The Westmead Institute for Medical Research

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Finding cures. Saving lives. Medical Research Institute

It was a pleasure to welcome members of the Way In Network to WIMR this morning for a closer look at the research happen...
14/08/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome members of the Way In Network to WIMR this morning for a closer look at the research happening across our Institute.

Our guests joined us for a tour of the laboratories, where they explored some of the technologies and instruments our researchers use every day to understand disease and make new discoveries.

What stood out most was the incredible level of interest and engagement from the group. There were plenty of questions, conversations and genuine curiosity as our researchers shared not only what they are working on, but how these technologies help turn an idea into research that can ultimately improve outcomes for patients.

We finished the morning over lunch, sharing stories and getting to know each other a little better.

A huge thank you to the Way In Network for spending the morning with us, for your enthusiasm for our research and, most importantly, for your ongoing support. It was wonderful to share more of the people, passion and science behind WIMR.

Stay connected with what’s happening at WIMR. Our new monthly newsletter brings together the latest research, people and...
13/08/2026

Stay connected with what’s happening at WIMR.

Our new monthly newsletter brings together the latest research, people and stories from across the Institute, giving you an easy way to keep up with our work at WIMR.

In our recent edition, we featured:

🔬 New research published in The Lancet Global Health examining vision and hearing health across Australia

🦠 WIMR research in Nature Communications exploring the future of phage therapy for antibiotic resistant infections

🧬 New research leadership and capability in immunogenomics and autoimmune disease

💙 The Snow Program for Liver Health and its mission to transform outcomes for people living with liver disease

And there is plenty more happening across WIMR every month.

To subscribe to the WIMR newsletter, simply scroll down the page and enter your email address into the subscribe panel 👉 https://wimr.org.au/donate/

Congratulations to Professor Tony Cunningham AO FAHMS and Dr Kerrie Sandgren, co-leaders of WIMR’s Vaccines and Adjuvant...
10/08/2026

Congratulations to Professor Tony Cunningham AO FAHMS and Dr Kerrie Sandgren, co-leaders of WIMR’s Vaccines and Adjuvants Group, who have secured a five-year grant from the US National Institutes of Health worth approximately US $3.68 million. The project is led by Professor Cunningham through the University of Sydney, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Vaccines often include helper ingredients called adjuvants, which strengthen and guide the body’s immune response. Tony, Kerrie and their collaborators will study two adjuvant ingredients already used together in several approved vaccines, including the highly effective shingles vaccine Shingrix.

By understanding exactly how these ingredients work together, the team hopes to provide researchers with better information for designing safe and effective vaccines for different infections and, potentially, some cancers. Their work will combine laboratory models with samples from people to better understand what happens inside the human immune system following vaccination.

The potential reach is significant. Around one in three Australians will develop shingles during their lifetime, while approximately 170,000 new cases of cancer were expected to be diagnosed nationally in 2025. Better understanding how vaccines activate immunity could support more precise and effective approaches to protecting people from serious disease.

This outstanding award recognises years of pioneering vaccine research by Tony, Kerrie and the WIMR team. Congratulations to everyone involved in this major international achievement.

To read the full article please follow the link 👉 https://wimr.org.au/news/international-funding-to-advance-safer-more-effective-vaccines/

04/08/2026

Congratulations to WIMR PhD researcher Fatema Safri on the publication of her first paper.

Fatema’s study examined how fats in the blood and liver change as fatty liver disease develops into liver cancer. The findings could help identify people at risk earlier, including those without cirrhosis.

An estimated 3,175 Australians were diagnosed with liver cancer in 2025, while 2,632 people were expected to die from the disease. Five-year relative survival remains just 24.6 per cent, highlighting the urgent need for better ways to identify people at risk earlier.

While further research is needed, these findings provide an important foundation for developing non-invasive biomarkers that could help identify liver cancer risk earlier and support more targeted monitoring and care.

In this short video, Fatema discusses her research, what inspired her to pursue cancer biology and how WIMR’s close connection with Westmead Hospital brings together patient samples, clinical insight and scientific expertise to support translational research.

Congratulations to Fatema, her supervisors, co-authors and collaborators on this significant milestone.

To read the paper please follow the link 👉 https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/13/6060

30/07/2026

Behind every life-changing treatment is a medical research breakthrough. And behind every breakthrough are people who choose to support it.

On September 9th, WIMR will join more than 30 medical research institutes for Australia’s first Medical Research Giving Day, a national effort to raise vital funding for research that improves and saves lives.

At WIMR, your support helps move discoveries from the laboratory toward better diagnosis, treatment and care for patients.

You do not need a lab coat to help change lives. Join us this Medical Research Giving Day 👉 https://wimr.org.au/donate/medical-research-giving-day/

27/07/2026

This World Hepatitis Day, we are proud to announce that A/Prof Thomas Tu, Head of the Viral Hepatitis Pathogenesis Group at WIMR, has received $120,000 from the Hillcrest Foundation through Perpetual’s 2026 IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program to advance research towards a cure for chronic hepatitis B.

An estimated 227,571 Australians are living with chronic hepatitis B, including almost 80,000 people in NSW. Yet in 2024, fewer than three in ten Australians with the condition received treatment or appropriate monitoring. Almost three quarters of those affected were born overseas, highlighting the importance of this work for culturally diverse communities, including those across Western Sydney.

