a culture of collaboration, not just internally, but with partners in two biopharmaceutical companies and with clinical colleagues in the precinct. I am confident that the lessons we have learned will ensure other basic scientific discoveries are rapidly translated to clinical benefit.

Congratulations to the class of 2016

In 2016 more than 50 students were awarded Honours and PhD degrees for their studies at the Institute, as the University of Melbourne’s Department of Medical Biology.

Mr Miles Horton received the Colman Speed Medal as the Institute’s top ranked Honours student.

Chair of the Institute’s Education Committee Associate Professor Anne Voss congratulated all students for their outstanding achievements and commitment to their studies.

“The 2016 cohort made many impressive discoveries and we look forward to following their future career successes,” Associate Professor Voss said.

Honours graduate Ms Rhiannon Morris joined the Institute’s program after obtaining her undergraduate degree in Western Australia and is now undertaking PhD studies at the Institute.

With a passion for understanding how cells in the body interact, Ms Morris is investigating signalling in blood cells, supervised by Dr Jeff Babon and Professor Doug Hilton.

Ms Morris said the Institute provided an outstanding learning environment for its students.

“We are surrounded by some of the best researchers in the country,” Ms Morris said.

Dr Samir Taoudi has received $1 million in NHMRC grants to advance work into the laboratory-based production of blood.

The Honours class of 2016.

From the director

For more information on student opportunities visit www.wehi.edu.au/education.

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Around the Institute

The creation of Australia’s first pancreatic cancer organoids bank could help to improve patient survival rates by reducing the time it takes to find the right treatment.

Taking the guesswork out of treatment

The key to this project is being able to bombard grain-sized pancreatic cancer tissue – called organoids – with treatments in the laboratory.

Using this method, dozens of drugs and drug combinations can be tested against tumour samples from each patient.

Helping to lead the project, Professor Tony Burgess said the use of organoids would be a significant change from current techniques, which could take eight months to yield results.

“We expect organoids to give us answers on an individual patient’s drug sensitivity and

resistance in 10 days,” Professor Burgess said. “Combine that with information on each

patient’s genetic mutations, and we expect this will give doctors real answers inside a matter of weeks, rather than months,” he said.

“This will give doctors real answers inside a

matter of weeks, rather than months.”

The project will be housed at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) in 2017. While it is still early days as far as patients are concerned, researchers are hoping to reach the first trial phase of the project in 2018.

Generosity underpins this research

The Institute would like to recognise the leadership of Jane Hemstritch who in 2015 committed a substantial gift in memory of her husband Philip to advance pancreatic cancer research.

The Philip Hemstritch Pancreatic Research Program provided the impetus for additional support that was later received from the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.

The grant of $916,000 from the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation is part of the Believe campaign for the University of Melbourne.

(L-R) Professor Tony Burgess, Associate Professor Peter Gibbs and Dr Tracy Putoczki are part of five research teams from the Institute working alongside the University of Melbourne to establish Australia’s first pancreatic cancer ‘organoids bank’.

Pancreatic ‘organoids bank’ to help personalise treatment

Meet Milton: the future of information processing The mascot may be a little blue monster, but the research processing capabilities it represents are no child’s play.

A year in the making, Milton is the interface for a ‘high-performance research computing cloud’ enabling Institute scientists to process data sets from their research.

Proteomics researcher Dr Giuseppe Infusini, who has been using Milton to analyse data, said he was now able to process information in-house at a volume, speed and complexity that was previously impossible.

“Through Milton I can now analyse massive amounts of data without leaving the Institute and within my lifetime,” Dr Infusini said.

Results in one weekA team lead by Professor Melanie Bahlo has

been studying the evolution of drug resistance in more than 3000 malaria genome sequences.

The study required the team to process 3.2 terabytes of data, a task that would have been impossible with previous infrastructure but, with Milton, only used a third of its capacity and took just under one week.

Faster testing and discoveriesMilton’s technical architect Mr Jakub Szarlat

from the Institute’s Information Technology Services team, said Milton’s mission was to provide a flexible, economical solution that would ultimately enable faster testing and discoveries.

“I can now analyse massive amounts of data without leaving

the Institute and within my lifetime”

“Milton provides data processing resources to users on an ‘as-needed and when-needed’ basis. When no longer required, those resources are simply released and recycled,” he said.

