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Praveena Thirunavukkarasu

Congrats Praveena on your NHMRC Investigator Grant funding

BDI researchers awarded more than $10 million in NHMRC Investigator Grant funding

Six Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) researchers have collectively been awarded more than $10 million in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants, announced today by Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care The Hon Mark Butler MP.

The Investigator Grant scheme is the NHMRC’s largest funding scheme and is a major investment in Australia’s health and medical research workforce.  It provides Australia’s highest-performing researchers, across the spectrum of health research and at all career stages, with consolidated funding for their salary, if required, and a significant research support package for five years.

This funding will support researchers at the Monash BDI to continue their outstanding discovery research, ranging from investigating ways to restore vision following damage to the visual cortex; innovating bacteriophage therapies to combat antimicrobial resistance; treating inflammatory bowel disease with natural killer T cells; through to  investigating long-acting therapies for hypertension and more.

Monash BDI researchers (L-R top) Prof Kate Denton, Prof Marcello Rosa, Prof James Whisstock, (L-R bottom) Dr Andrew Freeman, Dr Sue Nang, Dr Praveena Thirunavukkarasu.

Monash BDI researchers (L-R top) Prof Kate Denton, Prof Marcello Rosa, Prof James Whisstock, (L-R bottom) Dr Andrew Freeman, Dr Sue Nang, Dr Praveena Thirunavukkarasu.

Professor John Carroll, Director of Monash BDI, expressed his congratulations and said that these awards are intensely competitive.

“It’s fantastic to see our research leaders supported by the NHMRC. This funding plays a key role in enabling our scientists to make vital discoveries that drive advancements in human health and lead to the development of new treatments,” Professor Carroll said.

“I offer my sincere congratulations to all of our Investigator Grant recipients and commend the tremendous effort invested by all of our applicants,” he added.

The six Monash BDI projects are among 31 projects awarded more than $57 million in funding to Monash Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) researchers in the latest NHMRC Investigator Grants. Read more on the MNHS recipients here.

The six Monash BDI researchers to receive funding were:

Professor Kate Denton, Cardiovascular Disease Program, Department of Physiology, Long-acting therapies to treat hypertension and organ injury, $3,014,025 (Leadership 3)

Hypertension affects one in three adults globally and is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While treatments exist, many patients struggle with medication adherence, leading to uncontrolled blood pressure and higher CVD risk. This research aims to develop long-lasting therapies to reduce pill burden and improve hypertension treatment. Key programs include reprogramming kidney function early in life to prevent hypertension, analysing nerve regrowth after renal denervation to assess lasting blood pressure effects, and removing senescent cells to reduce CVD risk after hypertensive pregnancy. These strategies could transform treatment for hypertension and organ injury, and reduce the associated healthcare burden.

Professor Marcello Rosa, Neuroscience Program, Department of Physiology, Pathways to vision following lesions of the primary visual cortex, $3,014,025 (Leadership 3)

Research on cortical blindness in primates has challenged the long-held belief that little can be done to restore vision after damage to the primary visual cortex. Over 20 years, Professor Rosa has demonstrated that some visual function remains in surviving cortical areas, identified neural pathways that support this, and developed an implantable device for other types of blindness. In the next five years, Professor Rosa will investigate microstimulation as a strategy for partial vision restoration, study how visual rehabilitation works at the neuronal level, and explore how visual pathways reorganise in early versus mature life to identify potential therapeutic targets for the preservation of visual function.

Professor James Whisstock, Infection Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, In situ studies of the immune synapse, $2,000,000 (Leadership 3)

Immune cells form synapses to kill virally infected and cancerous cells, where receptor organisation impacts immune function. However, predicting these functions requires high-resolution, spatial information about immune synapse structure. This research uses cryogenic electron tomography and proteomics to identify key proteins and their spatial arrangement in the synapse. Additionally, it aims to improve biologics (for example, antibodies) to better access the synapse and modulate immune responses. This information will, in turn, be of use in the development of novel biologics or small molecules that enhance or inhibit immune cell function.This will guide the development of better and more specific immune cell therapies (for example, CAR-T cells).

Dr Andrew Freeman, Immunity Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Unlocking the therapeutic potential of anti-inflammatory mesenchymal stromal cells through a refined mode of action, $688,405 (Emerging Leadership 1)

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show potential for treating inflammatory diseases due to their immunomodulatory effects. However, most clinical trials have not succeeded, partly due to a misunderstanding of MSC mechanisms. Recent research suggests that MSC-induced anti-inflammatory effects occur through efferocytosis, where immune cells uptake apoptotic MSCs and reprogram immune cells. Preliminary data shows that bioactive factors released via a specific transmembrane channel during MSC apoptosis additionally contribute to inflammation suppression. This project aims to identify these mediators and the macrophage pathways involved through screening technologies, offering new insights into MSC mode of action that will guide future MSC-based therapies or cell-free alternatives for treating inflammatory conditions.

Dr Sue Chin Nang, Infection Program, Department of Microbiology, Innovating bacteriophage diagnostics and therapy to combat antimicrobial resistance: A cell-free synthetic biology approach, $688,405 (Emerging Leadership 1)

Antimicrobial resistance poses a major global health threat, with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that target bacteria, show promise as alternatives to antibiotics, but current methods for identifying and producing therapeutic phages are slow and labor-intensive. This research aims to revolutionise phage therapy by developing a cell-free phage therapy platform to accelerate clinical application. By combining synthetic biology with advanced PCR techniques, the project will enable rapid screening of therapeutic phages and optimise phage production, providing an essential solution to combat antimicrobial resistance and safeguard modern medicine.

