Cancer and blood researchers elected as AAHMS fellows

Three researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) were this week elected as fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) in recognition of their contributions to Australian medical research.

The inaugural annual general meeting and scientific meeting of the academy, held on 6 October in Canberra, saw the formal appointment of academy fellows Professors Nick Nicola, Warren Alexander and David Vaux. AAHMS fellows are elected for outstanding leadership and distinguished professional achievement in their field.

WEHI Deputy Director Professor Vaux has made significant contributions to cancer research — in particular, how cells kill themselves and how this process can be activated to treat cancers. In 1988, Professor Vaux and his colleagues made a discovery that launched the molecular era of cell death research, sparking a 25-year research program that has led to the development of an anticancer drug that is now in phase 3 clinical trials in Melbourne and worldwide.

“We now know that — in addition to unregulated growth — cancers can also arise when cells lose the ability to kill themselves,” said Professor Vaux. “And we have continued to learn more about the complex signalling pathways that govern cell life and death, which we hope will lead to other disease treatments — not just for cancer but also perhaps for autoimmune and infectious diseases.”

Blood cell researchers Professor Nicola and Professor Alexander, joint heads of the institute’s Cancer and Haematology division, have meanwhile made significant contributions to our understanding of blood stem cells, blood cell production and disease.

Professor Nicola was part of the team that discovered colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) — hormones that stimulate the body to make life-saving cells that protect against infection. The discovery has helped more than 20 million people recover from chemotherapy and revolutionised blood stem cell transplants.

Professor Alexander leads a team researching blood stem cells and how blood cells form — in particular, how defects in blood cell production can lead to diseases such as leukaemia. A recent breakthrough by his team solved a puzzle about how blood-clotting cells called platelets are produced.

“The academy is important to the sector as it provides an invaluable forum for discussion on the progress of medical research with an emphasis on translation of research into practice — which, of course, is our ultimate goal as biomedical scientists,” said WEHI Director Professor Doug Hilton.

“Nick, Dave and Warren have all made incredibly important discoveries, several of which have very significantly changed clinical practice and improved human health worldwide. It’s wonderful to see them recognised for their work.”