CSL has awarded its annual Centenary Fellowships to two Australia-based researchers to support their work in finding potential new ways to fight cancer and infectious diseases.
Dr. Alisa Glukhova, a structural biologist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, and Professor Si Ming Man of Australian National University’s John Curtin School of Medical Research, were presented with the five-year, $1.25 million AUD ($900,000 USD) grants at the Australian Academy for Health and Medical Research Online Scientific Meeting earlier this month.
Dr. Glukhova is investigating the Frizzled protein, a signal receptor in a fundamental cell communication system that guides the growth of embryos. By determining the size and the shape of the protein, she hopes to create a path to new kinds of cancer treatments.
Professor Man will use his fellowship to study disease-fighting proteins produced by the immune system and how those proteins may be used to fight infectious diseases. By utilizing the proteins, scientists may be able to produce alternatives to antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant microbes.
The work of this year’s recipients epitomizes the ethos of the CSL Centenary Fellowships, said Dr. Andrew Nash, CSL’s Chief Scientific Officer.
“They are each seeking a deeper understanding of key proteins – vital molecules for all living systems – that could transform how we fight infectious diseases and cancer,” Nash said.
