The John Curtin School of Medical Research - JCSMR

30/07/2025

It takes a village to write a paper

Research is all about collaboration – sometimes just across the School! A cross-disciplinary team (pictured below) made up of past and present members of IID, GSC, CHASM and the BRF have together published “Advanced immunophenotyping of lymphocyte and monocyte subsets in healthy Australian adults using a novel spectral flow cytometry panel” in Frontiers in Immunology, led by Ainsley Davies and Katrina Randall of the Canberra Clinical Phenomics Service.

Paper published at the link below, well done team! https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1577206/full

22/07/2025

Associate Professor Simon Jiang is taking a personalised approach to healthcare. Read more at the link below...🩺💉💊

Associate Professor Simon Jiang is taking a personalised approach to healthcare. And it can mean the world for those who need it.

22/07/2025

A promising new cancer treatment for people living with Kaposi sarcoma in Africa - read more about the fantastic work our JCSMR researchers are doing here:

ANU researchers and global partners are launching a clinical trial to improve treatment for Kaposi sarcoma, one of the most common and deadly cancers in sub-Saharan Africa.

09/07/2025

Recently JCSMR hosted Year 10 Student, Max from Telopea Park School for his work placement period. Max worked alongside members of the Preiss Group in our Genome Science & Cancer Division and was able to participate in real world laboratory tasks under supervision.

Guided by Postdoctoal Fellow - Marco Guarnacci, Max enjoyed culturing mammalian cells, using the microscopes and big sequencing machines and working with our scientists. Max hopes to pursue a career in science and has a particular interest in the field of cells and biology. We wish you all the best with your future studies Max!

24/06/2025

We have an exciting opportunity for a Genomics Services Officer available within our Biomolecular Resource Facility - more information can be found here:

Classification: ANU Officer Grade 6 (Technical) Salary package: $93,646 - $97,929 per annum plus 17% superannuationTerm: Full Time, Fixed term (18 months) Position Overview ANU has an international reputation for research and education relevant to the health and well-being of the population of Austr...

23/06/2025

Congratulations to our PhD student from the Gardiner Group Vijay Bhoopalan who has been nominated as a 2025 CHARM Rising Star Award Finalist. These awards celebrate outstanding early-career impact in health research and innovation in the ACT. Well done Vijay 🥳🌟 Read the full story about Vijay and researchers
here: https://systems.anu.edu.au/news/2025/06/18/anu-health-researchers-named-rising-stars-in-act-awards/

15/06/2025

Last Friday, as part of our JCSMR Director's Seminar Series, our School was fortunate to receive a presentation from Professor Bruce Christensen, Deputy Director of the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology. Bruce presented on the topic of “Using Studies of Human Perception and Cognition to Investigate the Neurobiological Underpinnings of Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders”.

13/06/2025

Haematologist and JCSMR Professor Mark Polizzotto will lead the clinical trial, known as a “basket trial”, a study design that brings together patients with different cancer types based on the involvement of the MYC protein, rather than the patient’s cancer type.

A world-first clinical trial targeting cancers that are currently undruggable will begin later this year, led by a research team from The Australian National University (ANU) and Canberra Health Services.

05/06/2025

“Bioprinting is becoming an exciting technique to address really complex problems,” says Professor Perriman. “We're harnessing the power of robotics and automation to answer questions that you couldn't answer any other way.”

These scientists can 3D-print living cells – a first step to printing our own organs.

03/06/2025

On 21 May 2025, the ACT RNA Club hosted a special event at the Research School of Biology, ANU — Blueprints of RNA Research: A Founders’ Dialogue.

Three leading RNA researchers from RSB, JCSMR, and CSIRO — Tony Millar, Thomas Preiss, and Ming-Bo Wang — shared not only their groundbreaking science but also the stories, challenges, and passions that shaped their careers.

A huge thank you to the inspiring speakers and to the vibrant ACT RNA community — especially the early-career researchers who brought such great energy to the room!

🎥 Missed the event? You can watch the full seminar here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwaD1nLv8uA

19/05/2025

Last week JCSMR was fortunate to host Associate Professor Neil Romberg. Dr Romberg is an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and the Jeffrey Modell Endowed Chair of Paediatric Immunology Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He shared his presentation 'Exploring Immunity Through Human Subjects'.

09/12/2024

Revolutionising RNA Research with AI!

Scientists at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) have developed a groundbreaking AI-powered tool, RISER (Real-time Identification and Selective Rejection), to transform RNA sequencing.

Led by Dr Alex Sneddon, this innovative software uses neural networks to identify and reject RNA molecules in real-time, eliminating the need for expensive and harsh biochemicals. RISER makes studying rare RNA types—crucial for understanding cell development and diseases—faster, more efficient, and more accessible.

“RISER is faster and requires fewer computational resources than traditional approaches,” says Dr Sneddon. “It’s a flexible, efficient solution for biochemical-free targeted sequencing.”

This advancement promises to accelerate discoveries in genetics and revolutionize how we study the building blocks of life.

📖 Read the full story here: https://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/new-ai-powered-software-revolutionises-rna-research-real-time-targeted-sequencing