La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science

La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science We bring together La Trobe’s leading researchers to work on critical problems facing our world today.

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

🔬 Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects millions of people worldwide, but we are still learning why some people are m...
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

🥼 We were excited to see LIMS and CCBDR PhD researchers Pooja Shree Rangaraj (Okuda group) and Xiaoya Li (Kim group) att...
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

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

🔬 World-first research led by LIMS members Professor Karla Helbig and Dr Ebony Monson has uncovered the critical role ou...
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.

🧑‍🚀 Celebrating a fantastic week of space biomedical research events!From our biggest-ever LIMS-DLR Microgravity Worksho...
24/07/2026

🧑‍🚀 Celebrating a fantastic week of space biomedical research events!

From our biggest-ever LIMS-DLR Microgravity Workshop to the inaugural National Space Biomedical Research Symposium, last week was an inspiring opportunity to share knowledge, build new connections, and spark ideas with colleagues across scientific disciplines.

It was wonderful to see colleagues from across academia and industry come together to workshop ideas and explore new ways space can serve as a powerful test bed for biomedical research, helping to address health and medical challenges not only for astronauts, but for people here on Earth.

Thank you to:

🚀 Dr Jens Hauslage (German Aerospace Center DLR) for joining us from halfway across the world to teach practical microgravity research skills to keen researchers from institutions across Australia

🚀 LIMS Director Professor Patrick Humbert (La Trobe University), Dr Kate Poole (UNSW), Dr Li-Shean Toh (Monash University), and all symposium speakers who joined us from across Australia and Japan to share their knowledge and expertise.

🚀 All attendees at the workshop and the symposium – we hope the week has given you insight into how you could incorporate space in your research projects.

An inspiring week, and we can’t wait to see what comes next!

20/07/2026

🔬 Could the next breakthrough in treating fibrosis come from thinking in three dimensions?

New research published in Science Advances has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that may help drive lung fibrosis, opening the door to potential new treatment strategies for this devastating disease.

Led by Dr Sean Cutter (La Trobe University) and Associate Professor Katrina Binger (Monash University and LIMS Alumna) in collaboration with researchers at UTS - University of Technology Sydney, the study investigated how the physical environment surrounding immune cells influences their behaviour and contribution to organ scarring.

Fibrosis, which causes organs to become scarred and stiff, is responsible for a wide range of serious conditions affecting the lungs, blood vessels and skin. In Australia, more than 1,250 people are diagnosed with lung fibrosis each year, with many more cases likely remaining undetected.

Using an innovative 3D model that more closely mimics human tissue, the research team discovered that a protein called vitronectin can alter the metabolism of macrophages, a key type of immune cell.

This shift pushes the cells towards a disease-driving state that promotes scarring. Importantly, this mechanism was invisible in traditional 2D laboratory models, highlighting the limitations of conventional research approaches.

The findings not only identify vitronectin and macrophage metabolism as promising new therapeutic targets but also demonstrate the value of more realistic 3D biological systems in uncovering insights that could transform our understanding of disease.

Read the paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec8501


🩸 “As long as you are learning you will discover more and more, which will always make an impact on the community.”Meet ...
02/07/2026

🩸 “As long as you are learning you will discover more and more, which will always make an impact on the community.”

Meet LIMS member Linda Woo.

Having recently graduated from the Master of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology through La Trobe University, Linda is now pursuing her PhD in Dr Kazuhide Shaun Okuda’s research group at LIMS and the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University.

Her research focus? Investigating the biological mechanisms behind Lymphoedema – a painful condition which affects up to 300,000 Australians every year, many of whom have undergone cancer treatment.

In recognition of the potential impact of her research project, Linda has received a $15,000 PhD top-up scholarship from the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Lymphoedema and Lymphatic Regeneration.

Linda’s PhD supervisor, Dr Kazuhide Shaun Okuda, is an Investigator of this NHMRC Centre working alongside other international leaders in lymphoedema research from Australia, USA, and the UK to develop novel treatments for lymphoedema.

Linda will be co-supervised by Dr Maria Jelinic (LIMS and Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research, La Trobe University), and Professor Benjamin Hogan (Co-Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Lymphoedema and Lymphatic Regeneration; Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre).

Read about Linda, her research, and her passion for hands-on science: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/announcements/2026/focus-on-linda-jiabao-woo-okuda-lab2

La Trobe University

🥇 Congratulations to ONJCRI and LIMS member Dr Juliani, PhD (Lee/Fairlie Group), who recently received the Olivia Newton...
26/06/2026

🥇 Congratulations to ONJCRI and LIMS member Dr Juliani, PhD (Lee/Fairlie Group), who recently received the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) Student Prize 2025!

The prize was in recognition of her incredible work and achievements on her PhD journey, which saw her conducting breakthrough research which shed light on the important role of the protein BECLIN1 in preserving gut health.

Throughout her PhD, Dr Juliani published five papers (four as first author), and developed new imaging approaches for visualising cells which mimic the structure and functions of human organs.

Not only that – she was a keen committee member for many different ONJCRI groups and was the first ONJCRI student rider in Tour de Cure’s VIC Discovery Tour in 2024.

It’s been a huge journey for Dr Juliani – and we can’t wait to see what she does next!

Read about Dr Juliani’s PhD experience at the ONJCRI website: https://www.onjcri.org.au/news/students/onjcri-student-prize-2025/

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