Science, Technology and Engineering

9 March 2009
Congratulations to Dr Kaye Truscott who has been awarded funding from the ANZ Charitable Trusts - Medical Research and Technology in Victoria Grants scheme.

February 2009

• Dr James Vince: recipient of an NHMRC Overseas Based Biomedical Fellowship
• Dr Joanne (Hulett) Hildebrand (Melb Uni to return to John Silke's lab): recipient of an NHMRC Overseas Based Biomedical Fellowship
• Dr John Atwell: NRMRC development grant: Development of a sensitive point of care diagnostic assay for Troponin - $134,750
• Prof. Leann Tilley, A/Prof. Mike Ryan (Biochemistry) & Dr Andrew Peele (Physics): awarded a renewal and extension of funding for their ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-Ray Science to end of 2013 ($2.2M/year, increase of $300K p.a.)
• Dr Suzanne Cutts: CASS Foundation Science and Medicine Grant 2009, Activation of the anticancer agent pixantrone and a novel derivative by a formaldehyde-releasing prodrug, $55,000
• Prof. Leann Tilley, A/Prof. Mike Ryan & Dr Nick Klonis: NHMRC Equipment Grant. Automated Stage Fluorescence Microscope for Quantitative Cellular Imaging. $36,675
• Dr Mark Hulett:  ANZ Trustees Program – Medical Research & Technology in Victoria. $15,210
• Prof Don Phillips: Invitation Fellowship for Research in Japan by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science - the 6 week fellowship will be taken in May/June this year.

16 February 2009
Congratulations to Professor David Vaux who has been awarded the Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture by the Australian Academy of Science. This biennial award recognises scientific research of the highest standing in the biological sciences. Professor Vaux – a National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Fellow – won the Macfarlane Burnet Medal for research on the molecular mechanisms by which cells kill themselves.

As part of the award he will deliver the Academy’s prestigious Biennial Macfarlane Burnet Lecture next year. 'Every second, a million cells in our bodies commit suicide,' he says. 'If cells fail to die, they can accumulate to eventually become cancers.' With his colleagues at La Trobe, in particular Dr John Silke and Dr James Vince, Professor Vaux is looking at proteins known as Inhibitors of Apoptosis (IAPs).

'Just as IAPs in insects regulate cell death during metamorphosis, IAPs regulate cell death in humans,' he says. This work on IAPs has underpinned the development of a novel group of compounds currently undergoing clinical trials in humans for the treatment
of cancer.

14 February 2009
Well done to all our members who presented talks and posters, highlighting the quality and diversity of research being done out here at La Trobe at this year's Lorne Protein conference.

In particular, congratulations to our student poster prize winners: Rob Ninnis (DAD/KNT lab) | Phil Strack (DAD/KNT lab) | Micky Baker (MTR lab).

See list of past student poster prize winners.