Leading immunologist visits Centenary Institute

Prof Georg Melchers, Professor of Immunology at the University of Basel in Switzerland and a leading expert in clinical research of autoimmune disorders, is in Sydney to give a medical education symposium at the Centenary Institute at the University of Sydney.

Melchers will meet with rheumatologists and clinical researchers involved in autoimmune disorders to share his knowledge as well as learn about the work being done at the Centenary Institute.

Basic research has been at the foundation of Melchers’ work and has led to him playing a significant role in progressing the field. His research into the development of stem cells in the immune system and characterising individual immune cells has paved the way for the development of new immune therapies for allergies, chronic inflammations, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Melchers has also guided the work of hundreds of researchers in most major fields of immunology, covering the innate and adaptive immune systems of many species, including human. One of his graduate students, Georges Kohler, first developed the technique for making monoclonal antibodies and subsequently won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Melchers has received worldwide recognition for his discoveries in biologics and is cofounder of 4-Antibody, a company that intends to produce and improve human antibodies.

Newly independent company AbbVie, created from the research-based pharmaceuticals division of Abbott, sponsored Melchers visit to Australia.