Gabriele Bammer received the Ertas Transdisciplinary Scientists and Engineers Award, which recognises distinguished achievement in transdisciplinary science and/or engineering as evidenced by contributions to transdisciplinary education and/or research with the use of creative and innovative methods and visionary leadership. Professor Bammer was presented with the award in June at the 11th World Conference on Integrated Design and Process Technology, Taichung, Taiwan - where she also gave a keynote address, "Do We Need a New Discipline to Document and Transmit Problem-based Learnings?" More »

The ANU Medical School will be hosting a Health Social Science Seminar series at the Peter Baume Building during 2008. More »

Year 10 students from ACT High Schools participated in the ACT Final of the Australian Brain Bee Challenge at JCSMR on Tuesday 24 June. Questions related to brain anatomy and physiology, with the students participating in both individual and team competition rounds.Congratulations to Hayden Lee, Year 10 CGS for placing first in the Individual challenge, and Burgmann Anglican School for taking out the Team Challenge, and winning a Primostar Microscope from Zeiss for their school science laboratories. More »

Combined Canberra Central Probus Club visited JCSMR on Wednesday 18 June as part of our ongoing guest program. Thanks to Stephanie Palmer and Kaiman Peng (ACRF Biomolecular Resource Facility), Cathi Metcalfe (JCSMR Operations manager) and Nick Best (Technical Services Division) for hosting this group of visitors.  More »

Congratulations to Professor Steve Redman AM, who was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia, General Division in the Queens Birthday Honours list, announced on Monday, June 10. Professor Redman's award was for services to medical science, particularly in the field of experimental neuroscience as an academic and researcher and through contributions to professional organisations. More »

The Australian Society for Medical Research held it's Young Investigator's Forum of the ACT Branch at the ANU Medical School Building, Canberra Hospital, yesterday.Two JCSMR students were awarded prizes. Ivan Poon from the Division of Immunology and Genetics won the University of Canberra sponsored poster prize and Michelle Linterman also from the Division of Immunology and Genetics won the ASMR award for an oral presentation. More »

Mace Neve from The John Curtin School of Medical Research has won an inaugural Quinn Honours Research Scholarship. Granted by the Medical Advances Without Animals Trust, this $10,000 prize is awarded to students undertaking honours research projects that do not use animals or animal products. More »

Professor Judith Whitworth welcoming guests at the NuSep handover of the MF10 Benchtop Electrophoresis Separator, purchased in the latest round of small equipment funds. This is the first of these machines to be sold, with many orders placed in the US. It is an Australian invention from an Australian owned company. The equipment is located in the BRF for all groups to use. The MF10 can be used to fractionate proteins, deplete unwanted proteins from a sample, de-salting samples or protein concentration. Its advantages are rapid sample turnaround time, high throughput and high recovery from small samples. More »

A group of Indian clinicians visited JCSMR as part of the Worldwide Rotary Friendship exchange. Dr Anselm Enders presented them with an overview of the research in his laboratory, and they spoke with Dr Yi Zhang in the High Blood Pressure Research Unit. More »

A paper co-authored by CMHR staff member Associate Professor Kathy Griffiths was awarded the Charles Tuttle Award from the American Society of Aerospace Medicine at the Society's awards dinner on 14th May, 2008. This award is for the paper that contributed most to solving an issue in aerospace medicine in 2007 and was published in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. Details: Ross, J., Griffiths, K. M., Dear, K., Emonson, D., & Lambeth, L. (2007). Antidepressant use and safety in civil aviation: A case-control study of 10 years of Australian data. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 78, 749-755 More »

The ANU stream of the ARC/NHMRC Research Network in Ageing Well sponsored a Forum for Research on Ageing and Longevity at The Australian National University on Thursday, 24 April 2008. Keynote speakers were: Professor Felicia Huppert, current and founding Director of The Well-Being Institute (WBI), University of Cambridge, and Director of the Cambridge Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ageing (CIRCA); and Professor David Melzer, Director of the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth. More »

Professor Julian Cribb gave the first of the JCSMR School seminars for 2008, speaking on Boffins and Wolverines: Science and the Media. More »

Associate Professor Kaarin Anstey was invited to participate in the Australia 2020 summit convened by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on April 19 and 20. Assoc Prof Anstey participated in the discussion area of health with the given objective of developing ideas for a long-term national health strategy - including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population. Kaarin also took part in the local Canberra 2020 summit which was organised in the lead-up to the national summit and convened by Chief Minister Jon Stanhope on April 5. For more information, please visit the Australia 2020 Summit website and read the Canberra 2020 Summit media release. More »

JCSMR hosted visitors from the ACT Branch of The Haemophilia Foundation on Thursday 17 April as part of World Haemophilia day. The group took a short tour through the new building, and discussed various issues surrounding medical research. More »

Senator Kate Lundy visited this week to tour the Stage 2 building site with Mr Medy Hassan, JCSMR Director Professor Judith Whitworth and Mr Bob Wells. Stage 2 is currently due for completion in late 2008, with occupation of the new laboratories expected early in 2009. More »

On Sunday 9 March Mr Jackie Chan launched the Jackie Chan Science Centre, which will showcase the history and current research of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at The Australian National University.Fact Sheet More photos More »

Natalie Chan was one of six students awarded COTA's Postgraduate Research Award for a research paper of excellence at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing Masterclass, held in late March 2008. Natalie will now collaborate with a mentor from COTA to develop her paper for publication in the Issues in Ageing: A Journal of Award-Winning Postgraduate Research published on the COTA Over 50s' website by its National Policy Research Centre. More »

A delegation from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and two representatives of the Japanese Embassy toured JCSMR laboratories this week. They were interested to discuss the differences in postgraduate medical education for students between Australia and Japan.   More »

Professor Denis Monard, President of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, and His Excellency Mr Christian Muhletahler, Swiss Ambassador visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research last week. They are pictured here with the portrait of Professor Rolf Zinkernagel. More »

 A team of researchers from The Australian National University will lead a new joint research centre with China conducting leading-edge research into treatments for Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).The new Australia-China Centre for Phenomics Research, funded by the Chinese and Australian Governments, will be located in the John Curtin School for Medical Research at the ANU. The joint undertaking – thought to be the largest funded program in biosciences between China and Australia – was instigated by the University’s Dr Edward Bertram (pictured) following his involvement in a China-Australia exchange program supported by Australian Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Academy of Science.“The funding will be used to study alterations in the genome code that lead to increased resistance to Avian Influenza,” said Dr Bertram. “It’s hoped that this work will help us to identify targets for designing new treatments to boost the immune system against Avian Influenza.” ANU Media Release More »

Undergraduate students from across Australia and New Zealand spent their summer vacation doing research projects at JCSMR. This opportunity introduces students who are considering postgraduate studies to a world-class research environment. Further Information More »

National Youth Science Forum students toured JCSMR laboratories on Monday the 21st January. Each year the NSYF brings together students moving into Year 12, who wish to follow careers in science, engineering and technology by introducing them to research and researchers, by encouraging the achievement of excellence in all their undertakings, and by helping to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. A second group of students will visit the School on Wednesday 23th January. More »

