The Division of Human Immunology at the Institute of Medical & Veterinary Science and Hanson Institute is located in Adelaide, South Australia. The focus of its research is the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate fundamental biological processes and how they are subverted in disease. The Division has approximately 70 research scientists and students and is a recognized centre of excellence that tackles areas that represent a heavy health burden such as cancer, inflammation, vascular biology and asthma.

The Head of the Division, Professor Angel Lopez, aims to continue the culture for excellence in effect under the previous Head, Professor Mathew Vadas, and build on it by consolidating the best research, actively recruiting outstanding scientists, and developing a translational focus that will facilitate discoveries and inventions by the Division becoming the therapeutic modalities of the future. The latter relies on robust interactions with biotechnology and we are pleased to see the development of several of our findings into the clinical arena.

The Division has a strong association with the University of Adelaide, with whom we carry out collaborative research projects and share in the education of Honours and PhD students. The publication record of the Division is an enviable one with papers in journals with high impact factor such as Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Molecular Cell, EMBO J, J Exp Med, Mol Biol Cell, PNAS, etc. This has ensured continuing funding from various agencies such as the NIH (US), NH&MRC, The Cancer Council of South Australia and biotechnology companies.

The Division's aspiration to excellence underpins the biennial Barossa Meeting "Science Amongst the Vines", where leading overseas and national scientists gather in a close and vigorous environment to develop new ideas and directions in medical research. This year we are hosting the Third Meeting on the theme of Signalling Systems, with a stellar participation of overseas and national guests.

Recent Awards

The Division has obtained 6 new NH&MRC Project Grants, commencing in 2009. Congratulations to the successful principle investigators:

• Dr Tim Hercus (with Prof. Michael Parker, SVIMR)

• Dr Michele Grimbaldeston

• Dr Mark Guthridge (2 grants- one with Prof. Tim Hughes, IMVS and one with A/Prof. Paul Eckert, MCRI)

• Dr Yeesim Khew-Goodall and Dr Phil Gregory (with Prof. R Anderson and Dr. C Johnstone, Peter Mac)

• Dr Hayley Ramshaw (with Dr. R. Andrews, Dr. S. Cranmer and Prof. H. Salem)

Other Awards

Recent papers accepted

• Barr RK, Lynn HE, Moretti PA, Khew-Goodall Y, Pitson SM. Deactivation of sphingosine kinase 1 by protein phosphatase 2A. Journal of Biological Chemistry. Epub 2008 Oct 13
  
  
• Gregory PA, Bert AG, Paterson EL, Barry SC, Tsykin A, Farshid G, Vadas MA, Khew-Goodall Y, Goodall GJ.  The miR-200 family and miR-205 regulate epithelial to mesenchymal transition by targeting ZEB1 and SIP1. Nature Cell Biology 10:593-601, 2008.
  
  
• Hansen G, Hercus TR, McClure BJ, Stomski FC, Dottore M, Powell J, Ramshaw H, Woodcock JM, Xu Y, Guthridge M, McKinstry WJ, Lopez AF and Parker MW.  The Structure of the GM-CSF Receptor Complex Reveals a New Mode of Cytokine Receptor Activation. Cell 134:496-507, 2008.
  
  
• Asquith KL, Ramshaw HS, Hansbro PM, Beagley KW, Lopez AF, Foster PS. The IL-3/ IL-5/GM-CSF Common b Receptor plays a pivotal role in the regulation of Th2 Immunity and Allergic Airway Inflammation. J Immunol 180:1199-1206, 2008.
  
  
• Mu F-T, RK Andrews, JF Arthur, AD Munday, SL Cranmer, SP Jackson, FC Stomski, AF Lopez and MC Berndt. A functional 14-3-3z-independent association of PI-3 kinase with glycoprotein Iba, the major ligand-binding subunit of the platelet glycoprotein Ib-IX-V complex. Blood 2008. May 1;111(9):4580-7. Epub 2008 Feb 25.
  
  
• Leclercq TM, Moretti PAB, Vadas MA and Pitson SM. Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A interacts with sphingosine kinase and directly enhances its catalytic activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2008. Apr 11;283(15):9606-14. Epub 2008 Feb 8.