La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora (2026)

29/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to LIMS Fellow Dr Saimon Moraes Silva, who has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Analyst Emerging Investigator Lectureship in recognition of his pioneering medical and environmental biosensors research!

Awarded to high-achieving scientists for their contributions to analytical chemistry early in their independent research career, the lectureship will support Dr Silva to present a lecture at a leading international meeting.

Dr Silva said he felt privileged to receive this award.

“I feel privileged to receive the Lectureship from the Analyst, one of the world's leading journals in analytical chemistry, particularly as I only began my independent career as a research group head just over three years ago,” he said.

"This award gives me more confidence and motivation to pursue research that advances biosensing technologies beyond the laboratory, and towards real-world impact. Thank you to the Analyst editorial team and the Royal Society of Chemistry for this wonderful recognition."

Dr Silva also credited his team for the award.

"I have been very fortunate to work with an exceptionally talented group of young scientists who are the driving force behind our research: postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, and Masters and Honours students," he said.

"This award was only possible because of them - thank you to them all."

Find out more about Dr Silva’s research: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/lims/research-programs/biosensors/saimon-moraes-silva-la-sense-group

La Trobe University

17/09/2026

🧫 “I’m really passionate about using microbial solutions to tackle big problems, from health issues to climate change.”

Meet LIMS member, Mikaela Whitty.

A PhD researcher in Professor Steve Petrovski’s research group at LIMS and La Trobe University's School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, her research focuses on using microbiology to improve cattle health in agricultural settings in two ways:
🐄 Reducing cattle-caused methane gas emissions by improving cows’ gut health and digestion

🐄 Investigating how bacteria-killing viruses called phages could be used to develop new ways to treat mastitis in dairy cows.

PhD research can have many twists and turns. But, there was one twist Mikaela didn’t see coming: in an honour of a lifetime, she was chosen to represent Melbourne in Ireland’s annual Rose of Tralee International Festival.

Last month, during the final sprint of her PhD thesis submission, Mikaela headed to Ireland to share her work as a scientist, her story as a proud Irish-Australian who has lived in both countries, and to represent the stories, culture and journeys of Melbourne’s Irish community.

Read about Mikaela’s journey: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/announcements/2026/focus-on-mikaela-whitty-petrovski-group

15/09/2026

🔬 Congratulations to LIMS Synthetic Biology program lead Dr Wenyi Li, who has been awarded a $1.16 million Australian Research Council Future Fellowship!

The Fellowship will support critical research to develop a platform to design new membrane active peptides targeting specific bacterial membranes, which could lead to new ways to fight infection in the face of rising antibiotic resistance in the future.

Dr Li said he was honoured to be named as an ARC Future Fellow.

“I feel incredibly honoured and grateful to receive this Future Fellowship, which will provide vital support for our research and our students as we continue exploring how peptides interact with bacteria,” he said.

“I would like to sincerely thank everyone helped me along the way, especially my group members, collaborators, mentors, colleagues at La Trobe University and LIMS, and the assessors whose feedback over the past six unsuccessful ARC rounds helped us continually refine and strengthen this project. I am deeply grateful for their encouragement, advice and support.”

Dr Li was one of six researchers at La Trobe University to receive a Future Fellowship, for a total of nearly $7 million.

Read more: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2026/release/la-trobe-lands-$7m-for-future-focused-research

La Trobe University

14/09/2026

🧬 We are delighted to welcome Distinguished Professor Kevin Plaxco to LIMS!

Joining us from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Professor Plaxco is a world-leading figure in molecular biophysics, molecular dynamics and biosensor development.

As well as a prolific academic researcher with over 280 scientific papers and more than a dozen patents, Professor Plaxco is the inventor the DNA-based sensor technology at the heart of medtech company Nutromics, where he has recently been named Chief Scientific Officer.

Professor Plaxco said he was attracted by La Trobe's strong research culture and commitment to translating research into tangible outcomes.

"La Trobe has built an impressive reputation for bringing together outstanding fundamental science with a focus on addressing real-world challenges,” he said.

“The campus’s profile in molecular science and biotechnology is rapidly expanding. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to build on this exciting momentum."

We are excited to work with you too, Professor Plaxco – welcome to La Trobe University!

Read more: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/announcements/2026/distinguished-professor-plaxco-joins-la-trobe

19/08/2026

A huge congratulations to LIMS Fellow Dr Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan on receiving a Victorian Young Tall Poppy Award!

The award is fantastic recognition of his important research developing affordable, easy-to-use health technologies that support earlier detection of health conditions, and improved access to healthcare for underserved, regional and rural communities.

Dr Dhanabalan, who is an Australian Research Council Industry Fellow and the Deputy Director for the Centre for Technology Infusion, said he was excited and honoured when he found out he had received the award.

“Research is never the work of one person; it reflects years of hard work, collaboration, persistence, and the support of many people,” he said.

“It is very rewarding, knowing that our research and its potential to make a real difference in people’s lives is being recognised.”

He said the recognition gives him even more motivation to keep working toward translating his research from the lab to helping people who need these technologies.

“For me, the greatest reward is seeing engineering move beyond the laboratory and into people’s homes, where it can help detect health problems earlier and make healthcare more proactive, affordable, and accessible,” he said.

“I’m grateful to the Australian Institute of Policy and Science for this recognition, and to my colleagues, mentors, students, and the entire team at La Trobe University for their ongoing support and contributions. This recognition belongs to all of us.”

