Clinical Translation at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
A proud record in fostering clinical translation
A major goal of the institute is to harness the talent of its laboratory researchers and move basic research into the clinic, to deliver real patient benefits.
The institute has a strong history of translating laboratory-based discoveries into better treatments for human disease.
A few major highlights that have changed the face of research around the world include:
- Nobel Laureate Sir Macfarlane Burnet developed the procedure still used today to produce influenza virus in sufficient quantities for flu vaccine
- Professor Ian Mackay began treatment of autoimmunity with immunosuppressive drugs, which is still the gold standard today
- The discovery of white blood cell regulating hormones by Professor Donald Metcalf and his colleagues led to new treatments that have benefited more than 10 million cancer patients and revolutionised blood stem cell transplantation
Today, the institute’s dedicated basic and clinical scientists are driving innovative programs aimed at developing new approaches to the prevention and treatment of:
- Cancer: leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer
- Chronic inflammatory disease: type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease
- Infectious disease: malaria, leishmaniasis