“As easy as booking a rental car online, our bioinformaticians and computational biologists are able to access Milton’s capabilities with the click of a button,” Mr Szarlat said.

The institute partnered with Xenon (as lead partner), Quantum, NetSolutions, and Juniper to deliver Milton.

For more information about trials Contact Dr Belinda Lee on 03 9347 4644.

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Dr Jakub Gruszcyk Postdoctoral fellowDescribe your job… I work in the Infection and Immunity division and use X-ray crystallography to visualise the structure of proteins in order to understand how they work.

What did you want to do when you were a child? I wanted to be a paleontologist to travel around the world and excavate dinosaur bones.

What is the best aspect of your job? The feeling when you solve the structure of a protein and you are the only person in the world who knows what it looks like!

What is the one thing most people would be surprised to know about you? I have dived more than 100 times and spent more than 80 hours in total underwater.

What is one thing your parents always told you? Study, study, study…

What is the best thing about living in Melbourne and why? The weather. It is never boring and continues to surprise me.

What is your favourite overseas destination and why? France. For its food, culture and nature.

Who do you most admire? The scientist Marie Sklodowska Curie for her perseverance and ability to achieve so much, against all odds, while remaining a modest and decent person.

What do you want to be remembered for? My chocolate lava cake.

Ms Maria Bergamasco Postgraduate student Describe your job… I study the behaviour of genes within the developing brain. My focus is on how stem cells eventually become specialised brain cells and what may have gone awry in cases of intellectual disability.

What did you want to do when you were a child? I don’t know but I questioned everything to the extreme frustration of everyone around me!

What is the best aspect of your job? Science is ever-changing. I love the excitement of that and the reassurance that my job is never boring.

What is your favourite overseas destination and why? Paris or Barcelona. I love the way these cities are set out and how you can wander happily through them for hours.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I’m incredibly sarcastic and have a very dark sense of humour.

What is one thing your parents always told you? Never settle for the limits other people set for you.

What is the best thing about living in Melbourne and why? The coffee. I’m not fit for human interaction before caffeine.

Who do you most admire? My Mum. She taught me to question everything and to value learning.

What do you want to be remembered for? Never falling out of love with discovering new things and for always being excited by the unknown.

A new study looking at how a sugar-coated protein protects the body from diabetes has received a $60,000 boost from the Diabetes Australia Research Trust.

Dr Esther Bandala Sanchez and her team are investigating whether the protein CD52 could be used to develop a screening test and preventative medication for type 1 diabetes.

“Preventing diabetes could be as simple as taking

a screening test.”

Dr Bandala Sanchez said the Diabetes Australia grant would fund ongoing research into how certain immune cells - called regulatory T cells - protect against diabetes.

“We discovered how ‘good’ T cells deploy a sugar-coated protein called CD52 that seeks

out ‘bad’ T cells to suppress their function,” Dr Bandala Sanchez said.

“Using its sweet, sticky exterior, CD52 is able to bind to these disease-causing T cells, stopping them from causing harm.”

Without CD52, the activity of ‘bad’ T cells increases, depleting insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and leading to poorly controlled blood glucose levels – a contributing factor for diabetes.

Hope for diabetes prevention Dr Bandala Sanchez said the team’s findings

suggest CD52 could be used to identify people predisposed to type 1 diabetes.

“We hope one day preventing type 1 diabetes will be as simple as taking regular tests and that CD52 could be used as a biomarker for a person’s risk of developing this disease,” Dr Bandala Sanchez said.

Diabetes Australia support for disease preventionDr Esther Bandala Sanchez is investigating whether CD52 could underpin preventative measures for type 1 diabetes.

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Staff profiles

A new medicine with the power to cure certain advanced forms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) has been granted Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval, following equivalent approvals in the United States and European Union.

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton AO said he was delighted by news of the drug’s approval, most importantly for patients with limited treatment options.

“The fact that Australians with hard-to-treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia can now benefit from a drug like venetoclax demonstrates how critically important medical research is to the health of our community,” Professor Hilton said.

A 30 year research odyssey Professor Hilton applauded the team effort

by Australian researchers and their international partners that preceded the approval.

