Meet the Researchers: Putting an end to common disease - Webinar

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience will be hosting its second virtual event of the Meet the Researchers Series; Leading the path to solving chronic diseases, via webinar!

The virtual event will highlight how four IMB researchers are investigating solutions to chronic diseases like Stroke, inflammatory bowel disease, Pain and cardiovascular Disease. Following the presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to ask the panel any questions they may have.

Join us at this event to hear how IMB investigates the causes of chronic diseases to find solutions to these global problems.

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Meet the Speakers

Dr. Emma Gordon

Topic: Cardiovascular Disease

Senior Research Fellow - Group Leader, Division of Genomics of Development and Disease

Dr Emma Gordon received her Bachelor of Science (2005) and PhD (2011) from The University of Adelaide, after which she undertook six years of postdoctoral studies at Yale University in the USA and Uppsala University in Sweden. In 2019, she was appointed as Group Leader of the Vessel Dynamics Laboratory. Dr Gordon's research is focused on the formation and maintenance of the blood and lymphatic vascular systems. Dr Gordon aims to use novel biological models, biochemical assays and imaging techniques to better understand vessel biology, which will enable improved treatment of disease and aid in the development of vascularised, bioengineered organs.

Dr Anne Lagendijk

Topic: Stroke

Senior Research Fellow - Group Leader, Division of Genomics of Development and Disease

Dr Anne Lagendijk and her team investigates the development and maintenance of a functional blood vessel network in zebrafish and bioengineered human microvessels. From this, Dr Lagendijk has established disease models for vascular malformations that are known to lead to neurological deficits and stroke. Modelling in zebrafish allows analyses of the initiating mechanisms of these vascular pathologies at unprecedented cellular and subcellular resolution.

Associate Professor Mark Smythe

Topic: Inflammatory bowel disease 

Group Leader, Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology

Associate Professor Mark Smythe obtained a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Townsville. He is the founder of biotech company Protagonist Therapeutics in 2001, which is now a publicly listed company with several compounds in human clinical trials and several others sold to pharmaceutical partners. Assoc. Prof Mark Smythe and his team are developing an approach to replace injectable drugs with pills. The team takes high potency, highly selective peptides that are traditionally broken down quickly by the body, and made them stronger. Specifically, Assoc. Prof. is developing a new asthma treatment that targets the underlying cause of asthma, rather than just the symptoms. His team has developed a HPGD2S compound that can be taken orally and can prevent PGD2 production in animals.

Associate Professor Irina Vetter

Topic: Pain

Group Leader, Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Deputy Director Centre for Pain Research

Associate Professor Irina Vetter has always been fascinated by how we perceive the world around us, in particular, the role of sensory neurons in the body. Her research is demystifying the different pathways that contribute to pain in various disease states. She is using biomedical research and pharmacology to develop pain treatments from venoms and toxins. Assoc. Prof. Vetter and her team also investigates the mechanisms contributing to chemotherapy-induced pain, cancer-associated pain, inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and the painful marine toxin disease known as ciguatera.