Conferring ceremony Speech - Peter Baume 11-12-2007 More »

Summer Edition 2007 More »

Dr Amanda de Mestre was awarded The Frank Fenner Medal on Friday the 7th December at an awards ceremony in the Finkel Theatre. The Frank Fenner Medal is awarded annually for the most outstanding PhD thesis submitted in The John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University. Amanda was also presented with the Dewar Milne Prize which is awarded to the student judged to have carried out the most significant piece of research in the field of immunology during their doctoral candidature at The John Curtin School of Medical Research.Professor Frank Fenner and Professor Frances Shannon presented the awards. Amanda then gave a seminar entitled "Survival and function of equine trophoblast allografts: a novel approach to cell therapy?" More »

Director Professor Judith Whitworth pictured with Mr Brian Acworth (left) and Dr and Mrs Graham Durant at the 2007 Town and Gown end of year drinks at The John Curtin School of Medical Research.The annual Town and Gown event was held on November 27 and brought together members of the research, health and business communities from around Canberra. More »

Professor Chris Parish from The John Curtin School of Medical Research has been awarded a NH&MRC/JDRF program grant of $3 million for work on Type I diabetes, over 5 years. His team for this project is comprised of Dr Charmaine Simeonovic, Professor Chris Parish, Dr Craig Freeman and Dr Gerard Hoyne. (pictured from left to right) "Our recent studies have shown than an important enzyme called heparanase and the carbohydrate it degrades, heparan sulfate, play a previously unrecognised role in the development of Type I diabetes," Professor Parish said. "This grant will allow us to investigate whether destructive immune cells use heparanase to deplete heparan sulfate around insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This process, we believe, results in the death of the insulin producing cells and precipitates Type I diabetes. "Our aim is to develop new drugs that inhibit this damage, prevent Type I diabetes and protect transplants of insulin producing cells from being rejected by the immune system. We're very excited about receiving this grant as it will allow us to explore and exploit a totally new approach to the control and treatment of Type I diabetes." More »

Vital Australian research into curing major human diseases has received a significant boost as The Australian National University’s John Curtin School of Medical Research, was named recipient of the $1 million Ramaciotti Research Award at a ceremony held in Melbourne on Thursday 1st November.The John Curtin School of Medical Research will devote the funding to establish the Ramaciotti Immunisation Genomics Laboratory which will research genetic issues around vaccines for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as cancer, auto-immune diseases and heart disease.Professor Christopher Goodnow (pictured), Head of Immunology and Genetics at The John Curtin School said he was delighted to accept the prestigious Ramaciotti Research Award on behalf of the facility. He was also joined at the ceremony by post-doctoral fellow Dr Anselm Enders who will be in charge of the new laboratory.“The Ramaciotti Laboratory will enable major landmark discoveries by providing an unprecedented Australian opportunity to uncover the genes, cells and biological mechanisms governing immunisation responses,” said Professor Goodnow. More »

Research Australia hosted the Canberra launch of the 5th Thank You Day celebrations in the JCSMR foyer on Wednesday 31st October. "Thank You" Day gives you the opportunity to send a message of goodwill and appreciation to all those involved in the fields of medical research, or to a specific organisation or individual.Dr Mark Hulett, President of the Australian Society for Medical Research and leader of the Cancer and Molecular Immunology Group, JCSMR and Mr Bob McMullan MP, Member for Fraser, sign the Thank you day card. More »

Professor Peter Doherty, Professor Rolf Zinkernagel, Nobel Laureates, and Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner get together at the 12th Frank and Bobbie Fenner conference which was held at the JCSMR. The conference celebrated the life, achievements, and retirement of Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner who will leave The John Curtin School at the end of the year.   More »

Winners of the prestigious 2007 NSW/ACT Young Tall Poppy Science Awards were awarded on Thursday October 18. Included in the awards is Dr Carola Vinuesa, from The John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, who recently discovered a gene that appears to be a crucial link in the development of autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.Winners of the Young Tall Poppy Science awards are selected on the basis of research achievement and passion for communicating their work. What makes the Young Tall Poppy Science Awards unique is that instead of winning money or prizes, the scientists win the opportunity to take their research to high school students around NSW, ACT and across Australia. More »

Prof Tony McMichael, one of several ANU scientists working with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has won a small share in this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The prize has been awarded jointly to Al Gore and to the IPCC for their work in raising awareness of the science and significance of global climate change and its impacts. Over 1500 scientists from around the world have contributed to the recent Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC. Tony McMichael has been involved, since 1993, as a chair and senior reviewer of the health impacts assessment chapter, in the second, third and fourth reports. More »

Michelle Banfield (CMHR PhD student) recently shared her story with the Canberra Times (published 17th Sepember 2007). Click here to download and read a pdf version of the article.Click here for more information about the Depression & Anxiety ConsumerResearch Unit (CRU), and how you can get involved in CRU's research. More »

YouthMood received the 2007 Gold Award for Achievement in Infant, Child and Adolescent Services/Programs at The Mental Health Services (THEMHS) Conference in Melbourne.YouthMood is a project which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing MoodGYM in schools to prevent depression and increase resilience skills in young people aged 15-16 years.Click here for more information on YouthMood and other MoodGYM-based programs.The THEMHS Achievement Awards program is a peer review process which acknowledges excellence in mental health services. The Gold Award recognises a program's significant contribution to the field of mental health, as well as its effectiveness and high standard of service. The 2007 THEMHS Achievement Awards were presented on Wednesday 5th September 2007, by Senator the Hon. Brett Mason, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing. More »

Labor Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, Kate Lundy, visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research on Thursday 30th August.She joined Professor Whitworth on a tour through the completed Stage 1 of the new JCSMR building which includes modern, open-plan laboratories, a public display foyer, and a 200 seat lecture theatre and was then shown the plans and the start of construction for Stage 2. Senator Lundy is currently the Shadow Minister for Local Government and Sport, Recreation and Health Promotion. More »

Visit JCSMR on 25th August 2007 between 9am and 3pm.ANU Colleges jointly present career options for those interested in medical, biomedical or health science careers. All major areas of study will have booths including graduate entry medicine, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and postgraduate research programs. A series of presentations on cutting edge research will be held throughout the day in the Finkel Lecture Theatre.More information.   More »

Congratulations to Dr Charani Ranasinghe who has been awarded the Alan and Elizabeth Finkel Prize for 2006 for her work on a Mucosal HIV AIDs vaccine.The Alan and Elizabeth Finkel Prize is awarded every two years to recognise outstanding achievement in research carried out in The John Curtin School of Medical Research which has the potential to lead to improvements in health in developing countries. Photo: Alan Finkel and Charani Ranasinghe outside the JCSMR.  More »

Professor Tony McMichael has been awarded four million dollars to do research on the links between climate change, environmental factors and human health. Professor McMichael has been named as an Australia Fellow by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). This means he'll receive $800,000 annually in research funding over the next five years. More »