“TGA approval of venetoclax is a major milestone in a journey spanning decades of powerful and innovative research by teams of leading scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs, including more than 100 researchers at Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research,” Professor Hilton said.

The timeline of discovery began at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in 1988, with the identification of BCL-2, a protein enabling cancer cells to survive.

Professor Hilton said scientists worldwide had subsequently been trying to find a way to

‘hit’ BCL-2, in order to stop cancer cell survival.Venetoclax was discovered and developed

with scientists from US pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Genentech, as part of an international collaboration with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Clinical trials continue in Melbourne

The first clinical trials for venetoclax started in Melbourne at Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre partners: The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and were led by Australian haematologists.

Professor Andrew Roberts, a clinical haematologist at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and cancer researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and the University of Melbourne, said venetoclax was undergoing further clinical trials, including in Australia.

More than 100 Institute staff and students contributed to the development of venetoclax.

Australian approval for anti-leukaemia pill

CLL is the most common type of leukaemia in Australia, with 1300 people diagnosed each year.

Who could benefit from the treatment?Venetoclax, to be marketed as VENCLEXTA™, has just been approved for Australian patients with relapsed or refractory CLL with 17p deletion, a mutation that makes the disease relatively resistant to standard treatment options, as well as for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL for whom no other treatment options are available.

Milestone moments in the timeline of discovery 1988 – The protein BCL-2 is found to make cancer cells immortal. This is first time prolonged cell survival is implicated in cancer development and progression.

1991 – Elevated BCL-2 thwarts anti-cancer treatments in studies that reveal anti-cancer drugs could kill tumour cells by inducing programmed cell death.

1998 – Researchers find BCL-2 keeps cells alive by suppressing the cell death protein BIM. BH3-mimetic drugs, including venetoclax, are designed to mimic BIM and suppress BCL-2.

2006 – Scientists discover benzothiazole compounds block the function of a BCL-2 family protein.

2009 – Venetoclax was co-developed for clinical use by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche group, and was discovered by AbbVie scientists as part of the joint research collaboration with Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists.

2011 – People with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in Melbourne are the first in the world to be treated with venetoclax in phase I clinical trials.

2013 – The phase I trial shows highly promising results for treating advanced CLL.

2016 – Phase II clinical trials show 79 per cent of people involved in the trial had a promising response to treatment. Venetoclax is approved in the US and EU.

Visit www.wehi.edu.au/venetoclax for more information.

Patients are advised to discuss any questions regarding their condition or treatment with their doctor.

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Institute embraces Victorian gender equity strategyThe Institute is a proud advocate of ‘Safe and Strong: A Victorian Gender Equality Strategy’. Developed by the Victorian Government, the strategy aims to redress inequality, sexism and violence against women.

Leading by example Institute director and Male Champion of

Change Professor Doug Hilton AO attended the launch of the strategy and made a personal pledge to make medical research gender equal.

A grant from the Victorian Government and support from the philanthropic community will help the Institute to establish an on-site Early Childhood Education and Care Centre.

Based at the Institute’s Parkville campus, the facility will open in 2018 and offer care for up to 100 children.

Vital support for parents in the sector

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton AO welcomed support for the centre saying it brought vital services and opportunities to parents who dedicate their working lives to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

“We are excited the Victorian Government is supporting this initiative with the $650,000 2016-17 New Early Learning Facilities Grant. I’m also proud to say we have received incredible support from the philanthropic community resulting in $2 million of donations,” Professor Hilton said.

“The Parkville precinct is Australia’s largest health and medical research hub and there is a high demand for childcare from its research and healthcare professionals,” he said.

Overcoming obstacles to career development

Co-chair of the Institute’s Gender Equity Committee, Associate Professor Marnie Blewitt, said access to childcare had also been identified as one of the single biggest obstacles to career development for women.

“Addressing this issue together will lead to more discoveries

that will improve health outcomes in Australia

and globally.”“Supporter and Institute commitment to the new

Early Childhood Education and Care Centre provides additional support for working women with family responsibilities to continue their careers,” Associate Professor Blewitt said.

“Addressing this issue together will lead to more discoveries that will improve health outcomes in Australia and globally.”

Gene discovery could prevent onset of muscular dystrophyA genetic change discovered in babies born without a nose could help to prevent a debilitating and incurable form of muscular dystrophy that affects teenagers and adults.