Read more: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2026/release/young-tall-poppy-honour-for-la-trobe-researcher

La Trobe University

12/08/2026

🔬 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects millions of people worldwide, but we are still learning why some people are more likely to develop the condition than others.

Now, new research at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) and LIMS shows how BECLIN1 – a protein which regulates how our cells recycling system – plays a major role in in protecting our gut against damage.

Led by Dr Juliani, Associate Professor Doug Fairlie and LIMS Deputy Director Professor Erinna Lee, the research showed that those with lower levels of BECLIN1 in the gut were more vulnerable to inflammation.

Researchers at ONJCRI - affiliated with La Trobe University as the School of Cancer Medicine - and at LIMS investigated whether preclinical models with lower levels of BECLIN1 were more vulnerable to gut inflammation and associated disease.

“We found that BECLIN1 acts like a dimmer switch for the intestine’s resilience. Turning the switch down doesn’t immediately cause disease, but it weakens the cells that produce the gut’s protective mucus barrier, leaving the intestine less able to cope with stress,” Dr Juliani said.

“We had previously shown that completely removing BECLIN1 causes catastrophic intestinal barrier failure. This new study shows that even subtle reductions in levels, such as seen in some other diseases including cancer, are enough to erode the gut’s natural defences and increase susceptibility to inflammation.”

The research was published in Cell Death & Disease.

Find out more: https://www.onjcri.org.au/news/beclin1-gut-inflammation-discovery/

10/08/2026

🌡️ Our immune system helps us to fight infection … but did you know that respiratory viruses can hijack this system and cause damaging lung inflammation?

Breakthrough research led by LIMS members Dr Kha Phan and Professor Ivan P**n, has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, can hide inside dying cells’ fragments, called Extracellular Vesicles, or “EVs”.

The EVs are consumed by immune cells for recycling. But, when they detect the virus particles it can trigger an inflammatory response, which can severely damage the lungs.

Uncovering this hidden pathway could open the way for new treatments which complement the antivirals used to help millions of people across the world who are affected each year by COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

The research was conducted by scientists at La Trobe University and WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research), and published in Nature Communications.

Learn more: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2026/release/hidden-pathway-drives-covid-19-infections-study

30/07/2026

🥼 We were excited to see LIMS and CCBDR PhD researchers Pooja Shree Rangaraj (Okuda group) and Xiaoya Li (Kim group) attend EMBL Australia’s “mRNA Design and Optimisation Essentials”!

Joining PhD students from across Australia, the three-day intensive training saw Pooja and Xiaoya learning essential skills in mRNA therapeutics, which uses single-strand genetic molecules which carry messages from your DNA to your cells to ensure they produce specific proteins, while also gaining industry insights from Moderna, BioNTech and Cell Therapies.

Pooja and Xiaoya are excited to apply their new skills and knowledge to their own areas of research, from vascular therapeutics research to finding new treatments for ischaemic stroke.

Thank you to EMBL Australia for supporting Pooja and Xiaoyi to participate in this workshop!

Read about their experience: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/announcements/2026/training-for-future-stroke-and-vascular-discoveries

La Trobe University

29/07/2026

🔬 Congratulations to Professor Yuning Hong, who has been awarded a $2.6 million NHMRC Investigator Level 1 Fellowship!

The grant will see Professor Hong with her research group developing new chemical probes to better detect and monitor biological markers of childhood dementia.

“1 in 2900 children are born with a condition that causes childhood dementia, leading to severe loss in brain function and often premature death,” Professor Hong said.

“This fellowship will support us to develop molecular tools to detect changes in cellular proteins and organelle function in blood, enabling earlier diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and accelerating treatment development, addressing a critical unmet need in childhood dementia care.”

Professor Hong said she was grateful, and humbled, when she heard that this research had been selected for NHMRC support.

“I’m especially grateful to my team members, including Dr Siyang Ding, who initiated the project and generated the pilot data that helped support the idea, as well as everyone in the group who has contributed their hard work and dedication over the years,” she said.

“I’m also very thankful to our collaborators who guided us in the field and generously shared valuable resources and connections, as well as to the assessors for their trust and support and colleagues who gave me helpful feedback on the application.”

She’s excited to embark on this research, which marks the beginning of a new direction in her chemical probe research.

“This funding marks an exciting new direction for our team as we expand our research into childhood dementia, and it gives us the opportunity to build new knowledge and hopefully make a meaningful impact in this area.”

La Trobe University

27/07/2026

🔬 World-first research led by LIMS members Professor Karla Helbig and Dr Ebony Monson has uncovered the critical role our fatty cell structures play in our body’s early detection and defence against viruses.

Published in Nature Communications, the discovery could open the door to a new type of antiviral strategy which harnesses the body’s innate defence mechanisms rather than targeting individual viruses.

The study revealed the fatty structures – called “lipid droplets” – stop viruses spreading by changing their structure to include specific fatty acids, while signalling to the immune system to send key antiviral proteins.

By including two of these fatty acids into artificial lipid droplets, researchers were able to reduce viral replication and boost antiviral immune signals.

Read more: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2026/release/fat-stores-power-the-bodys-virus-defence

La Trobe University

[ID] Microscopy of a brain cell infected with Zika virus. The yellow areas show where BODIPY lipid droplets and Viperin antiviral proteins have come together to fight the infection.

Headline written in white text: How fatty cell structures play a critical role in fighting viral infection.

La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science

29/09/2026

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