WEHI - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

02/09/2026

A national project hoping to overcome the biggest barrier in brain cancer treatment has received $18.8 million in funding from the Australian Government.

Researchers will use a pioneering approach to develop a new class of cancer drugs that can break through the blood-brain barrier: a protective shield that currently blocks most drugs from ever entering the brain.

The project will see experts from across Australia banding together to create an accelerated pathway towards establishing a drug development pipeline for high-grade gliomas that will hopefully lead to new clinical trials.

Backed by the Medical Research Future Fund, the project is a collaboration between WEHI, Brain Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac), the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Monash University), The University of Queensland and the UTS: University of Technology Sydney

Read more: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/tackling-the-blood-brain-barrier-researchers-to-drive-paradigm-shift-in-brain-cancer-treatment/

📸 A close-up view of a lab-grown blood vessel (left) interacting with brain cancer cells (right). By recreating these interactions in the lab, researchers can better understand how tumours grow and identify new ways to deliver life-saving drugs to the brain.

02/09/2026

Your gift is so much more than a dollar amount, it helps move discoveries out of the lab and into the lives of patients.

Medical research is a proven driver of life-changing value - providing the treatments that give someone more time and the breakthroughs that give families hope when they need it most.

Stand behind the progress that shapes the future of health.

https://www.medicalresearchday.org.au/wehi/?utm_campaign=mri_giving_day&utm_medium=wehi&utm_source=facebook

28/08/2026

🎓 Thinking about Honours, Masters or PhD study in 2027?

There’s still time to register for WEHI’s Student Open Day on Thursday 3 September!

Come along to:
🔬 Explore 45+ research projects
👩‍🔬 Meet current students and researchers
🧪 Tour our labs
🎓 Find out about applications, scholarships and postgraduate research at WEHI

📅 Thursday 3 September | 4–6pm
📍 WEHI, Parkville

Spaces are limited — register now: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/wehi-student-open-day-2026-tickets-1990610770400?aff=oddtdtcreator

28/08/2026

Today, WEHI joined our Parkville precinct partners to mark , a day dedicated to showing support for LGBTQIA+ young people.

By standing together, we help create environments where young people feel safe, respected and welcome. To every LGBTQIA+ young person: you belong, you are valued, and you are celebrated for being exactly who you are. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

27/08/2026

Why does inflammatory bowel disease come back, even when symptoms appear under control?

We’ve found that part of the answer could lie in a hidden molecular defect in the lining of the gut.

Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affects around 180,000 Australians. It’s a lifelong condition with painful, disruptive symptoms and no cure.

In a new study, published in Science Magazine and in partnership with The Royal Melbourne Hospital our team found that intestinal cells from people with IBD were primed for abnormal cell death, even when patients seemed well.

These “smouldering” signals were linked to future flare-ups, suggesting that the disease can persist below the surface before symptoms return.

The findings could help researchers develop more sensitive ways to detect early warning signs, monitor disease and match patients to treatments more effectively.

📰 Learn more about the findings: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/researchers-identify-early-molecular-warning-signs-of-inflammatory-bowel-disease/

📷 Patterns of cell death-related genes in gut tissue from people with inflammatory bowel disease.

27/08/2026

Behind every life-saving treatment, there’s a breakthrough. And behind every breakthrough, there are everyday people who stepped up to fund it.

On September 9, support WEHI on Australia's first-ever Medical Research Giving Day and help move discoveries from the lab to real life.

https://www.wehi.edu.au/support-us/donate/givingday/

26/08/2026

Bringing researchers and the wider community together is an important part of what we do at WEHI.

We were delighted to spend time with some participants from the Mornington area at the Mornington Bowling Club Inc where Dr Vicki Jackson and Professor Melanie Bahlo AM provided a fascinating look into their research into age-related conditions and its potential to improve lives.

We loved connecting with local residents and it was fantastic to see so much interest and enthusiasm for medical research!

26/08/2026

A WEHI-led project has received $7 million in Australian Government funding to accelerate the translation of breakthrough research into new therapies.

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) investment will give researchers across the country greater access to world-class screening technologies, bridging a critical gap between scientific discovery and new medicines.

Delivered through a collaboration between WEHI, the Bio21 Institute (The University of Melbourne) and Therapeutic Innovation Australia, the project will expand the National Drug Discovery Centre – Australia’s premier small-molecule screening facility and a critical component of the nation's drug discovery infrastructure.

The NDDC was established in 2019 thanks to vital funding support from the Medical Research Future Fund (Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing), the Victorian Government, Therapeutic Innovation Australia and philanthropic backing.

📸: Professor Guillaume Lessene, Associate Professor Kym Lowes and Professor Jeff Mitchell at the National Drug Discovery Centre.

https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/funding-boost-to-strengthen-australias-drug-discovery/

25/08/2026

Discover how new research from the Snow Centre at Immune Health, in collaboration with Twins Research Australia, is helping researchers unlock genetic mysteries.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital | Snow Medical | Twins Research Australia

The findings could revolutionise personalised treatment for everyone.

21/08/2026

Congratulations to our anaemia research team on winning the 2026 Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Trial of the Year Award, in the TRIPSIG Excellence in Implementation Science category 👏👏

The award celebrates REVAMP-TT – a randomised controlled trial in Malawi that compared IV iron with oral iron among pregnant women with anaemia in the third trimester, while examining how IV iron could be successfully introduced into routine antenatal care.

The trial brought together implementation science researchers from the Evaluation and Implementation Science Unit, The University of Melbourne, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi and clinical trial researchers at WEHI and Training and Research Unit of Excellence (TRUE) in Malawi.

Working alongside communities, healthcare workers and the Malawi Ministry of Health, the team co-designed locally relevant strategies to support implementation. This included developing Malawi’s first nationally endorsed anaemia in pregnancy information and education materials, with the potential to reach more than 400 government health facilities across the country.

A fantastic achievement and recognition of the team’s commitment to translating evidence into practice and strengthening maternal healthcare in Malawi!

Read about the trial: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/healthier-mothers-healthier-babies/

📸: Program coordinator Naomi Von Dinklage with ACTA Chair Professor Chris Reid and National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC CEO Steve Wesselingh, receiving the award on behalf of the anaemia research team.