AusReady is in search of individuals with qualifications and professional experience in a range of relevant disciplines including animal and human health, laboratory and clinical operations, epidemiology, health systems, social sciences, capacity development, environment and natural resources, information systems and project/program management, to work on short- and long-term projects within Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. AusReady Advisors may undertake planning, feasibility study preparation, design, capacity building, training, project management, evaluation, and research assignments. More »

e-couch is the latest online program developed by the e-hub team. e-couch provides information about emotional problems - what causes them, how to prevent them and how to treat them. e-couch also provides a set of evidence-based online interventions designed to equip the user with strategies to improve their mood and emotional state, along with a workbook to track progress and record experiences. More »

The John Curtin School of Medical Research Open Day gives you the opportunity to talk to scientists in their working laboratories. Researchers in fields as diverse as asthma, diabetes, HIV and cancer will be there to demonstrate their work and answer your questions.On this one day, the doors of the School will be open to all secondary students and members of the public. The School is open during National Science Week as part of the Australian Science Festival.Friday 17 August 2007, 10am-5pm. Bookings essential for school groups only. Please contact Madeleine Nicol on 6125 2577 or Amy Eichner on 6125 1057, or E: public.affairs@jcsmr.anu.edu.au More »

Professor Frances Shannon, Deputy Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (left) congratulates Drs Anna Moore and Vanessa Prescott following their graduation on 13th July.     More »

On Friday 6th July, a Witness seminar honoring Professor Frank Fenner took place in the Finkel Lecture Theatre. The concept of the Witness Seminar was pioneered by the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College, London. Those who have 'witnessed' the work of particular teams and individuals discuss, 'What was it like at the time?' and 'Why did things happen the way they did?'Professor Fenner is Australia's most distinguished living microbiologist and immunologist. As the undisputed world leader on poxviruses, Fenner contributed to the eradication of smallpox, one of the greatest practical achievements in the history of microbiology. More »

Staff and students of JCSMR attended a "Go Red for Women" morning tea in the foyer in support of the Heart Foundation. This nationwide campaign aims to raise funds for research into heart disease, and to increase awareness of the prevalence of heart disease amongst Australian women.The JCSMR event was also attended by Tony Stubbs, CEO of the ACT Division of the Heart Foundation, and a group of students visiting from the USA. More »

The Australian Society for Medical Research held it's Young Invesigator's Forum of the ACT Branch at The John Curtin School of Medical Research last week. Three JCSMR students were awarded prizes. Catherine Horan from the Division of Bioscience won the 'Young Tall Poppy' award for the best talk. Michelle Linterman from the Division of Immunology and Genetics won the ASBMB award for the best poster presented and Dean Yee also from the Division of Immunology and Genetics won the ASMR award for the best student presentation. More »

Dr Alan Finkel has been named as the next Chancellor of Monash University. Dr Finkel, neuroscientist and entrepreneur has long been associated with JCSMR, since his postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience in the early 1980's. He will take up his new position at Monash at the beginning of 2008. More »

Congratulations to Di Yu, who has been awarded the Lupus 2007 Young Investigator Award to attend the 8th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Shanghai, China in May.Di has recently completed his PhD studies in the Immunogenomics laboratory, JCSMR.   More »

Professor Bruce Stillman has been awarded the 2006 Curtin Medal. A PhD graduate of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Professor Stillman studied in the Department of Microbiology with Dr Alan Bellett and is now Director and president of the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory. This private institution in Long Island, New York, specialises in research on cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics and bioinformatics. Professor Stillman's research is focused on the mechanisms and regulation of DNA replication which he studies in both human cells and yeast. This process is essential in ensuring accurate inheritance of genetic material from one cell generation to the next. The Curtin Medal is awarded annually to an Australian who has made an outstanding contribution to medical science, or to a person whose work has a significant Australian relevance. More »

Congratulations to Dr Adrian Liston on his award of The Frank Fenner Medal last Friday.The Frank Fenner Medal is awarded for the most outstanding thesis submitted within The John Curtin School of Medical Research in each calendar year, and is one of the few such prestigious prizes available to a scientist in the early stages of their research career.Dr Liston studied aspects of the genetic basis of human autoimmunity during his PhD studies with Professor Christopher Goodnow. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle. More »

Professor Judith Whitworth took great pleasure in naming the Gordon Ada Videoconferencing Room in honour of Professor Gordon Ada this week.With his family present, Professor Whitworth spoke of Professor Ada's great contribution to the life of The John Curtin School, and his current involvement with students in the region through National Youth Science Forum and an education program on the importance of vaccination. More »

Australian understanding and preparedness for biosecurity threats has taken a big leap forward today with the launch by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb of the National Centre for Biosecurity at The Australian National University. Led by JCSMR immunologist Professor Ian Ramshaw, the Centre pulls together microbiologists, epidemiologists, lawyers, ethicists, security analysts, infectious disease modellers, policy experts, and integration and implementation scientists.Professor Ramshaw said the Centre would take a real world approach to the complex problems of biosecurity and provide an essential link between the many disciplines that related to biosecurity issues. From left to right: Michael Selgelid, Thomas Faunce, Paul Kelly, Ian Ramshaw and Christian Enemark. More »

National Youth Science Forum runs two sessions through the month of January, and students were last week hosted by three laboratories within The John Curtin School of Medical Research. Session Two begins this week, with three groups visiting the School over the next few days. More »

Elissa Sutcliffe from the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group has been awarded the "Ruth Gani Memorial Travelling Fellowship for Human Genetics" for 2006. The award will assist Elissa to attend the Keystone "Epigenetics: Regulations of Chromatin Structure in Development and Disease" Conference in Colorado, April 2007.Elissa has also been awarded the Australian Society of Medical Research Domestic Travel Award. One domestic travel award is given nationally each year by ASMR for a PhD student to visit another laboratory to learn novel techniques. She will use this award to learn the ChIP-on-Chip technology. More »

The Hon. Margaret Reid (left), and Mr Brian Acworth with Director Professor Judith Whitworth at the 2006 Town and Gown Christmas drinks at The John Curtin School of Medical Research. The annual Town and Gown event celebrates successful research and endeavour by bringing together members of the research, health and business communities from Canberra and the surrounding region. More »

Drs Alan and Elizabeth Finkel officially opened the Finkel Lecture Theatre in the new JCSMR building on Friday 27 October. Dr Alan Finkel, neuroscientist and entreprener has long been associated with JCSMR, since his postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience in the early 1980's. Dr Elizabeth Finkel is a noted science communicator. More »

Winner of the Prime Ministers Prize for Science 2006, Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, presented this weeks JSCMR School seminar.The Finkel Lecture Theatre was filled to capacity as Professor Srinivasan gave an overview of his research into the science of bee vision, flight and navigation. An inaugural Federation Fellow, Professor Srinivasan is currently a director of the Centre for Visual Science at The Australian National University. More »

