Invited Speakers

Dr Caroline Gargett, PhD

"Endometrium: Cinderella tissue in a stem cell world" 

NHMRC RD Wright Fellow and Senior Scientist

Monash Institute of Medical Research

Dr Caroline Gargett, PhD, is a NHMRC RD Wright Fellow, heads the Women’s Health Theme in The Ritchie Centre, Monash Institute of Medical Research and is a member of the Monash University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In 1997 she joined the Centre for Women’s Health Research in MIMR as a postdoctoral scientist and studied estrogen and VEGF regulation of angiogenesis in the uterus. In 2002 she established the Endometrial Stem Cell Group. Her team’s research has identified adult stem cells in the endometrium, and her group published the first papers describing their discovery. She featured in NHMRC’s “10 of the Best Research Projects in 2008”. Dr Gargett has received several national and international awards for her research. Her goal is to examine the role of endometrial stem/progenitor cells in endometriosis and endometrial cancer, and use endometrial mesenchymal stem/stromal cells in a tissue engineering application for pelvic organ prolapse repair surgery. Dr Gargett serves on the Editorial Board of Reproductive Sciences and has been Associate Editor for Human Reproduction (2005-2008) and Secretary for the Society for Reproductive Biology (2005-2007).

Dr Bob Anderson, PhD FRACP

"Harnessing gluten toxicity to make a drug for coeliac disease" 

Ian Mackay Fellow

Autoimmunity and Transplantation Division

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Bob Anderson's vision is for coeliac disease to be treated by a highly specific immunotherapy, prevented by a peptide-based vaccine, and diagnosed with a blood test. Over the last ten years Bob has developed a patient-based approach to mapping the toxic peptides in gluten recognised by the disease-causing T cells in coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is ideally placed to become the first human immune disease diagnosed, treated and prevented by exploiting the very peptides that cause this common immune disease. These developments bring hope that similar approaches will be possible for other immune diseases with similar susceptibility genes such as Type-1 diabetes. Bob is a lab head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, a consultant gastroenterologist at the Alfred Hospital where he runs the Coeliac Clinic, and is Founder, CEO and CSO of Nexpep Pty Ltd. Nexpep has recently completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of Nexvax2, the peptide-based immunotherapy that Bob has developed, in volunteers with coeliac disease. Bob is also Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Coeliac Research Fund Ltd leading efforts to raise clinical awareness and evidence-based care of coeliac disease, and to support research in this rapidly emerging area of clinical need.

Dr Josephine Forbes, PhD

"Unraveling the caramel spider's web of diabetes"

Associate Professor

Group Leader, Glycation and Diabetes Laboratory

Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute

Associate Professor Forbes completed her PhD in Nephrology in 1999 at Victorian Paediatric Renal Services, Royal Children’s Hospital (Paediatrics, University of Melbourne). In 2002, she became the Group Leader for the Glycation and Diabetes Complications Laboratory at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Research Institute.  She is currently an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and currently holds research grants from the NHMRC of Australia, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the NIH (USA). She is a regular member of NHMRC review panels in addition to grant review panels for the JDRF international. Her work to date has resulted in more than 80 publications in highly ranked diabetes and related journals with excellent citation rates.  Her primary research focuses on the biochemical process of advanced glycation and its contribution to diabetes and its vascular complications, in particular nephropathy.  She has received awards for her research including the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in medical research in 2010, an NHMRC Achievement Award as the highest ranked biomedical CDA2 in 2009 and a Young Tall Poppy Award in 2008. A/Prof Forbes currently leads a team of 12 staff and supervises four PhD students, in addition to being an Associate Professor in Immunology at Monash University, Australia. 

Dr Greg Woods, PhD

"One cell one species: A devil of a disease"

Associate Professor, Immunology

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program

Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania

Associate Professor Greg Woods completed an undergraduate degree (BSc(Hons)) at Monash University, a postgraduate degree at the University of Tasmania (PhD) and has worked as a research scientist in Toronto, Canada; London, England and Edinburgh Scotland. He was appointed to the University of Tasmania in 1989 and joined the Menzies Research Institute in 2006, and is currently a Principal Research Fellow at the Menzies Research Institute, and an Associate Professor at the School of Medicine, University of Tasmania. A/Prof Woods has an international research profile, having contributed significantly to the fields of dendritic cells, specifically in the area of Langerhans cells, cancer and the development of the neonatal skin immune system, the effect of sunlight on the developing skin immune system and the role of vitamin D3.  Since undertaking studies on the Tasmanian Devil, major progress has been made in understanding its immune system and how devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) escapes immune recognition. Involvement with the Devil Facial Tumour Disease has created unique opportunities and research programmes, with A/Prof Woods’ team showing for the first time that devils can produce an immune response to DFTD.