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NEWSLETTER Australasian Society for Immunology Incorporated PP 341403100035 ISSN 1442-8725 March 2011 Remembering Frank Fenner Phil Hodgkin Before the start of the scientifi c program But Fenner is perhaps most famous for at the 2010 ASI meeting I was asked to chairing the WHO global commission deliver a short tribute to our long time for the certification of smallpox colleague and great friend Frank Fenner eradication. In this capacity Frank had who passed away the week before the the honour of announcing to the world meeting at the age of 95. In paying such that smallpox had been eradicated in a tribute it was diffi cult to know where 1980. Surely one of the greatest ever to start – his lifetime of contribution to public health achievements. Afterwards science was simply extraordinary. Fenner teamed up with Donald Henderson to write a comprehensive Frank Fenner published his first history of the disease – from its murky scientifi c paper in 1934 at age 20, beginnings in history to its end brought an anthropological study of South about by vaccination. Australian aboriginal communities, and continued to publish well into his In addition to his stellar scientifi c 80s – an incredible 70 year publication work, Fenner was a tireless leader and span. scientifi c administrator. In the late cont. p4 Fenner worked as an army doctor during Professor Frank Fenner AC CMG MBE 2007 the Second World War, serving fi rst in by Jude Rae. oil on canvas. Collection: National Portrait Palestine and later in New Guinea. In Gallery, Canberra. Commissioned with funds provided by Contents New Guinea he developed strategies for Mr Anthony Adair and Ms Karen MacLeod protecting Australian troops from malaria Remembering Frank Fenner 1 of the Nobel prize to Burnet and Medawar and achieved such great success that his work Editorial 3 in 1960. Fenner, ever humble, took no credit More on Frank Fenner 5 & 6 was cited as a major factor in the success of despite being co-author. He was always Honorary Secretary’s News 7 the New Guinea campaign and earned him quick to say he was the researcher hunting New Branch Councillors 8 an MBE. As a result, his scientifi c credentials down material for the book, but the ideas Int. Society for Dendritic Cell & came to the attention of Macfarlane Burnet were Burnet’s. Vaccine Science 9 who recruited Fenner to the Walter and Eliza President’s Column 10 Hall Institute, Melbourne, after the Second IUIS Frontiers in Immunology 11 At WEHI Frank Fenner also worked on World War. Councillors’ News 12 mousepox, establishing it as a model 2010 AGM Minutes 14 for human viral disease. His meticulous Fenner and Burnet were a great team. They Visiting Speaker Program 21 descriptions of the emerging spots and Becton Dickinson Science worked together on many projects including movement of infection between organs Communication Prize Winners 22 the second edition of the classic book The remain a standard in the education of every Poster Prize Winners 25 Production of Antibodies published in 1949. viral immunologist. Also considered a 2010 Postgraduate Workshop 28 This was probably the fi rst immunology scientifi c classic is Fenner’s later study of Outgoing ICB Editor in Chief 29 textbook and a call to arms for the new Publications List 30 the epidemiology of myxomatosis virus discipline. In a small section of this book, a The Lafferty Debate 34 introduced to the non-immune Australian sentence really, the idea that self-tolerance Travel Award Conference Reports 35 rabbit population and leading eventually to might be learned in young life was put Upcoming Lectures & Conferences 38 the selection of resistant rabbit strains. Fenner forward. This idea was picked up by Peter 2010 Tumour Immunology Workshop 39 described this work as “watching evolution Student News 39 Medawar in England and led to the award before our eyes”. ASI Inc. Newsletter March 2011 ASI Inc. COUNCIL Non-Voting Councillors: Newsletter Editor President Past President Dr Simon Apte Dr David Tarlinton Prof Miles Davenport Ph: 61 7 3362 0380 Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Centre for Vascular Research Email: [email protected] Research University of New South Wales 1G Royal Parade, Parkville Vic 3050 Kensington NSW 2052 Journal Editor Ph: 61 3 9345 2615 Ph: 61 2 9385 2762 Dr Gabrielle Belz Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ph: 61 3 9345 2544 Fax: 61 3 9347 0852 Email: [email protected] Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer Dr Susanne Heinzel Dr Pablo Silveira