Monthly Archive: September 2020 

Congratulations to Professor John Beltrame, research leader of the Translational Vascular Function Research Collaborative at the Basil Hetzel Institute, TQEH, for being named as the Australian cardiology researcher with the highest number of citations from papers published in the last 5 years in the top 20 journals in the field! The Australian’s Special Report covered 255 research fields, with 66 research field leaders being named in the area of Health and Medical Sciences. While The University of Adelaide was the “lead institution” in a few fields, including cardiology, Professor Beltrame was the only South Australian “field leader”..

A publication from the PhD research of Dr Vahid Atashgaran has won the Society for Reproductive Biology - Reproduction, Fertility and Development (SRB-RFD) Publication of the Year Award, announced during the virtual AGM of the SRB held yesterday. Vahid completed his PhD, through the University of Adelaide, in the Breast Biology and Cancer Unit at the Basil Hetzel Institute, TQEH, under the supervision of Associate Professor Wendy Ingman, Dr Pallave Dasari and Professor Simon Barry. He was also awarded a Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. Vahid is currently working in the Tumour Microenvironment Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia. [photo: A/Prof Wendy Ingman with Dr Vahid Atashgaran after his graduation ceremony at The University of Adelaide in May 2019]..

Dr Branka Grubor-Bauk and her Viral Immunology Group at the Basil Hetzel Institute, TQEH, have been awarded funding from the highly competitive Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program (part of the Medical Research Future Fund) to develop a novel needle-free vaccine to prevent infection of pregnant women with Zika virus. The technology, developed in collaboration with industry partner Enesi Pharma, Oxford, UK, combines protective Zika virus DNA vaccine with Enesi Pharma's ImplaVax® Technology. If you are curious about how needle-free vaccination works watch this video!.

Dr Katharina Richter, NHMRC CJ Martin Postdoctoral Fellow in the Surgical Science Research Group, has been awarded a Jim Pittard Early Career Award from the Australian Society for Microbiology. This award is to “recognise distinguished contributions in any area of Australian research in microbiology by scientists in early stages of their career”. Each year the two recipients present their research at the Annual Scientific Meeting..