Institute researchers Dr Kelan Chen, Associate Professor Marnie Blewitt, Dr James Murphy, Ms Tamara Beck and Ms Alexandra Gurzau were part of an international research team that discovered how mutations in a gene called SMCHD1 can cause a rare syndrome called bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS), in which the nose fails to form during embryonic development.

Hope for future therapiesThe researchers made the connection that the

same gene, SMCHD1, is also faulty in people with an inherited form of muscular dystrophy called

facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2 (FSHD2). This finding brings new hope for the potential prevention of FSHD2, an incurable condition that causes muscle wasting in teenagers and young adults.

Associate Professor Blewitt said the team had already taken the first step towards developing medicines that could halt the progression of FSHD2, with the support of a grant from the FSHD Global Research Foundation.

“We hope that this medicine could be used to treat people who know that they carry a defective form of SMCHD1, before the muscle wasting commences. FSHD2 does not commonly cause symptoms until gene carriers are teenagers or young adults, so there is a very good opportunity to intervene,” Associate Professor Blewitt said.

Plans are underway to establish an Early Childhood Education and Care Centre at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Parkville, to open in 2018.

(L-R) Associate Professor Marnie Blewitt, Dr Kelan Chen and Dr James Murphy were part of the Institute team that discovered the gene involved in muscular dystrophy.

Institute welcomes support for on-site childcare centre

As an Institute, we endorse and commit to the following actions in relation to gender equity in science:

✔ Encourage and support a diverse range of women into leadership.

✔ Encourage flexible and family-friendly working arrangements for all.

✔ Call out sexism and sexist behaviour.

✔ Treat family violence as a workplace issue.

✔ Apply the principles of measurement, accountability and transparency in achieving gender equity outcomes.

✔ Use gender analysis to monitor and evaluate workplace policy.

✔ Align our gender equity work wherever possible to the strategy so together we can build a safe and strong Victoria.

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Research new

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More than 30 years ago, the John T Reid Charitable Trusts supported the establishment of a laboratory dedicated to improving the lives of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Reid Memorial Laboratory for Rheumatology Research was officially opened in 1994 with Professor Ian Wicks at its head.

Thanks to this early investment, a new treatment is poised to become an important therapeutic alternative for those patients who do not respond to standard agents for rheumatoid arthritis.

A major finding from early research in the Reid Memorial Laboratory was discovery of the role of a biological signal, the cell signalling hormone GM-CSF, which drives rheumatoid arthritis.

From this work, a new therapeutic treatment was developed and recently proved successful in phase II clinical trials.

Identifying personalised approaches to therapy

Professor Ian Wicks said there were many thousands of Australians who would have a better quality of life, thanks to the generosity, commitment and foresight of the trustees of the John T Reid Charitable Trusts.

“Our aim is to introduce a personalised medicine approach into clinical rheumatology to identify treatments tailored to individual patients,” Professor Wicks said.

“We will be able to improve patient care and treatment outcomes through the application of new and rapidly evolving technologies that enable us to analyse genetic variants, as well as gene expression and protein profiles in individual patients,” he said.

The John T Reid Centenary Fellowship

The John T Reid Charitable Trusts are continuing to take a leadership role by funding a five-year John T Reid Centenary Fellowship. The fellowship will support a clinician scientist who will coordinate bench to bedside research that is predictive for individual patients with rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions.

The recent grant commemorates 60 years of philanthropy by the John T Reid Charitable Trusts.

Keeping Giardia on ice In 2016, The Pierce Armstrong Foundation granted funds to laboratory head Associate Professor Aaron Jex to help with the purchase of a much-needed low temperature freezer.

Combating drug resistance The Jex laboratory is researching the

mechanisms of drug resistance in treating Giardia, a gastrointestinal parasite that causes around 200 million cases of disease each year.

Giardia disproportionately infects young children causing diarrhoea and, in chronic infections, contributing to physical and cognitive stunting, adult onset diabetes and obesity.

Studies depend on safe sample storage

Associate Professor Jex said the low temperature freezer would enable 40 scientists across three laboratories to store their samples.

“The low temperature freezer provides us with

the safe sample storage that our studies depend on,” Associate Professor Jex said.

“The low temperature freezer provides us with the safe sample storage that our

studies depend on.”

