Annual Report RESEARCH2012 HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR Our group has made significant advances in understanding disease progression related to iron metabolism, but also on a more translational level, advances in characterising the effects of drug therapies in cancer. We have provided new insight into disease causing iron acquisition through a particular iron transporter, and have characterised specific lead drug candidates targeting the LAT transporters in prostate cancer cells. OUR HISTORY The Centenary Institute opened in 1989, under the stewardship of its founding Director Professor Anthony Basten, to commemorate the centenaries of the University of Sydney Medical School and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Formal working relationships with the University and Hospital have provided unique opportunities for students to become involved both in research and the translation of basic discoveries into clinical practice, an area in which the Institute has become a leader. The Centenary Institute is a world class medical research facility focusing on cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. It is located between Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney, and forms a critical point of contact and intellectual engagement between the Hospital and the University. 2012 Scientific Image Prize Winner – ‘The Spark of Life’. Dr David Hancock, T cell Biology. Understanding the complexity of the immune system using advanced bioinformatics. A network map displaying all interactions in an immune cell after activation. Centenary Institute Annual Report 2012 Contents Chairman’s Report 2 Executive Director’s Report 3 Board of Governors 4 Centenary Institute Medical Research Foundation 6 Research Perspective 8 Centenary Institute Research Groups Ageing Research 10 Bioinformatics 12 Gene and Stem Cell Therapy 14 Immune Imaging 16 Liver Immunology 18 Liver Injury and Cancer 20 Molecular Cardiology 22 Signal Transduction 24 Structural Biology 26 T cell Biology 28 Tuberculosis Research 30 Vascular Biology 32 Organisational Chart 34 Science Support 35 Financial Highlights 36 Successful Grant Recipients 37 2012 Publications 38 Postgraduate Training Program 41 2012 Invited Presentations 42 2012 Awards 45 Centenary Institute Collaborations 2012 46 Chairman’s Report The Honourable Michael Egan The past year has seen the Institute grow in stature on all fronts, Arrangements for the establishment of joint laboratories with the but especially in the way it reaches into the lives of people all Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at RPA and Centenary has also gained over the world. For instance, our excellent work in tuberculosis ground, with space becoming available in the new Charles continues in Vietnam and China, our research into sudden Perkins Centre (CPC). The construction of the CPC has moved cardiac death is expanding in rural areas of Australia, very fast over the last year with researchers expected to move and we continue to be recognised as a leader in liver into the building in 2014. transplant research. I want to congratulate our Executive Director, Professor Mathew The Centenary Lawrence Creative Prize is a prize awarded for Vadas and the Head of the Gene and Stem Cell laboratory, creativity to Australian young scientists who are under 8-years Professor John Rasko for being honored by the Australian in their post-doctoral career. In its second year, nominations Government as Officers of the Order of Australia (AO). My were received from researchers all over Australia. I wish to congratulation are also extended to one of our Governors, congratulate Dr Jian Yang from the Diamantina Institute at Professor Bruce Robinson who was appointed a Member of the the University of Queensland for being the 2012 winner of this Order of Australia (AM). increasingly prestigious $25,000 prize. I also extend my thanks to Mr Ken Cahill for his wonderful service Talking about young people, our group of wonderful during his time on the Board. benefactors, the Young Centenary Foundation, continues to amaze us with their energy and enthusiasm. They are not Finally I thank all the Board of Governors, our hard working only enormously helpful in our fundraising efforts, but they also colleagues at the Institute and the Foundation, and especially organise exciting events that put Centenary in contact with a our Executive Director Mathew Vadas, for all their work during fantastic group of interested young people. the year. This year we were visited by our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) members, who were most helpful in refining the research “The past year has seen the direction of our Institute and providing invaluable feedback to our scientists. I especially want to thank the Chair of the SAB, Institute grow in stature on all Professor Sir Marc Feldmann, who gave the keynote address at fronts, but especially in the way our 2012 Annual Meeting in the presence of our patrons, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir and Sir Nicholas Shehadie. it reaches into the lives of people all over the world.” The year also marked the inauguration of the ‘Diseases of the Aorta’ laboratory. This was a wonderful collaboration between our Institute, and cardiologists Professor David Richmond and Professor Richmond Jeremy at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The laboratory has begun operations under the direction of Professor Jennifer Gamble and we look forward to its development over the next years. Earlier in the year, Professor Gamble, a pioneer of endothelium research, was also announced as the inaugural University of Sydney Wenkart Chair in Endothelium Medicine at the Centenary Institute. 2 Executive Director’s Report Executive Director, Faculty, Professor Mathew Vadas AO Creativity is often an individual effort and there is much an Institute University have enabled the group to become an increasingly like ours can do to allow the creative research genius to flourish. prominent and productive research group. In 2012, Centenary has continued to strive to create an environment Two of our strongest scientists have decided to join their groups that recognises and applauds researchers’ innovative imagination. to further enhance their interactions. Dr Chris Jolly and Professor Our seminar series, our meetings, our Scientific Advisory Board are all Wolfgang Weninger will now operate jointly as the Immune focused around this. In addition, the Centenary Lawrence Creative Imaging group. This group is now a central source of our research Prize, about which you can read more in the Chairman’s report, has and creativity, and also in generating extraordinary scientific become a hugely recognised national celebration of the Australian images, some of which are highlighted in this report. creative potential. Our efforts to build a prominent bioinformatics team under the But there is also a well-recognised structural or architectural leadership of Dr William Ritchie have also borne fruit. During component to creativity, which maximises the chance meetings, the past year, the lab became fully functional and is already the accidental exposures to new influences or the after-work providing a superb support service throughout our Institute and to conversations that fire a new idea. Happily, the University of the wider research community. It is also excelling in its own cutting Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) is being erected adjacent edge research. A winning combination! to the Centenary and much thought has gone into how best the two entities should interact to maximise creative synergy. The Much of the work of the Institute centres on understanding the new cafeteria adjacent to Centenary will give scope to social inflammatory response. The inflammatory response underlies interactions and our advanced plans for a joint venture with many diseases including cancer and ageing. With the Lifehouse in creating the Centenary-Lifehouse Cancer Research recruitment of Dr Masaomi Kato to head our Ageing Research Centre (CLCRC) in the CPC will allow for the physical interactions and our plans for CLCRC, our expertise in inflammation is that are so important. becoming even more germane. To further exploit this synergy we have begun to organise the inaugural international ‘Future Showcasing Our Excellence of Experimental Medicine Conference – Inflammation in Disease As is evident in this report, 2012 has been outstanding for all our and Ageing’ that will be held in Sydney in March 2014. We believe scientists, but I want to highlight five areas. this conference will forge new research collaborations and attract leading scientists to the Institute. The opening of a highly secure PC3 laboratory for our Tuberculosis research group in 2012 was a key milestone. Professor Warwick Finally, I want to thank each of our researchers, staff, partners, Britton, who heads up this research group, was awarded $2.49 board and supporters who have made 2012 such a fruitful year, million towards establishing a Centre of Research Excellence on upholding our core values of excellence, relevance Tuberculosis control. The new prestigious Centre brings together and prominence. international expertise in public health, epidemiology, basic science, ethics, law and clinical medicine, to address this complex As we continue to mature and expand as an Institute, we look public health problem. It was particularly gratifying to see our forward to creative sparks flying to fuel the discoveries that Tuberculosis research group highlighted in the press for their truly will benefit all Australians, enabling us all to live longer and outstanding work to help