Visiting Speakers Co-ordinator Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Garvan Institute A/Prof J. Alejandro Lopez Medical Research 384 Victoria Street Queensland Institute of Medical Research 1G Royal Parade, Parkville Vic 3050 Darlinghurst NSW 2010 CBCRC/I, Post Offi ce Ph: 61 3 9345 2609 Ph: 61 2 9295 8429 Royal Brisbane Hospital Qld 4029 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ph: 61 7 3845 3794 Fax: 61 7 3845 3510 Email: Email: [email protected] State Councillors New South Wales Victoria & Tasmania Council Member of IUIS Dr Stuart Tangye Dr Stuart Berzins Dr Franca Ronchese Ph: 61 2 9295 8455 Ph: 61 3 8344 5706 Ph: 64 4 499 6914 ext 828 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Queensland South Australia & Northern Territory Honorary Archivist & Webmaster: Dr Ashraful Haque Dr Michele Grimbaldeston Dr Judith Greer Ph: 61 7 3362 0414 Ph: 61 8 8222 3083 Ph: 61 7 3346 6018 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Western Australia Australian Capital Territory Administrative Correspondence Dr Alec Redwood Dr Stephen Daley Ms Judi Anderson Ph: 61 8 9346 2512 Ph: 61 2 6125 7605 ASI Inc. Secretariat Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] PO Box 7108 Upper Ferntree Gully Vic 3156 New Zealand Ph: 61 3 9756 0128 Fax: 61 3 9753 6372 Dr Anne LaFlamme Email: [email protected] Ph: 64 4 463 6093 Email: anne.lafl [email protected] ASI Student Representatives FIMSA Councillor Contact for Tasmania Ms Kate Parham Dr Guna Karupiah Dr Greg Woods Ph: 61 8 8222 3727 Ph: 61 2 6125 4562 Tel: 61 3 6226 4830 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ms Wai-Yan (Kiwi) Sun Ph: 61 8 8222 3852 Email: [email protected] Website The ASI web site (www.immunology.org.au) has been fully remodelled and updated. New services include: ¾ Downloadable forms for ASI awards, ¾ Positions vacant pages, ¾ Jobs wanted pages, ¾ Upcoming conferences listings, as well as a plethora of links to sites of immunological interest at home and abroad. If you‛d like your lab home pages linked to the site, would like to advertise a job or conference, or have a favourite immunology-related site that doesn‛t currently appear on the ASI site, please email Judy Greer at [email protected] Email bulletin board To subscribe to the ASI bulletin board, send an email to [email protected] with the message: subscribe anz-imm. 2 ASI Inc. Newsletter March 2011 EDITORIAL A very successful businesswoman once told My hope for the Newsletter is that it will retain am very keen that the list continues and me, “If you want something done, give the its high standard and role as the “face” of the becomes more comprehensive; it would job to a busy person”. Perhaps that was the Society. I would like the Newsletter to better be great if it could be automated, it will ASI’s rationale behind my appointment to refl ect and expose the views and endeavours certainly become an important measure Newsletter Editor. I don’t know if the logic of the 1012 members and I encourage your of the Society’s output. To this end I am in that adage is particularly sound; it seems suggestions and contributions. calling out for a volunteer to assist/run everybody is busy but the correlation with with this project. I am also calling out getting things done is weak. Whatever the In this edition we have some new features, for a volunteer to assist the newsletter reason, I am very honoured to have this including a review of the work that won by gathering/reporting interesting opportunity and I’m confi dent the enjoyment prizes at the Perth conference including the international news items (I have some will outweigh the aggravation. My fi rst task BD Science Communication Prize winners ideas to make this easier for you). in preparation for this role was to get copies Celine Deffrasnes and Ivana Ferriera, and of all of the old newsletters and review them, Poster Prize winners Sarah Oracki and Hock This is an extraordinarily large issue as it hoping to understand the purpose, themes and Tay; with more to come in the next edition. We includes a report of the AGM, introductions directions of the newsletter over the years. also have included a list of publications made to new state councillors, reports on the The fi rst thing that struck me was that there by Society members over the last six months Perth conference workshops, conference were clearly large parts of the newsletters that (of 2010). This list is not comprehensive as photos and the new features mentioned I had never read. The second thing was the it only includes those who responded to our above.