Research Australia hosted the Canberra launch of the 4th Thank You Day celebrations in the JCSMR foyer on Monday 16 October. The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon. Tony Abbott attended the launch, announcing $529 million in health and medical research funding for grants commencing in 2007. The Thank you day card was signed by sporting personalities, medical researchers and health comsumers from the Canberra region, including Mr Robert de Castella, former marathon champion. More photos More »

Professor Judith Whitworth hosted the Telstra Businesswomen's network breakfast in the new Board Room on Friday 29th September. Doctors Carola de Vinuesa, Luby Simson, Anneke Blackburn and Monique Youssoufian provided the group with a brief outline of their current projects, and the expected outcomes of their research. More »

Congratulations to Lucy Palmer, PhD student in the Neuronal Signalling Laboratory, JCSMR who has been granted an American Society for Neuroscience Graduate Student Travel Award. The award will assist Lucy to attend the Society for Neuroscience 36th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, in October.   More »

The Centre for Mental Health Research is proud to announce the Korten Prize. The Korten Prize is open to students enrolled in the Centre's PhD program and will go to the student judged as having written the best research paper in any one calendar year. The prize winner will receive $2,000.Assessment of the research paper will be made by the Panel of researchers appointed by the Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research. The prize will be awarded to the candidate who, in the opinion of the Panel, published the highest standard paper. In order to be eligible for the prize, students must have been enrolled in the PhD program at the Centre for Mental Health Research, and in the year of the award of the prize, published, or had accepted a paper. The student must submit a copy of the paper to the Director, CMHR, by 30 November in that year. Students who have submitted their thesis, but not yet been notified by the University of the outcome are also eligible to apply.If, in any year, submitted papers are, in the opinion of the CMHR panel, deemed inappropriate and do not justify awarding the prize, the prize shall not be awarded in that year.The Korten Prize has been created in memory of Mrs Ailsa Korten who worked as a research officer in the CMHR between 1986 and 2005. Ailsa Korten published over 120 research papers during this period. More »

Mr Tom Dery, Chairman of The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ARCF), with Professor Frances Shannon, Professor Judith Whitworth and Professor Ian Chubb at the official opening of the ACRF Biomolecular Resource Facility located in the new John Curtin School of Medical Research building. The ACRF has donated $1.3M towards set up and equipment for this Facility. This will provide a much needed resource to scientists carrying out important research into cancer in the ACT region. More »

The John Curtin School of Medical Research Open Day gives you the opportunity to talk to scientists in their working laboratories. Researchers in fields as diverse as asthma, diabetes, hearing, HIV and cancer will be there to demonstrate their work and answer your questions. On this one day, the doors of the School will be open to all secondary students and members of the public. The School is open during National Science Week as part of the Australian Science Festival.Friday 18 August, 2006, 10am-5pmBookings essential for school groups only.Please contact Madeleine Nicol onT: 6125 2577 orE: madeleine.nicol@anu.edu.au More »

Staff and students of the JCSMR attended a one day scientific Retreat "At Home" yesterday, hearing presentations about the current research and future plans of all areas of the school. As part of the day, all staff and students were invited to be a part of an all school photo, celebrating the move into Stage 1 of our new building. Click here for a copy of school photograph. Open Day: Friday 18 August 2006 10.00am-5.00pm - All WelcomeFor details contact: Dr Madeleine Nicol, Public Affairs Manager T: 6125 2577 E: madeleine.nicol@anu.edu.au More »

As part of the JCSMR Seminar Series for 2006, Dr. Charley Lineweaver of the Planetary Science Institute, RSAA/RSES, ANU presented a seminar on “Astrobiology, Viruses and the Origin of Life". Dr Lineweaver's general interests are in the field of astrobiology, cosmology and planetology. More specifically he is interested in the analysis of recent exoplanet data and its ability to address the question "Is our Solar System typical?" More »

The JCSMR volleyball team - The Velociraptors - won the grand final of the ANU intramural lunchtime volleyball competition on Tuesday May 30, in a closely-fought two-set win over the Bio Bashers (from RSBS). The Velociraptors finished third on the table but showed their true class in the semifinal and grand final. JCSMR last won the trophy in 2001 (as the JC Allstars). Pictured with the trophy are (back row, L to R): Richardson Leao, Hannah French, Rohan Baker, Peter Milburn, Lan Wei; (front row): Torsten Jülich (captain), Tao Kong (National Institute of Economics and Business, ANU). Also on the team but not pictured: Kate Sherren from CRES. Well done team! More »

The JCSMR volleyball team, The Velociraptors, won the grand final of the ANU intramural lunchtime competition in a closely-fought two-set win over the Bio Bashers from RSBS. The Velociraptors finished third on the table but showed their true class in the semifinal and grand final. JCSMR last won the trophy in 2001. Pictured with the trophy are (back row, L to R): Richardson Leao, Hannah French, Rohan Baker, Peter Milburn, Lan Wei; (front row): Torsten Jülich (captain), Tao Kong (National Institute of Economics and Business, ANU). Also on the team but not pictured: Kate Sherren from CRES. More »

Canberra-based company Hindmarsh were recognised for promoting excellence in the building and construction industry at the annual Master Builders Association Awards held in June. They won the Project of the Year Award for The John Curtin School of Medical Research. The building was designed by Melbourne company Lyons. The MBA's executive director David Dawes said the building was likely to become a Canberra landmark on it's architectural merits and that the judges had been impressed with the complex design and the innovative construction involved with the project. More »

New Study into Australia Ageing Gracefully 6th July 2006 More »

Congratulations to Nicolas Cherbuin and Rajeev Kumar on their graduation for the successful completion of their PhDs. More »

"I Want To Be Heard" a research project carried out between 2001 and 2004 by staff from the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and NCEPH features in an ANTaR publication showcasing successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health projects. The booklet, Success Stories in Indigenous Health, was launched on Tuesday 19 June 2006 at Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services in Canberra by The Hon Tony Abbott, MP, Minister for Health and Nicola Roxon, MP, Shadow Minister for Health. Speakers also included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO, Julie Tongs and ANTaR National Director, Gary Highland. More »

The Academy of Science and NSF run a program called the US Summer Program in Australia, which allows US graduate students to visit Australia for a period of 8 weeks to undertake a research project. Three postgraduate students involved in the program, in Canberra for their orientations session, visited the JCSMR early today. They toured both the old and new JCSMR buildings with our own postgraduate students Chantelle Dixon and Monique Youssoufian. More »

After nearly 50 years, the JCSMR Tea Club wound up on Friday 16 June, 2006. At a wake to mark the Tea Club's demise, Professors Fenner and Ada cut a huge cake and reminisced about the changes they have seen in the tea room since the 1960s. More »

His Excellency Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of The Republic of Singapore visited The Australian National University yesterday. During his visit to The John Curtin School of Medical Research, the Prime Minister heard presentations by Dr Mark Hulett and Professor Christopher Goodnow. He also witnessed the signing of an agreement between ANU and A*STAR (The Singapore Agency for Science Technology and Research). Seated l to r: Ms Yena Lim, Associate Professor Kong Peng Lam, ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb and Professor Chris Goodnow. Standing: His Excellency Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of The Republic of Singapore More »