“In particular, my team will use the freezer to store samples of the Giardia parasite at minus 80 degrees Celsius,” he said.

Associate Professor Jex said the Institute was grateful to the Pierce Armstrong Foundation which had, for many years, generously provided grants for purchasing technology instrumental to basic, translational and clinical research.

“Results from our studies will guide efforts to understand the emergence of drug resistant Giardia and contribute to developing new

anti-giardial compounds, which will hopefully lead to new preventions and treatments for patients,” he said.

Transforming treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

Professor Ian Wicks, head of the Reid Memorial Laboratory for Rheumatology Research.

Approximately 200,000 Australians suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The disease affects people in the prime of adult life and persists into old age.

Associate Professor Aaron Jex (centre) and his team in front of the low temperature freezer, purchased with funds from The Pierce Armstrong Foundation.

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The Institute’s second director Dr Charles Kellaway inspired many throughout his lifetime to pursue research careers and offer their skills to the advancement of science and discoveries for humanity.

Dr Kellaway steered the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute through the Great Depression and outbreak of World War II. He is credited for raising the Institute’s profile and helping to develop many aspects of Australian medical research, including paving the way toward the establishment of the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Each year, in honour of Dr Kellaway, the Institute comes together to celebrate the contributions and achievements of staff and students with the annual Kellaway Excellence Awards.

Great research requires great people

Institute director Professor Doug Hilton said the awards recognised both scientific and

non-scientific staff and students who had demonstrated exceptional abilities in their fields.

“The awards applaud those who contribute, in

many forms, to the Institute’s successes.”

“The Kellaway Excellence Awards recognise outstanding service to science, from teaching and leadership, through to helping improve our environmental impact and making discoveries that shape contemporary thinking,” Professor Hilton said.

“The awards applaud those who contribute, in many forms, to the Institute’s successes.”

Produced by the Institute’s Communications and Marketing team. If you would prefer to receive this publication via email or have any feedback, please contact: 1G Royal Pde Parkville Australia 3052 | illuminate@wehi.edu.au | +61 3 9345 2555 | Printed on certified carbon neutral paper.

Coming eventsCoeliac Victoria seminar

Join us to celebrate Coeliac Awareness Week with Institute experts Dr Jason Tye-Din and Dr Emma Halmos. Learn about diagnosis and management of coeliac disease, and get an update on the latest research.Tuesday 14 March, 6:30-8:30pm Registration available at: www.wehi.edu.au/coeliacseminar

Annual General Meeting

Join Institute Board President Mr Chris Thomas, Director Professor Doug Hilton and the Institute board for the 2017 Annual General Meeting.Thursday 11 May, 4:30-5:30pmTo register your interest in attending contact: reception@wehi.edu.au or 03 9345 2555.

Day of Immunology discovery tour

Go behind the scenes in our immunology labs.

See demonstrations of new research techniques and learn how immunology research at the Institute is tackling immune diseases. Thursday 27 April, 6:00-7:30pmRegistration available at: www.wehi.edu.au/news/discovery-tours

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In the footsteps of Kellaway

To find out more about Institute events, including public lectures and discovery tours, phone 03 9345 2555 or visit www.wehi.edu.au/events

(L-R) Ms Louise Johansson, Ms Shauna Ross, Dr Kelan Chen, Associate Professor Guillaume Lessene, Dr Gabriela Brumatti, Dr Najoua Lalaoui, Dr Grant Dewson, Ms Angela Milligan.

Dr Charles Kellaway was the Institute’s second director, from 1923 to 1944.

Explore the Institute’s rich history at discovery.wehi.edu.au

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Events

A beacon of hope

w w w . w e h i . e d u . a u

My involvement with the researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has given me hope and purpose. Thanks to the wonderful research underway at the Institute, I am confident that ultimately other families will not experience the devastating loss of a loved one to cancer.

When I met the scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute I was inspired by their passionate commitment to finding better treatments for patients. I am proud to support Professor Tony Burgess and his team through the Shirley Cuff Cancer Research Foundation. You can be assured that donations and bequests to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute support the best research into cancer, infectious diseases and immune disorders.

– Research advocate and donor Jeff Cuff (left), with cancer researcher Professor Tony Burgess

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