Current treatments can control hepatitis B, but they generally cannot eliminate the small number of infected liver cells that allow the virus to persist. Over time, chronic infection can lead to serious liver disease and liver cancer.

Thomas and his team have identified a promising RNA molecule that produced an approximately tenfold reduction in persistently infected cells in laboratory studies. This funding will allow them to develop a treatment designed to travel directly to the liver and test it in an advanced preclinical model containing human liver cells, an essential next step towards future clinical trials

Congratulations to Thomas and his team and thank you to the Hillcrest Foundation and Perpetual for supporting research that could bring new hope to hundreds of thousands of Australians and millions of people worldwide

Watch the video to hear Thomas explain why this work matters and how the funding will help move it closer to patients. If you’d like to support Thomas please visit 👉 https://wimr.org.au/donate/thomas-tu-research-donations/

Professor Anna DeFazio’s groundbreaking work in ovarian cancer research has been featured in the latest issue of The Aus...
22/07/2026

Professor Anna DeFazio’s groundbreaking work in ovarian cancer research has been featured in the latest issue of The Australian Women's Weekly, highlighting both the enormous challenge that remains in improving outcomes for women with ovarian cancer and the vital role research plays in driving earlier diagnosis, better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Around 1,900 Australians are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and more than 1,000 lose their lives to the disease. Just 49% of women survive at least five years, and there is currently no reliable early detection test. These figures underline the urgent need for more effective, personalised treatment options.

“Ovarian cancer is not one disease. With more than 30 subtypes, each cancer can behave and respond to treatment differently.”

Anna and her team at WIMR use DNA sequencing and molecular profiling to understand the changes driving each woman’s cancer and identify the therapies most likely to work. Her research also focuses on low-grade serous ovarian cancer, a rare subtype that often affects younger women and responds poorly to standard treatment.

Congratulations to Anna on this well-deserved recognition and her siginificant progress in improving the outlook for women affected by ovarian cancer.

Read the full Women’s Weekly article here 👉 https://www.womensweekly.com.au/health/ovarian-cancer-survival-research/

Congratulations to Dr Artur Shvetcov and Dr Caitlin Finney, who have received more than $788,000 through the MRFF Early ...
21/07/2026

Congratulations to Dr Artur Shvetcov and Dr Caitlin Finney, who have received more than $788,000 through the MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Initiative.

Their CARE-E4 project is exploring whether protein markers in blood could help identify people at high risk of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear.

Around one in three older Australians carries APOE4, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s. By combining machine learning, large clinical datasets and patient-derived 3D brain models, Artur, Caitlin and Dr Shrujna Patel aim to move this research towards a simple blood test that could be used by GPs, including in regional and rural communities where access to specialised scans and invasive spinal fluid testing is limited.

The WHO’s updated dementia guidelines also highlight that up to 45 per cent of dementia risk may be prevented or delayed, reinforcing the importance of identifying inherited risks such as APOE4 as early as possible.

As we mark World Brain Day, this work is a timely reminder of the importance of investing in research that supports earlier diagnosis, better access to care and improved outcomes for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Congratulations Artur, Caitlin and Shrujna.

Learn more 👉 https://wimr.org.au/research-groups/neurodegeneration-and-disease-modelling-lab/

Congratulations to WIMR researcher Associate Professor Stephen Milne, who has been awarded a Mid-Career Researcher Grant...
19/07/2026

Congratulations to WIMR researcher Associate Professor Stephen Milne, who has been awarded a Mid-Career Researcher Grant through the Research and Education Network.

The funding will support new research into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a condition that affects around one in twelve Australians over the age of 40 and is a leading cause of hospitalisation.

For many people living with COPD, severe breathlessness can limit daily life and lead to poorer health outcomes. While current treatments can help manage symptoms, they do not stop the disease from progressing. As a staff specialist in Westmead Hospital, Stephen sees cases every day of people living with COPD who still experience symptoms and disability despite being prescribed the best-available treatments.

Associate Professor Milne’s research aims to improve understanding of why some people experience more severe disease, helping identify new opportunities for more personalised care and future treatment.

Congratulations to Stephen and the research team. Read more on the research here 👉 https://wimr.org.au/researchers/stephen-milne/

WIMR has been awarded a US$100,000 grant from The Campbell Foundation to advance pioneering HIV immunotherapy research l...
15/07/2026

WIMR has been awarded a US$100,000 grant from The Campbell Foundation to advance pioneering HIV immunotherapy research led by Dr Gabriel Duette.

The project aims to harness the immune system to better target HIV by focusing on parts of the virus that remain stable and are less likely to mutate. To put it simply, HIV survives by hiding and mutating. WIMR researchers are working to turn that weakness into a target.

Despite major progress in treatment, HIV remains a significant global health challenge. In 2025, an estimated 40.9 million people were living with HIV, 1.2 million people newly acquired the virus and 570,000 people died from AIDS related illnesses. Women and girls accounted for 51 per cent of all people living with HIV.

While current treatments can control HIV, they do not eliminate it from the body. Dr Duette’s research is working toward a new approach that could help redirect immune cells toward HIV’s most vulnerable sites, with the long term goal of supporting durable control of the virus without daily medication.

Congratulations to Dr Duette and the research team. If you’re interested in reading the full article please visit https://wimr.org.au/news/hiv-immunotherapy-research-at-wimr-awarded-prestigious-campbell-foundation-grant/

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