A guide to Stage 1 of the new John Curtin School of Medical Research Building for Staff and Visitors is now available to download from the web and will soon be available in hardcopy. More »

A guide to Stage 1 of the new John Curtin School of Medical Research Building for Staff and Visitors is now available to download from the School Intranet and will be available in hardcopy soon. More »

The 2005 ANU Environmental Achievement awardee is John Ellison, a plumber employed in the Technical Services area of JCSMR. Mr Ellison's achievements have been remarkable; he has been responsible for highly original and continuing environmental innovations and significant changes in laboratory practice far in excess of his job requirements. These innovations have decreased JCSMR's water, power and nitrogen use, improved safety and water standards and decreased risk. These innovations are saving the ANU about $100K per year. Mr Ellison has implemented new water recirculation systems, new water purifying processes which have displaced old inefficient distillation processes, and new nitrogen gas recycling processes.Senator Kate Lundy presented the 2005 awards in a ceremony at the new John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) on World Environment Day, Monday, 5 June. Photo: John Ellison with Senator Kate Lundy More »

Professor Ian Chubb, Vice Chancellor of The Australian National University officially opened Vanillabean The John Curtin Café in the front foyer of the new JCSMR building on Wednesday 24th May. As he cut the ribbon, Professor Chubb expressed the hope that the café would act as a meeting point for staff and students from across the ANU campus. More »

Today’s announcement that two researchers have been awarded prestigious Federation Fellowships to conduct vital research at ANU tops off a great week for the University,Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said.In Tuesday’s Federal Budget, ANU was allocated an immediate one-off grant of $125 million to undertake essential capital works on ageing buildings and facilities. Today it was announced that two ANU researchers – Professor Christopher Goodnow and Professor John Braithwaite – have received Australian Research Council Federation Fellowships, Australia’s most valuable publicly funded research fellowships.“I’d reiterate my sentiments of earlier this week: these combined investments in the University are demonstrable evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to maintaining ANU, its University, as a vital national institution with an important role to play on the world stage, and of the quality of its research. “I offer my congratulations to the new Federation Fellows, and my strongest thanks to the federal government for its ongoing support,” Professor Chubb said.Professor Christopher Goodnow, Head of the Immunogenomics Laboratory at The John Curtin School of Medical Research and Director of the Australian Phenomics Facility, will build an international Immunity & Infection Genomics Consortium centred in Australia to tackle three fundamental, longstanding questions about the mammalian immune system: how does the system learn not to attack self-components, how does it enhance recall responses to vaccines, and why does it fail to eliminate formidable foreign microbes? More »

Professor Trevor Lamb and his colleague Professor Ed Pugh (University of Pennsylvania) have been awarded the Proctor Medal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The Proctor Medal is presented annually for outstanding research in the basic or clinical sciences as applied to ophthalmology. Following the award at ARVO’s Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Professors Lamb and Pugh delivered a lecture on their research “Phototransduction, Dark Adaptation and Rhodopsin Regeneration”.   More »

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian Chubb, was given a tour of the new John Curtin School Building on Tuesday 18th April. He was accompanied by Professor Judith Whitworth, Professor Steve Redman, Mr Warwick Williams and Hindmarsh Project Manager Medy Hassan. Professor Chubb was shown through the new School which includes modern, open-plan laboratories, a public display foyer, a 200 seat lecture theatre and the new Vanilla Bean Cafe. Staff are expected to be moving into Stage 1 of the new building over the next few weeks. More »

As part of the Canberra and Region Biotech Summit run by AusBiotech held on the 15-16th of March in the CSIRO Discovery building, a workshop was held which gave researchers the opportunity to "pitch" their business proposals and ideas to a panel of national experts, as well as an audience of biotechnologists, licence buyers, business angels and venture capitalists.The Australian National University offered a generous cash prize to the winner of the pitching session, which was determined by the quality of presentations and material provided during the pitching session and information provided by an expression of Interest application.First prize of $3500 was won by Dr Ljubov Simson who presented work on "Enhancing Adult Stem Cell Mobilisation Using Small Anionic Glycan Mimetics (AGMs)". Second prize was won by Dr Rohan Baker presenting "High-level expression and purification of authentic recombinant proteins". More »

Dr Elizabeth Finkel was the first JCSMR School Seminar speaker for 2006. Dr Elizabeth Finkel is a former molecular biologist turned science writer.Her recent book: Stem Cells - Controversy at the Frontiers of Science won a Queensland Premier's Literary Award and was short-listed for the Victorian Premier's literary award and the Australian Government Eureka Prize for promoting the public Understanding of Science. Her talk entitled: "Personal agendas: how our politicians are distorting the stem cell debate", filled the Florey Lecture Theatre, and stimulated much discussion. More »

The Curtin medal for 2005 has been awarded to Professor Samuel Berkovic, head of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Austin Hospital and the Epilepsy Research Centre of the University of Melbourne. Professor Berkovic is a neurologist and clinical researcher who has strong collaborations with basic scientists in many Australian and international laboratories. He seeks to understand the basic neurobiology of human epilepsies, using varied approaches to gain insights that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of patients. More »

Nobel Laureate Dr J Robin Warren visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research to speak informally with students at afternoon tea last Friday. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2005 was awarded conjointly to Professor Barry Marshall and Emeritus Professor J Robin Warren "for their discovery of the bacterium /Helicobacter pylori/ and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease" More »

On Friday 3 March His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, CVO, MC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia officially launched the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at Old Parliament House. A joint initiative between The Australian National University and the University of Sydney, the Centre will be the third funded by the Menzies Foundation. Immediately following the launch, Co-Directors Mr Robert Wells, ANU and Professor Stephen Leeder, University of Sydney invited Mr Andrew Podger to deliver the Inaugural Menzies Health Policy Lecture. More »

Movie star Jackie Chan has made a further generous donation to support The John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU. The money will be used to assist with the front foyer displays in the new Building, and part of that front foyer will be named “The Jackie Chan Science Centre”. Jackie Chan has expressed a strong commitment to the education of young people, an opportunity that was not available to him in his childhood. The Jackie Chan Science centre will encourage students to visit the ANU campus as part of the ACT Science Tourism circuit, and introduce them to the exciting field of medical research. We all look forward to welcoming Jackie back into the School later this year to open the Centre. More »

Congratulation to Patrick Scott, an Honours student from the Neuronal Network Laboratory, JCSMR, who has been awarded an ANU University medal for his outstanding honours thesis entitled "Information transfer at dynamic synapses: Effects of short-term plasticity" and his excellent undergraduate record. Patrick was also awarded the Sir Grafton Elliot Smith Award by the Australian Neuroscience Society at its annual meeting held in Sydney in January 2006 for "the best essay on a neuroscience topic by a student member of the society who has not yet submitted a thesis for a doctorate". More »

