For his leading contributions to the field of immunology, and the genetic diagnoses of inborn errors of immunity, Garvan’s Professor Stuart Tangye has been elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane on 12 October.
Professor Tangye’s research focus is human immunology and how immune deficiencies due to a genetic cause, otherwise known as inborn errors of immunity, can lead to disease, on which he has published more than 250 peer-reviewed research articles and invited reviews.
His input has been fundamental to identifying genetic variants in patients with rare immune conditions and has led to the discovery of 22 new inborn errors of immunity, reported in prestigious scientific journals.
Among his outstanding achievements is the establishment of the Clinical Immunogenomics Research Consortium Australasia (CIRCA) in 2015. This multi-disciplinary collaborative network aims to expedite genomic diagnosis and treatments for individuals with inborn errors of immunity, and enable new research projects to reveal how these genetic variants cause disease in individuals with these conditions.
“I’m delighted that my team’s work has received this recognition. Patients with inborn errors of immunity often get left behind. Through work that was initiated in my lab many years ago, and is now embedded in the CIRCA network, we have been able to help genetically diagnose immune diseases, guide treatment and change the lives of patients affected by these conditions. I am grateful to the Academy for acknowledging this important work,” says Professor Tangye.
Professor Tangye’s leadership has been previously recognised by the 2011 Gottschalk Medal from the Australian Academy of Sciences, 2013 UTS Faculty of Science Alumni Award, 2015 Fulbright Senior Scholarship, 2019 Clinical Immunology Society (USA) Presidential Award and a 2020 NHMRC Research Excellence Award.
AAHMS Fellows represent Australia’s leading minds in health and medical sciences, recognised for their clinical, non-clinical, leadership, industry, and research contributions. To be considered for election to the Academy’s Fellowship, a candidate must show exceptional professional achievement in a field related to health and/or medicine.
Professor Stuart Tangye is a Conjoint Professor at School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney.