Winning Melbourne research
Melbourne academics have been winning prestigious awards over the past few months, showing the incredible impact their research is having on both the research community, and those who will benefit in the long term.
Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis congratulated the recipients, saying high-quality research was a great strength of the University of Melbourne.
“On behalf of the University, I congratulate our winners and all our teams and individuals who were nominated for prizes and awards. It’s a reflection of our innovative scientific leaders and our partnerships. Research at the University of Melbourne represents a driving force for the transformation of society,” he says.
Prime Minister’s prize for Science
The Prime Minister’s prize for Science for 2013 has been awarded to Professor Terry Speed, head of Bioinformatics at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Professor in the Department of Medical Biology and Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Melbourne.
Professor Speed has brought together the right mathematics and statistics to help researchers tackle a range of computational problems in medicine and biology including unravelling the causes of cancer, often reducing the need for surgery.
Professor Speed’s current work focuses on techniques to sort out the impact of thousands of small genetic differences between normal and cancer cells, moving researchers closer to the clinic with ideas to treat cancer more efficiently.
“I am currently working with industry to create a tool to determine if your thyroid growth is benign or not. This brings together many years of fruitful research and development that can make a difference to patients,” he says.
“Twenty years ago biologists looked at one or two genes in isolation. Today they can track thousands of genes in a single cell, but to understand the results they need new tools such as those currently being developed,” he adds.
In congratulating Professor Speed, Professor James McCluskey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Melbourne said the application of computational methods to genetics and molecular biology is increasingly important.
“While cancer is a particular focus, Professor Speed has demonstrated that mathematics and statistics have a role to play in nearly all medical research. He has been integral to the development of a new framework for research,” he says.
Florey Prize
A discovery that has guided a life’s work has led to saving the lives of young children worldwide and inspired a revolution in public health.
Professor Ruth Bishop from the University of Melbourne, Royal Children’s Hospital and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute was announced winner of the 2013 CSL Florey Medal by the Australian Association of Medical Research Institute.
Professor Bishop, a microbiologist now in her 80s, first made the discovery along with the late Ian Holmes in 1973, by showing that a virus was a major cause of childhood gastroenteritis. She went on to determine how it spreads and with her collaborators helped develop new treatments and vaccines.
As a result, vaccination against “gastro” and in particular a virus known as rotavirus has been part of the National Immunisation Program for all Australian infants since 2007, while the number of hospital admissions has dropped by more than 70 per cent.
“The statistics of children dying of rotavirus in developing countries in particular were alarming. Globally, rotavirus infection still leads to more than 450,000 child deaths each year. But thankfully that’s changing too,” Professor Bishop says.
“However, I won’t be fully satisfied until a new vaccine becomes available. It is intended for newborns as this is the only time children in many developing countries are likely to be near a hospital.”
Ramaciotti Medal
Blood cell researcher Professor Douglas Hilton, Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has been awarded the 2013 Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research.
The Ramaciotti Medal and accompanying $50,000 grant recognises outstanding contributions to clinical or biomedical research, or the way in which healthcare is delivered.
Professor Hilton is a renowned leader in cell signalling and blood research, and is a passionate advocate for translating the benefits of biological discoveries to treatments for patients. His work has helped further understanding of diseases such as leukaemias and immune disorders.
Professor Hilton said he was humbled and grateful to the foundations for the award.
“I hope to continue to lead research that will improve therapies and health outcomes for the community,” he said.
Eureka Science Awards
Research from the University of Melbourne that could revolutionise the design of modern vaccines, improve outcomes for people suffering inflammatory bowel disease and infection, and deliver new drugs to patients more safely, have been recognised at the 2013 Eureka Science Awards.
Professor Frank Caruso of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has received the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science for his work developing nano-materials for medicine.
Professor Caruso leads a team of researchers examining the use of nano-materials for drug delivery, as well as better bioimaging.
The University of Melbourne together with Monash University has won this year’s University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Scientific Research for an accidental discovery that revealed the purpose of ‘mystery’ immune cells in the gut. The study shows how our immune system interacts with the complex bacteria ecology in our gut, and opens new paths for drug discovery.
University of Melbourne immunologist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor James McCluskey, a member of the team, said this work could lead to the development of a vaccine.
The Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research was won by the Eliminate Dengue Team, led by Professor Scott O’Neill from Monash University with collaboration from the University of Melbourne’s Professor Ary Hoffmann, and others.
The research demonstrates that by infecting dengue-carrying mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacterium, development of the disease can be limited.
University of Melbourne’s Professor Lloyd Hollenberg and his colleagues in the Quantum Bio-probes team won the University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. The group developed nano-scale diamond sensors that can light up the inside of cells. This allows researchers to examine activity inside a living cell in greater detail.
The Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia was awarded to the Defence Material Technology Centre (DMTC) for the Armour Applications Program led by Director Dr Tuan Ngo from the Melbourne School of Engineering. Dr Ngo has developed technologies and systems that have increased blast and ballistic performance, reduced weight and increased mobility.
Victoria Prizes
The 2013 Victoria Prizes for Science and Innovation have been awarded to University of Melbourne Physicist Professor Lloyd Hollenberg (Physical Sciences) and Professor Alan Cowman (Life Sciences) from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the University of Melbourne's Department of Medical Biology.
Professor Hollenberg’s groundbreaking work heralds a new era of nanoscale magnetic imaging through the application of quantum-sensing technology to the nanoscale detection of magnetic fields. His team achieved a millionfold increase in sensitivity and resolution compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
Professor Cowman’s research program on the malaria parasite has shown how it circumvents some drug treatments by its ability to act as a molecular chameleon. His work points the way towards better drug treatment and vaccine development against this parasite that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Marconi Society award
Electrical & Electronic Engineering PhD student Desmond (Ke) Wang has won the coveted 2013 Marconi Society Paul Baran Young Scholars Award.
Mr Wang is the first Australian to receive this prestigious award for his specialist work in optical-wireless technology. He is involved in on-going his research at NICTA, Australia’s Research Centre of Excellence in information and communications technology. Mr Wang’s research involves optical-wireless technology for ultra-broadband in building communications and reconfigurable optical interconnects.
The Marconi Society is the premier organisation recognising the achievements of scientists in the field of communications science and the Internet. Young Scholars are individuals who have, at an early age, already demonstrated exceptional engineering or scientific research and entrepreneurial capabilities with the potential to create significant advances in telecommunications and the Internet.
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