WEHI - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

25/07/2025

Discover the mesmerizing world of immune cells!

This striking image features immune cells, those tiny defenders who constantly patrol our bodies, protecting us from infections and diseases.

Using advanced time-lapse imaging, scientists tracked their intricate movements over eight hours.

This image isn’t just visually stunning – it’s crucial research for understanding how the immune system functions.

At the Snow Centre for Immune Health, co-led by the RMH and WEHI in partnership with the Snow Medical Research Foundation, we are passionate about understanding and advancing immune health. By studying how immune cells communicate, researchers aim to unlock better therapies for preventing and treating infections and immune disorders.

Advancing the frontiers of immune science – together. Learn more: www.snowimmunehealth.org.au

The Royal Melbourne Hospital | Snow Medical

📸 Art of Science - In Search of Influence – WEHI Immunology Division Head, Associate Professor Joanna Groom

21/07/2025

Around 10 million people globally live with the life-threatening virus HTLV-1. Yet it remains a poorly understood disease that currently has no preventative treatments and no cure.

But a landmark study co-led by WEHI and The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) could change this, after finding existing HIV drugs can suppress transmission of the HTLV-1 virus in mice.

The study could lead to the first treatments in the world to prevent the spread of this virus that is endemic among many First Nations communities around the world, including in Central Australia.

Brilliant findings, now published in Cell Press.

📎 https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/study-identifies-world-first-treatments-to-prevent-a-life-threatening-virus-infection/

📸 HTLV-1 is a virus that infects a type of white blood cell called a T‐lymphocyte, or T-cell (pictured). The new study could lead to the first treatments and potential cure for the virus that impacts around 10 million people each year. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

21/07/2025

As part of The University of Melbourne's Science Festival 2025, WEHI’s Student Association (WESA) are hosting 'A Glimpse into WEHI Student Life' on Thursday 14 August, 4:30pm – 6:30pm at our Parkville campus.

This in-person event is a unique opportunity to gain insight from our current students, explore the different career opportunities available and take a tour of a lab.

🎟️ To register: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/a-glimpse-into-wehi-student-life-2025-tickets-1451316188789?aff=oddtdtcreator

17/07/2025

WEHI has formed a partnership with the Parkinson’s Research Foundation with one clear goal: to intensify the search for drug treatments to stop Parkinson’s.

Second to Alzheimer’s in prevalence, Parkinson’s numbers are increasing at a faster rate. Currently over 200,000 Australians live with the debilitating condition, a figure set to double in the next 15 years.

Richard Balanson, co-director of the Parkinson’s Research Foundation, said their mission is simple: to accelerate the development of new Parkinson’s therapies.

“This project is just the beginning. We have an ambitious vision of a different way of supporting researchers with the aim of delivering results quicker, and the team at WEHI fit that vision.”

Professor Grant Dewson, Head of the WEHI Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre, said research needs investment from partners like the Parkinson’s Research Foundation who are willing to commit to innovative new strategies that will drive transformative change.

“Partnering with the Parkinson’s Research Foundation is about changing the lives of people with Parkinson’s. Our shared goal is to have a drug therapy that slows the progression of Parkinson’s in clinical trials as soon as possible.”

Read more: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/new-partnership-with-parkinsons-research-foundation-to-accelerate-parkinsons-drug-discovery/

📸: Parkinson’s Research Foundation founders, Michael Katz (left) and Richard Balanson (right).

15/07/2025

🔬Uncovering a new way to treat a dangerous immune disorder

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but very serious condition where the immune system becomes overactive. Instead of fighting off infections, it starts attacking the body’s own tissues, leading to intense inflammation known as a cytokine storm.

This can damage organs and be life-threatening without fast treatment.

WEHI researchers recently investigated a form of this condition called secondary HLH, which is triggered by infections, cancer and autoimmune conditions.

They found BET inhibitors, a type of drug currently in clinical trials for immune conditions and cancer, can reduce this harmful inflammation without affecting healthy cells.

These findings could lead to a powerful new way to treat this life-threatening condition.

📷 A healthy mouse spleen (top) compared with a mouse spleen impacted by HLH (bottom), showing how HLH can cause inflammation and organ damage.

14/07/2025

It was a bold idea and a powerful mission: harness cutting-edge science to fight the diseases that affect the world’s most vulnerable.

What started as a small unit with big goals 50 years ago has grown into a global force in infectious disease research.

From decoding malaria to developing pioneering tools now used worldwide, WEHI’s parasitology legacy has continued to shape global health. And we're not done yet.

Read the story to see how we’re tackling health challenges affecting millions – from anaemia to COVID-19 – driven by a vision to turn deep biological insights into real-world solutions:

https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/from-a-spark-of-vision-to-a-global-health-legacy/

📸 Image 1: Researchers in the Infection and Global Health division, with co-heads Professor Ivo Mueller (front left) and Associate Professor Chris Tonkin (front right).

📸 Image 2: Immunoparasitology lab researchers in 1977, left to right: Colin Chapman, Karen Day, Russell Howard, Emanuela Handman and lab head Graham Mitchell.

📸 Image 3: WEHI’s Graham Brown with locals in Papua New Guinea, in the 1980s.

📸 Image 4: Glory Mzembe (left) from the Training and Research Unit of Excellence in Malawi, came to WEHI to advance her skills in data analysis as part of her work with Dr Rebecca Harding (right) on a world-first anaemia trial.

10/07/2025

Does having a pet as a kid lower your risk of asthma and eczema?

The Snow Centre for Immune Health's Dr Samantha Chan and Professor Jo Douglass have written a fascinating article about the link between kids and pets and the challenge to work out how and why conditions such as asthma and eczema develop.

We still don’t fully understand the signals that drive an allergic immune response but unlocking that knowledge could offer new opportunities to prevent or treat these conditions. This is a key focus of the Snow Centre for Immune Health, a new initiative tackling allergies and asthma through innovative research.

https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/if-you-have-a-pet-as-a-kid-does-this-lower-your-risk-of-asthma-and-eczema/

Snow Medical
The Royal Melbourne Hospital

09/07/2025

In the spirit of this year's NAIDOC Week theme of celebrating the next generation, we were thrilled to welcome the brilliant Dr Jess O'Brien as a guest speaker at WEHI.

Dr O’Brien is a proud Aboriginal woman from northwest NSW (Nyngan/Bourke) and is a non-invasive imaging cardiologist and Aboriginal medical advisor at Alfred Health. Dr O’Brien is also completing a PhD focused on using cardiac MRI to help predict who is most at risk of developing rheumatic heart disease — a preventable illness that disproportionately affects young Indigenous Australians.

In her seminar, Dr O’Brien reflected upon how the standard Western biomedical research model can be adapted to improve cultural safety for First Nations people, and how First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing can enhance biomedical research and lead to stronger, community-led health outcomes.

As NAIDOC Week is celebrated around the country it's a great time for us to reflect on the legacy of the those who came before, to celebrate the work and achievements of emerging young leaders like Dr O'Brien and look to ways we can help shape a bright future ahead.

📸 Image one: L-R: Dr Nadia Kershaw, Dr Kate Griffiths, Dr Hamish King, Dr Jessica O'Brien, Dr Anna Coussens
📸 Image two: Dr Jessica O'Brien
📸 Image three: Dr Anna Coussens

09/07/2025

After hearing from people with Parkinson’s about their journey to diagnosis, WEHI’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre decided to find out more. The result? They recently published their first consumer-led study into the diagnostic journey for people with Parkinson’s in Australia.

Volunteer advocates, or consumers, help researchers understand how diseases impact lives. At a round-table discussion between consumers and researchers the topic of how people received their Parkinson’s diagnosis revealed some shared experiences.

Iain McLean, a WEHI Parkinson’s consumer advocate and author on the study, said after hearing how people felt unsupported, he wanted to get a better picture. “If something isn’t working, the first step to fixing it is to identify the problem, and surprisingly, no one had done a nationwide survey in Australia of how people received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.”

“There’s support out there, but it isn’t getting to people when they need it most. Over 75% of those people who responded to the survey said they were dissatisfied with the support they received”.

Prof Grant Dewson, Head of the Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre said, “This consumer-led study highlights the key role consumers can play in research and the importance of understanding their lived experience. This study shows the challenges in diagnosing Parkinson’s and supports the need for a National Action Plan for Parkinson’s in Australia, which is something that WEHI and the National Parkinson’s Alliance are working towards.”

Parkinson’s, the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world, still has no definitive clinical diagnostic test or drug to slow or stop the disease. Read the study, published in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.

🔗 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-025-00968-3

📸 Prof Grant Dewson and some of the WEHI consumers.

L-R Iain McLean, L.E. Ohman, Andrew Hicks, Sheenagh Bottrell, Prof Grant Dewson, Shane Kirne, Dr Isobel Lawrenson (Centre Coordinator), and Abby Nackash.

08/07/2025

Are chemicals to blame for rising rates of cancer in young people? WEHI experts Dr Sarah Diepstraten and Dr John (Eddie) La Marca explain.

WEHI researchers explain the factors contributing to increased rates of cancer in young people.

08/07/2025

🧬 Surprising second job for well-known cancer protein

MCL-1 is a protein that scientists have studied for several years because of its role in keeping cells alive. But new research led by WEHI has uncovered something unexpected: MCL-1 also helps power cells by supporting their energy production.

MCL-1 is a ‘hot target’ in cancer therapy. This discovery, published in Science, could explain why some promising cancer drugs that target MCL-1 have caused serious side effects – especially in energy-hungry organs like the heart and liver.

By revealing this previously unrecognised role, the research opens the door to designing safer, more targeted cancer therapies.

Led by first author Dr Kerstin Brinkmann and co-senior researchers Prof Andreas Strasser, Prof Marco Herold (Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute), Assoc Prof Tim Thomas and Prof Anne Voss, this collaborative effort exemplifies the power of curiosity-driven science.

📰 Learn more about the important findings: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/hidden-role-of-cell-protector-opens-cancer-treatment-possibilities/

📷 Loss of MCL-1 triggers severe mitochondrial damage (shown in the right panel). Mitochondria are shown in red, cell nuclei in blue.

07/07/2025

“It takes a village for a medical discovery to finally reach patients.” – Professor Marnie Blewitt

A powerful collaboration is underway at WEHI: venture principal scientist Dr Nicholas Liau is teaming up with Professor Marnie Blewitt to transform her breakthrough research into a world-first therapy for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).

PWS is a rare neurological disorder that causes symptoms like intellectual disability, low muscle tone, and an insatiable appetite.

Dr Liau works in the WEHI Ventures team, which manages 66ten, the largest internal pre-seed and seed investment fund in an Australian medical research institute. He bridges the gap between scientists and investors for the fund that will invest $66 million over ten years in groundbreaking medical innovations.

Read more: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/breakthrough-to-blockbuster-seed-fund-unleashes-life-changing-science/

Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia

Venture scientist Dr Nicholas Liau is teaming up with Professor Marnie Blewitt to turn her breakthrough science into a world-first therapy.