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The Australian Society for Medical Research ASMR MEDICAL RESEARCH WEEK® May 30 to June 8 2013

Media Release Embargoed until 8pm, June 6, 2013

MONASH RESEARCHER WINS COMMONWEALTH HEALTH MINISTER’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

“Understanding how Hospital-acquired pathogens cause human disease”

The Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research recognizes outstanding individual achievement by a young Australian Researcher. This year, the Award goes to Associate Professor Anton Peleg, an Infectious Diseases Physician and NHMRC Biomedical Fellow in the Department of Microbiology at Monash University, who has identified the urgent need for the discovery and development of novel antimicrobials.

Antimicrobial resistance is recognized by the World Health Organisation as one of the three greatest threats to human health and novel strategies including those that target bacterial virulence, persistence and adaptation are desperately required.

Associate Professor Peleg’s vision for the next four years is to apply innovative methodologies to identify mechanisms by which the most critical hospital-acquired pathogens cause disease and identify targets which may be the basis of future drug development.

He will use his unique position as an Infectious Diseases physician (The Alfred Hospital) and a laboratory group leader (Department of Microbiology, Monash University) to study the most clinically relevant, high impact infectious disease problems; he will also collaborate with industry to provide the foundations for translation into better diagnostics and therapeutics.

This Prestigious Award and medal was presented to Associate Professor Peleg at the ASMR Medical Research Week® Gala Dinner in Melbourne (Hilton on the Park, Grand Ballroom) this evening.

Media Contacts: Roger Yazbek: 0438 650 722 or Catherine West: 0415 928 211

M Major National Sponsor of ASMR MRW® Major National Supporter of ASMR MRW®

The ASMR Medical Research Week® is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

The Australian Society for Medical Research ACN 000 599 235 - ABN 18 000 599 235 Suite 702, Level 7, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 9230 0333/4, Fax (02) 9230 0339 Email: [email protected], Website: www.asmr.org.au Snr Executive Officer: Catherine West