Professor Ian Frazer was awarded the 2006 Australian of the Year for his research on the link between papilloma viruses and cancer. Professor Frazer, who heads the University of Queensland's Centre for Immunology and cancer research, has developed a vaccine which will be able to prevent cervical cancer in women. Professor Frazer was awarded the 2004 Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research by the Director of JCSMR, Professor Judith Whitworth, at a ceremony at the School last year. More »

Ms Perry Sperling, the Senior Advisor on Social Policy from the Office of The Prime Minister, visited The John Curtin School on Tuesday 17th January. She joined Professor Whitworth on a tour through the exisiting JCSMR building and was then shown through the new building which is due for completion in March. More »

National Youth Science Forum students toured JCSMR labs during the first week of January, visiting the Viral Immunology Group, Histology Laboratory, and the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group. Students also had the opportunity to speak with Professor Ada about the importance of vaccination to public health. Each year the NSYF brings together 250 year 12 students from around Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada for a two week forum in Canberra where students are able to observe scientists in action and participate in experiments in a research environment. More photos. A second group of students will visit the School on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th January, 2006. More »

Mr Todor Arsov in the Division of Immunology & Genetics has been awarded the “Ruth Gani Memorial Travelling Fellowship for Human Genetics” for 2005. This Fellowship is named in memory of Ruth Gani, cytogeneticist at the Woden Valley Hospital and a School Visitor in the Human Genetics Group, The John Curtin School of Medical Research. It is made available through a generous donation from Professor Joe Gani. More »

At a graduation ceremony on 15 December at the University of New South Wales, Professor Judith Whitworth has been admitted to the degree of Doctor of Medicine (honoris causa) by the Council of the University of New South Wales, in recognition of her eminent service to the community and to the University. More »

Professor Chris Parish was featured in The Canberra Times on Saturday 10th December with an article about his breakthrough in cancer treatment. Advanced testing of the drug PI-88 has shown that it stops tumours growing and can cause them to shrink in some patients. Professor Parish's research into the way cells behaved and how cancer cells spread using new blood vessels, led to the development of PI-88. Researchers are now expanding clinical trials to include 650 patients with primary liver cancer and advanced melanoma, lung and prostate cancer. More »

An integral space in the new John Curtin School of Medical Research building was officially named by ACT Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Ted Quinlan, on the 6th December. Xchange Place is an interactive meeting space in the multimillion-dollar first-stage of the new JCSMR building, which is due for completion in March 2006. Mr Quinlan said Xchange Place would promote the exchange of ideas and information between research groups and once completed would be a community treasure. Photo: Professor Judith Whitworth and Mr Ted Quinlan outside Xchange Place. More »

Congratulations to Ms Liana Leach and Ms Affrica Jenkins for their success in winning competitive NHMRC Public Health Scholarships for 2006-2008. More »

Congratulations to Dr Allison Jones who has been awarded the prestigious Frank Fenner Medal for the most outstanding PhD thesis submitted in The John Curtin School of Medical Research in 2004. Dr Jones was a member of the Molecular Mechanisms Laboratory, Cancer and Vascular Biology Group in the Division of Immunology and Genetics and was awarded the medal on the 30th November. Congratulations also goes to Emeritus Professor Frank Fenner who was named as the ACT Senior Australian of the Year for his excellent career in microbiology and being a world-renowned expert on pox-viruses. More »

The Director was the host of The John Curtin's annual Town and Gown drinks on the 22nd November. Staff of the School and the University mingled with guests from the business and public sector for drinks and nibbles in the University House Garden . Pictured from left to right are: Deborah Cole, (Calvary Hospital), John Mackay, (ActewAGL) and John Hindmarsh (Hindmarsh Group). More »

The Canberra Convention Bureau organized a tour of The John Curtin School for a group of delegates on the 18th November. The group were eager to hear about the history of The School and the planned new tourist facilities that will be incorporated in the New JCSMR Building. More »

At a ceremony held in Sydney on Tuesday 8th November Professor Chris Parish was awarded the 2005 Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Science. Professor Parish is the leader of the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group and the head of the Division of Immunology and Genetics.Photo: Professor Christopher Parish with Scott Riedel (Head of Perpetual Private Clients, on left) and David Knowles (Senior Manager, Fiduciary Services on right) More »

As part of the JCSMR Seminar Series for 2005, Dr Vaughan Barlow, a former student with Dr Mark Hulett's group, who is now with the Chemical/Life sciences team at Spruson & Ferguson Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, Sydney, presented his seminar "Escaping the bench - a career as a patent attorney" on November 8th. More »

The Centre has been successful in attracting two ARC linkage grants. These grants will investigate new delivery platforms in call centres (with Lifeline Australia) and driving assessment in older people (with NRMA and NICTA). Two new PhD positions will be supported in 2006-2008. For more information about these positions please contact Michelle.Powderly@anu.edu.au. More »

“Regulation of programmed cell death: Lessons from flies and mammals” was the title of a seminar given by Professor Sharad Kumar (left), of the Molecular Regulation Laboratory at the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research, as part of the JCSMR Seminar Series for 2005 More »

The John Curtin School had a team of twenty-five who participated in the Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Walk For the Cure on Sunday 16th October. JDRF raises funds and awareness for Juvenile Diabetes research. More »

Andrew Ziolkowski, from the Diabetes/ Transplantation Immunobiology Group, Division of Immunology and Genetics, was awarded a travel grant of $2,500 from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to attend and present his research progress at the 8th Meeting of the Immunology of Diabetes Society in Japan, Oct 6-9, 2005 More »

Two NHMRC Research Fellowships awarded to researchers at the CMHR. Dr Kaarin Anstey and Prof Helen Christensen were awarded 5 year fellowhips from the NHMRC to support their work in ageing and mental health. More »

Congratulations to Melanie Morris from the Biomolecular Structure Laboratory and the Molecular Genetics Group, and Shweta Singhal, from the Ubiquitin Laboratory, Division of Molecular Bioscience, who won poster prizes at the ComBio Conference in Adelaide, Sept 26-29. Melanie won a Biochemical Journal Poster Prize, and Shweta won an ASBMB Poster Prize. Both are in the first year of their PhD. More »

Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Mr Gary Nairn, visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research to speak with our Director, Judith Whitworth on Thursday 29th September. He was then accompanied on a tour of the new building site by Mr Bob Wells, Professor Judith Whitworth and Hindmarsh Project Manager Medy Hassan. More »

Professor Charles Mackay from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney gave the JCSMR School Seminar Series Lecture on Wednesday 14th September. The title of Professor Mackay's lecture was "Novel strategies to target inflammatory pathways- chemoattractant receptors and the MAP kinase pathway" More »

An alumni cocktail party was held at the JCSMR on Tuesday 30th August. The occasion was to showcase the new JCSMR building, which is due for completion next year, by viewing a virtual reality 'flythrough'. Helix Café was also announced as the winner in the competition to name the new JCSMR café which will be operated by Nick and Vickie Gouvoussis. From l to r: Dr Madeleine Nicol, Professor Judith Whitworth, Medy Hassan and winners of the naming competition, Dr Mark Hulett, Dr Jaakko Jarvinen and Daniel Eichner. More »

