Dr Etienne Masle-Farquhar
Dr Etienne Masle-Farquhar is a postdoctoral scientist in the Genomic Medicine and Immunogenomics laboratories at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. Etienne is a Conjoint Lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He co-leads the Exceptional Responders in Autoimmune/Inflammatory Diseases (ERAD) program. Using ERAD and supported by the Garvan HOPE program, Etienne's research applies single-cell multiomic and genomic technologies to reveal the underlying mechanisms and possible treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Etienne first became interested in immunology and genetics at age 16, during his internships with Prof Chris Goodnow at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, and with Prof Alain Fischer at the INSERM Institute in Paris. Etienne was awarded the Alexander McTaggart Award for Honours at ANU in 2015, studying the fundamentals of immune development and responses. In 2021, Etienne completed a PhD at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in the laboratory of Prof. Chris Goodnow. This PhD studied the shared genetic overlaps between autoimmune diseases and immune cancers. It was awarded the UNWS Dean's Award, and revealed mechanisms behind several novel genetic checkpoints controlling killer CD8 T cell and B cell dysregulation in autoimmune diseases.
Etienne's ongoing research leverages a growing clinical collaborative network, immunology and cellular genomics expertise, to better understand and treat specific diseases: (i) Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis, (ii) Gout, (iii) Scleroderma and (iv) Atherosclerotic Heart Disease.
Awards
- 2023Publication of the Quarter; UNSW St Vincent’s Clinical School
- 2022New Investigator Award; Australian Society of Immunology; Finalist
- 2022Triple I Sphere Grant: 'Elucidating cellular and molecular drivers of rheumatoid arthritis disease flares’
- 2022Young Investigator Award; International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS)
- 2021Dean's Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis; University of New South Wales
- 2018Stuart Furler Award; Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
- 2017 - 2017
- 2016Australian Postgraduate Award; University of New South Wales
- 2016Chancellor's Letter of Commendation for Outstanding Academic Performance; Australian National University
- 2015Alexander McTaggart Memorial Scholarship; Australian National University
- 2009Dux - Best overall academic performance Years 7-10
Education
- 2015Bachelor of Science (Bachelor of Science (B.S))Australian National University, Australia
- 2021Doctor of Philosophy (Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)), ImmunologyUniversity of New South Wales, Australia
Selected publications
See all publications- 2019Cancer Cell10.1016/j.ccell.2019.01.004
DNA Hypermethylation Encroachment at CpG Island Borders in Cancer Is Predisposed by H3K4 Monomethylation Patterns.
- 2022Cell Reports10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110259
Uncontrolled CD21 age-associated and B1 B cell accumulation caused by failure of an EGR2/3 tolerance checkpoint.
- 2022Immunity10.1016/j.immuni.2022.11.001
STAT3 gain-of-function mutations connect leukemia with autoimmune disease by pathological NKG2D CD8 T cell dysregulation and accumulation.
- 2023Frontiers in Immunology10.3389/fimmu.2023.1095257
gain-of-function mutation drives cell-autonomous accumulation of PD-1 ICOS activated T cells, T-follicular, T-regulatory and T-follicular regulatory cells.