State’s highest honour for Victorian scientific pioneers

TWO of Victoria’s leading research minds have received the state’s highest scientific honour for research into how the immune system identifies and fights disease.

Two Victorian scientists have received the state’s highest scientific honour for research.

TWO of Victoria’s leading research minds have received the state’s highest scientific honour for research into how the immune system identifies and fights disease.

Victoria is recognised as a world-leader in biomedical research and Prof Jamie Rossjohn, of Monash University, and Prof James McCluskey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at University of Melbourne last night received the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation for 15 years of pioneering work in understanding of how T lymphocytes from the immune system recognise harmful microbes.

Their research aims to build better vaccines, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcers and tuberculosis.

“When I completed my PhD in 1994, the computing power was a fraction of that of the smartphone now in my pocket. It took essentially the entire duration of a PhD to determine a protein structure, but now, fortunately, with the advancement of technologies, research progress in this vital area of biomedical science can be much more rapid,” Prof Rossjohn said.

Professor Jamie Rossjohn

“The investment in the Australian Synchrotron by the Victorian government has really propelled our research,” Prof Rossjohn said.

“To have such a world-class facility on our doorstep has been of enormous value to our research. It means we can compete with the best in the world in a sustained manner.”

The science community is now looking at continuing the evolution of the Clayton-based Australian Synchrotron with a push to fund new beamlines to speed up research and give researchers an unprecedented level of detail of human cell structure.

The advances, once funded, will mean previously invisible viral cells of less than five microns (human hair is 50-100 microns in width) will be analysed; rapid skeletal and dental research, improved 3D imaging, accelerated development of novel drugs and increased capacity for high-demand research.

Computers like MASSIVE — Multi-modal Australian Sciences Imaging and Visualisation Environment — which works with synchrotron imaging, will be programmed to learn from data, understand how disease spreads and develop personalised medicine responses.

Professor James McCluskey

Prof McCluskey said investments by Melbourne university in laser-based and other biotechnology at the Doherty and Bio21 institutes and Monash’s support for imaging and robotics at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute helped put Victorian research at the forefront.

“Across our state the combination of clinicians, medical researchers, cutting-edge laboratories, biomedical companies and landmark research infrastructure provides an amazing and seamless network of moving parts dedicated to finding new and better ways of treating the diseases that affect so many Victorians,” Prof McCluskey said.

Minister for Innovation Philip Dalidakis said as well as enhancing and saving lives, science and medical research was a critical industry for Victoria’s economy.

“Congratulations to Professor Jamie Rossjohn and Professor James McCluskey for receiving Victoria’s highest scientific honour. It’s fantastic to see our state’s leading researchers being recognised for the work they do — they are the reason we are a world-leading medical research hub.”