The John Curtin School of Medical Research Open Day was held on Friday 19th August. The Open Day gave the public and school groups the opportunity to talk to scientists in their working laboratories. Researchers in fields as diverse as HIV, cancer, high blood pressure and hearing were on hand to demonstrate their work and answer questions. More »

Daniel McAlpine, respresenting JDRF presented JCSMR staff members Heather Domaschenz and Debbie Howard with a trophy on Friday 5th August. The trophy was presented to the JCSMR staff community for their efforts in raising over $5,000 for JDRF in 2004. More »

Senator Kate Lundy (ACT) visited the JSCMR on Thursday 28th July. Senator Lundy viewed the new JCSMR Flythrough DVD with Professor Judith Whitworth, before taking a tour of the new building site with Hindmarsh Project Manager Medy Hassan. More »

The Chief Minister of the ACT, Mr Jon Stanhope, launched the 2005 Australian Science Festival at Questacon on Wednesday 27 July. The John Curtin School will take part in the festival with our Open Day on the 19 August. This is an opportunity for the public to talk to scientists in their working laboratories. More »

Alan Trounson, Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Monash University, Melbourne, spoke about “The power and promise of embryonic stem cells” as part of the 2005 JCSMR School Seminar Series on Wednesday 20 July 2005. More »

Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman of the Singapore Agency for Science Technology and Research visited The John Curtin School of Medical Research to discuss future directions for science education, research and future collaboration. He spoke with Professor Parish about the work carried out in our Division of Immunology, and then toured The Australian Phenomics Facility with Professor Chris Goodnow and colleagues. More »

Congratulations to Owen Siggs, currently undertaking an Honours degree in the Immunogenomics Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Genetics, JCSMR. Owen received first prize in the student poster session which followed the Hot Topics afternoon earlier this week. Owen’s poster was entitled: Between competence and deficiency: graded lesions in TCR signal transduction. Siggs OM, Miosge LA, Yates A, Liston A & Goodnow CC. Our thanks to the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for sponsoring this event and to Professor Frances Shannon for presenting the award. More »

JCSMR ARC Federation Fellow Professor Trevor Lamb will be Director of an ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science at The Australian National University. The Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson, announced the establishment of the new $11M Centre at Parliament House in Canberra earlier today.“The Centre of Excellence in Vision Science will provide a deeper understanding of how our visual system functions, how it extracts information about the world, and why it is that the eye is susceptible to degeneration,” Professor Lamb said. The Centre will be co-led by the Director of the Research School of Biological Sciences, Professor Jonathan Stone and Federation Fellow Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, Director of the ANU Centre for Visual Sciences. More »

Congratulations to Professor Chris Goodnow, Head of the Immunogenomics Laboratory at The John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU and Director of the Australian Phenomics Facility who was last night awarded the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research for his work in molecular genetics. Professor Goodnow said that he was "thrilled to have received this prestigious award from the Australian Government – it is not only satisfying for me personally, but it also is added confirmation of a bold strategy being undertaken at ANU to discover the mechanisms of immune regulation". More »

Mr David Brettell, Chief Executive of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation last night presented a cheque for $1.13 million to The John Curtin School of Medical Research at The Australian National University. The cheque was gratefully accepted by JCSMR Director Professor Judith Whitworth, and Head of Division of Molecular Bioscience, Professor Frances Shannon at the Canberra Cancerians Cocktail Party at the Hyatt Hotel, Canberra. The grant has been used to fund state-of-the-art equipment in the ACRF Biomolecular Research Facility at The John Curtin School of Medical Research. More »

A new gene suspected to contribute to autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and lupus has been discovered by ANU immunologists. The researchers found that a mutation in the gene, which they have named Roquin, causes the body’s infection fighters, T-cells, to attack their own tissue; the realisation opening the way to explore treatments that target the mutation. “This could reveal other abnormalities that underpin autoimmunity, and open up opportunities for developing specific treatments and drugs,” said lead researcher Dr Carola Vinuesa, from The John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU.The discovery of Roquin was revealed in the latest edition of Nature. More »

Congratulations to Xinxin Chen, PhD student in the Cytokine Gene Expression Laboratory, Division of Molecular Bioscience, JCSMR. Xinxin has received an award for excellence, presented by the Chinese Government to a self-funded student studying outside China. Xinxin was presented with a certificate and cheque at a reception at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. Xinxin is investigating the role played by chromatin remodelling in cytokine gene transcriptional regulation. More »

David Auston is President of the Kavli Foundation, a new philanthropic organization based in Santa Barbara, California, that is dedicated to supporting basic scientific research and fostering increased public understanding and support for scientists and their work. Dr Auston visited the Division of Neuroscience and toured The John Curtin School on Tuesday. More »

Congratulations to JCSMR alumnus Dr Alan Finkel, who was awarded an Ian Clunies Ross Award for 2005 late last week. Dr Finkel held a position in Professor Steve Redman's laboratory in the early 1980s. He then left the JCSMR to establish his company, Axon Instruments which has produced state of the art equipment for over 20 years, initially for the recording and analysis of neuronal activity, and more recently developing innovative equipment for neurological, genome and protein research. Dr Finkel is a long time supporter of the JCSMR, and is a previous member of our Strategic Advisory Committee. Recently, Drs Alan and Elizabeth Finkel established the Finkel Prize. Awarded every two years, the Finkel Prize is presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in research carried out in the JCSMR with potential to lead to improvements in health in developing countries. The first Finkel Prize was awarded in 2004 to Dr Mario Lobigs for his research into mosquito borne flaviviruses. More »

National Drug Action Week Seminar: Illicit substance use in the ACT: A focus on ecstasy and injecting drug use, to be held 23rd June 2005. Foundation public lecture & seminar for White Wreath Day 2005: Suicide in Australia: Are we making progress? 40th Anniversary of the Australian Association of Gerontology Conference, to be held 16th June 2005. More »

Professor Ian Young of the Division of Molecular Bioscience has been awarded the 2005 Lemberg Medal from the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The Lemberg Medal is awarded to a distinguished Australian biochemist or molecular biologist, in recognition of a sustained and excellent contribution to biochemistry and molecular biology. Professor Young will be awarded the medal, and present a plenary lecture, at the annual Conference of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ComBio2005, September 25-29, 2005, in Adelaide. More »

The Act Government unveiled the Honour Walk 2005 on 12 April 2005. The walk, situated in Civic Square in the heart of Canberra, consists of 17 plaques which commemorate the contribution of Canberran groups or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the region. The John Curtin School of Medical Research is proud to congratulate Emeritus Professor Frank John Fenner, an Australian Living Legend, for his inclusion in the inaugural ACT Honour Walk. More »

The Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Professor Judith Whitworth, took great pleasure in presenting the 2004 Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research to Professor Ian Frazer last night. Professor Frazer, Head of the Epithelial Tumour Immunotherapy Program at the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, University of Queensland, received the Curtin Medal for his ongoing research in the field of immunoregulation, and in particular his ground breaking work on the development of vaccination against human papilloma virus which causes cervical cancer in women. "The implications for women's health globally are enormous" Professor Whitworth said. "Professor Frazer's work is an excellent example of the principle of basic fundamental research translating into clinical practice, and we wish him every success with this research". More »

