A Message from the O'Brien Director

It has been a long and turbulent year with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still reverberating through the medical sector and society as a whole. As a surgeon, I have witnessed firsthand the additional pressure being placed on the system to complete urgent cases while preserving capacity for COVID patients. In contrast, and on a more positive note, the O'Brien researchers at SVI have had a fabulous year despite unavoidable logistical and supply chain delays associated with the pandemic.
Supported by the O'Brien Foundation:

Dr Tara Karnezis and Dr Musarat Ishaq have discovered a stem cell driving the devastating fat accumulation disorder, lipoedema, molecular mechanisms that drive it and drug targets to treat the disease

A/Prof Geraldine Mitchell, Dr Kiryu Yap and Prof Wayne Morrison have secured $1.18M in NHMRC funding to support the development of a regenerative medicine technique to engineer liver cells into functional liver tissue to combat liver disease

Initial results have been obtained from animal pilot studies testing a drug to combat Lymphoedema - fluid accumulation affecting cancer patients - another NHMRC-funded project led by Prof Marc Achen 

Dr Max Lim and Dr Jarmon Lees continue to progress identification of a molecular method of cardioprotection following injury to the heart - developing a heart in a dish.

It is with all my heart that I thank you for your continued support through what has been a challenging two years. The circumstances do, however, reinforce the paramount importance of healthcare and medical research. Together with our friends and supporters, I am confident that our team can continue to deliver exciting and ground-breaking research to restore form and function and provide hope to our patients.

The Hummingbirds are proud to support this work with the

Hummingbird MacKenzie Fellowship and the Shirley Keon Fellowship