Dr Praveena Thirunavukkarasu, Immunity Program, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural Killer T cells to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease, $688,405 (Emerging Leadership 1)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, affects more than 6.8 million people globally. Despite extensive research, new treatments have been slow due to a limited understanding of mechanisms controlling gut inflammation. One potential mechanism involves T cell-mediated lipid immunity via the CD1d molecule, which presents lipids to Natural Killer T (NKT) cells. Dysregulated NKT responses contribute to IBD progression. Notably, our human gut microbiota produces numerous bioactive lipids with immense immunomodulatory potential. This research aims to explore how gut microbiota-derived lipids interact with CD1d and NKT cells to modulate immune responses. Ultimately, this research program will lead to the development of innovative lipid-based, small molecule-based and antibody-based therapeutic agents to treat IBD by alleviating inflammation.

For the full list of national recipients, visit the NHMRC website (NHMRC 2025 Grant Application Round) and read the NHMRC media release.

Original article

Congrats Praveena on the award of the ARC DECRA

Monash BDI early career researchers awarded more than $2m ARC DECRA funding

Five Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) researchers have been awarded $2.23 million under the 2023 ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme.

Minister for Education, Hon Jason Clare MP, announced $85 million for 200 projects nationwide to support early career researchers under the DECRA scheme.

Researchers at the Monash BDI received five awards to support a diverse range of discovery research into nanobiotechnology, bacterial membrane remodelling, microbial life in the atmosphere, lipid-mediated T cell immunity, and understanding how T cells recognise and respond to foreign antigens.

“This success is a testament to the depth of excellence in our early career researcher cohort, and I congratulate this outstanding group of recipients,” said Professor John Carroll, Director of the Monash BDI.

The grants awarded to the Monash BDI are:

Project: ‘Molecular insights into lipid-mediated T cell immunity.’ Dr Praveena ThirunavukkarasuRossjohn Lab, awarded $421,485

This project involves the discovery of novel lipids produced by the microbiome that play a significant role in T cell-mediated immunity. Using a combination of cutting-edge technologies such as mass spectrometry, protein crystallography, immunology and biophysics, this project will elucidate the molecular factors that govern the interaction between the identified lipids and T cells. This innovative research will provide fundamental insights into the recognition mechanism of lipids by T cells at a molecular level, thus broadening our knowledge in the field of biological sciences. The expected research outcomes will increase Australia’s international research standing in this burgeoning area of lipid-mediated T cell immunity.

Project: ‘A novel bacterial secretion system for applications in nanobiotechnology.’ Dr Christopher StubenrauchLithgow Lab, awarded $429,449

This project aims to characterise a new molecular machine, called the S-Pump. Molecular machines drive the complex biology in all cells and are an exciting area of translational research, with broad potential for industrial applications. This project expects to provide fundamental insights into how bacterial S-Pumps contribute to antimicrobial resistance and enhancing food production. Expected outcomes include new tools for molecular machine discovery and identification of ways to adapt molecular machines for biotechnological applications. This work should enhance Australia-UK ties through collaboration, provide benefits toward nanobiotechnology and economic benefits through more efficient food production.

Project: ‘Bacterial membrane remodelling and the interaction with peptides.’ Dr Meiling HanJian Li Lab, awarded $450,241

This project aims to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of lipid remodelling in the Gram-negative outer membrane, which is critical both in preventing noxious compounds and evading host immune defence. For the first time, the complex interplay between bacterial cellular metabolism and membrane remodelling will be defined through systems pharmacology, and the precise membrane-peptide interaction will be examined by computational and biophysical approaches. Novel knowledge will be generated to improve our understanding of how bacteria remodel their outer membrane in response to environmental stress. This will benefit the future design of much-needed antimicrobial strategies including products and technologies to target bacterial membranes.

Project: ‘Microbial life in the atmosphere.’ Dr Rachael LappanGreening Lab, awarded $454,741

This project aims to resolve the nature and basis of microbial life in the atmosphere, the largest but most unexplored potential ecosystem on Earth. The atmosphere plays a role in transporting microbes, but our understanding of resident atmospheric microbial communities and their role in global atmospheric processes is minimal. Using cutting-edge molecular and biogeochemical approaches, this project aims to identify true microbial residents of the atmosphere, understand their mechanisms for survival in this environment and explore their role in seeding newly formed environments. The anticipated outcomes include fundamental knowledge on atmospheric microbial ecosystems, and their influence on global atmospheric processes.

Project: ‘Redefining how T cell recognition drives T cell activation.’ Dr Pirooz ZareieLa Gruta Lab, awarded $470,789

This proposal aims to define the key mechanisms that determine how T cells recognise and respond to foreign antigens; a critical feature that defines effective immunity. To achieve this goal, this proposal will leverage multidisciplinary collaborations and innovative methods to understand how structural and biochemical features of T cell receptor recognition influence T cell mediated immunity and development. In turn, this project will facilitate further research and development in the burgeoning field of T cell biology and advance life science research in Australia. Furthermore, as T cell biology is relevant to all vertebrates, this research will greatly benefit the conservation of threatened animal species and agriculture.

The DECRA scheme is designed to expand the knowledge base and research capacity in Australia and to provide economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.

A full list of the 2023 ARC DECRA recipients and their projects is available on the ARC website.

Read the ARC Media Release announcing the DECRA scheme recipients on 16 September.


About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.

Original article

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