Congratulations to Professor Trevor Lamb, who was elected last Thursday as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Lamb is the leader of the Visual Neuroscience Laboratory at The John Curtin School of Medical Research. More »

Mrs Jacqui Burke, Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, visited the JCSMR on Tuesday morning. After meeting with Director Professor Judith Whitworth and signing the visitors book, Mrs Burke was very interested to see the progress being made on the site of Stage 1 of our new JCSMR building. More »

Professor Fenner and Professor Ada at the Public Symposium: Translating Genes into Health at The Shine Dome last week, with Professor Doherty, centre, who gave a plenary lecture. The symposium was part of the Eludicating the Mammalian Genome-Phenome Code Conference. More »

ANU Alumnus Senator Garry Humphries today unveiled the plaque commemorating the opening of the Australian Phenomics Facility. Congratulating Facility Director, Professor Chris Goodnow, and Board Chairman, Mr Ken Roberts, Senator Humphries expressed the hope that the research carried out within the facility would be of enormous benefit as we unravel the genome-phemone puzzle. More »

Karen Bunting of the Cytokine Gene Expression Group and Karl Brown of the Chromatin and Transcriptional Regulation Group both won poster prizes at the 26th Annual Conference on the Organisation and Expression of the Genome in Cowes Victoria held in February 2005. The titles of their posters were: "A molecular and functional analysis of c-Rel in T cell gene activation" K. Bunting, S. Rao, T. Parks, F. Shannon and "A dominant negative histone variant H2A.Z effects gene expression during vertebrate development" K.D. Brown, P. Ridgway, D. Rangasamy, D.J. Tremethick More »

Julia Ellyard has won the student poster prize at the 17th Lorne Cancer Conference with her paper entitled "The Role of Heparin in Eotaxin-Mediated Eosinophil Recruitment: Important Consequences for the Development of TH2-Mediated Tumour Immunotherapies". Julia works in the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group under the supervision of Ljubov Simson, Craig Freeman and Chris Parish. More »

Elizabeth Grant from the NH&MRC Animal Welfare Committee with Dr Simon Bain, Executive Officer of the ANU AEEC. Ms Grant visited the JCSMR to launch the 7th Edition of the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes in the ACT. More »

Mandi deMestre of the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group has been awarded the presitgious New Investigator Award from the Australasian Society for Immunology at the Annual December meeting in Adelaide for her seminar entitled "Regulation and the potential role of heparanase in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis". More »

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Dr Kaarin Anstey was awarded the Margret M. Baltes Early Investigator Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology . She travelled to Florida, USA to accept the award in November 2005. More »

National Youth Science Forum students toured JCSMR labs during the first week of January, visiting the Ubiquitin Laboratory, the Hearing and Synapse Laboratory, the Viral Immunology Group and our Histology Laboratory, and speaking with Professor Ada about the importance of vaccination to public health. A second group of students visited the School on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 January, 2005. More »

Congratulations to our graduating students. In addition to the graduates pictured, Allison Jones, Bjoern Kampa, Nicole Rummery and Paul Warden-Hutton also attended the Conferring Ceremony. In other news: Dr Lixin Rui has been awarded the CJ Martin Fellowship working with Dr Louis Staudt in NIH and Professor Chris Goodnow on the project entitled "the Role of the NF-kB Pathway in Primary Mediastinal B Cell Lymphoma". Dr Yang Wang has been awarded the CJ Martin Fellowship to work with Professor Donald Harn at Harvard School of Public Health and Dr Guna Karupiah on a project entitled "Effect of innate immune responses in virus control". More »

From January 2005, Professor Helen Christensen will take up the role of Director of the Centre For Mental Health Research. Formerly Deputy Director of the Centre from 2000, Helen is a leading researcher in cognitive ageing and web-based mental health applications in mental health. Professor Tony Jorm, who has held the position of Director of the Centre from 2000, and Deputy Director prior to this time, is relocating to the Orygen Research Centre, at the University of Melbourne in April 2005. Professor Jorm will continue his active involvement in the Centre's research program. More »

   The staff and students of the JCSMR celebrated Professor Frank Fenner's 90th Birthday with a Garden Party lunch. Despite the rain, the guests enjoyed the opportunity to wish Professor Fenner a very Happy Birthday.In honour of Frank's "90 Stellar Years", a rose has been dedicated in his name in the newly refurbished Old Parliament House Rose Gardens. More »

The Director was the host of The John Curtin's annual Town and Gown drinks on the 14th December. Staff of the School and the University mingled with guests from the business and public sector for drinks and nibbles in the University House Garden.Image:  Judith Whitworth, Alex Bune and John Chalmers More »

The JCSMR School Seminar Program for 2004 has come to a close. Staff and students of the JCSMR and the wider ANU community filled the Florey Lecture Theatre to hear two talks of outstanding historical significance. Emeritus Professor Gordon Ada spoke on "The 1918 Flu Pandemic, now called the Spanish Flu", and Emeritus Professor Adrian Gibbs followed with "Views on its origin and virulence". More »

The Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Lee Jong-wook, has announced that Professor Judith Whitworth, Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, will chair the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research from 2005-2007. Professor Whitworth will be the first woman to chair this committee in its 50 year history, and the first chair to be appointed from the Western Pacific region. The announcement was made at the Opening ceremony of the Ministerial Summit on Health Research in Mexico City. More »

Professor Sun Tao, President of the Ningxia Medical College visited the JCSMR as part of the Chinese Shadows programme. A Professor of Neurosurgery, Professor Tao spoke with researchers in the Divisions of Neuroscience, and Immunology and Genetics. He later signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Chubb. More »

Congratulations to Robert Wood, PhD student in the Molecular Mechanisms Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Genetics, JCSMR.  Robert has been awarded a travel prize from the Australian Society for Immunology to attend the annual meeting at Adelaide in December.  Also receiving a travel award to attend the Australian Society for Immunology conference was Daniel Eichner, PhD student in the Infection and Immunity Group, Division of Immunology, JCSMR. More »

Canberra sporting identities Lucille Bailie and Owen Finigan signed a huge card in The John Curtin School of Medical Research foyer this morning. The card is travelling around Australia as part of Research Australia's Thank You Day initiative, whereby the community says Thank You to medical researchers for the work they do. The Thank you day theme for 2004 is "Sporting Heroes thank Research Heroes". Breakfasts have already been held in Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart. "Thank you" Lucille and Owen, for your willingness to participate in the Canberra breakfast! More »

Rachael, who suffers from diabetes and is a youth ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Jasper the Jellybaby visited during a John Curtin School organized JDRF fundraising sausage sizzle and fun day last week. JDRF raises funds and awareness for Juvenile Diabetes research. The John Curtin School also had a team of forty who participated in the annual diabetes Walk For the Cure on Sunday. For more on diabetes research see More »