The Nossal Era
Burnet’s successor was his former PhD student, Gustav Nossal. A Sydney medical graduate, Nossal has had a stunning career as an immunologist and warrior for global health.
One of Nossal’s first accomplishments was to put the institute on a firmer financial footing by persuading the National Health and Medical Research Council to agree to providing a triennial block grant. This policy was later extended to other major medical research institutes and although now abandoned it was probably one of the most important factors contributing to the extraordinary success enjoyed today by Australian biomedical science.
Acutely attuned to the new era of biomedical research, Nossal then set about a dramatic expansion and diversification of the institute. Immunology remained a central focus, but new programs in haematology, parasitology, molecular biology and neural development were nurtured.
In immunology, Nossal himself greatly advanced understanding of clonal selection and the immune system’s ‘tolerance to self.’ Following his seminal discovery of the central role in immunity of the thymus, Jacques Miller was recruited back from London and, together with his student, Graham Mitchell, discovered that T lymphocytes derived from the thymus 'helped' B lymphocytes accomplish their task of making antibodies. Ken Shortman began groundbreaking analysis of T cell development. Noel Warner established a strong base in immunogenetics and, with Alan Harris, initiated the world-famous WEHI series of cell lines. Tom Mandel introduced transplantation biology.
Ian Mackay pioneered clinical research on autoimmunity and began treatment of autoimmunity with immunosuppressive drugs, still the gold standard today. Later, Len Harrison focused the autoimmunity effort primarily on insulin-dependent diabetes and developed reliable pre-clinical diagnostic tools.
Don Metcalf discovered the colony stimulating factors (CSFs), 'hormones' needed for white blood cell production. Three decades of painstaking research with a succession of talented colleagues, notably Richard Stanley, Tony Burgess, Nicos Nicola, Ashley Dunn and Glenn Begley, resulted in the CSFs entering the clinic. The CSFs are now used worldwide for bone marrow regeneration following cancer chemotherapy and for mobilization of bone marrow stem cells into blood for transplantation.
Jerry Adams and Suzanne Cory introduced molecular biology, initially to investigate the genetic basis for antibody diversity and later to identify the genetic accidents underlying recurrent chromosome translocations in human leukemias and lymphomas.
Graham Mitchell began a broad-ranging parasitology program, which spawned world leading research in malaria, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis.
Perry Bartlett began a program in developmental neurobiology and subsequently identified neuronal stem cells.
Nossal appreciated the need for state-of-the-art technology and built up sophisticated centralised scientific facilities such as proteomics (in partnership with the Ludwig Institute) and flow cytometry. He and his board successfully lobbied the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments for the construction of a magnificent new building, which was completed in 1985 and greatly enhanced the institute’s research capability.
Nossal's outgoing personality and great gift for communication and public oratory, coupled with a formidable scientific intellect, made him Australia's foremost advocate for science. His influence and vision have created an enduring legacy.