Fifty years ago, a bold idea took root at WEHI.

Then director Professor Gus Nossal brought together a small team of researchers with a powerful mission: to harness the cutting edge of biomedical science to tackle diseases that hit the world’s most vulnerable the hardest.

With that vision and a modest pool of seed funding, the Parasitology Unit was born. What followed has been transformational, cementing Australia as one of the epicentres of parasitology research.

From decoding the deadly secrets of malaria to developing research tools used by scientists around the globe, those pioneers have shaped the way we understand – and fight – infectious diseases.

The initial hub evolved into the Infection and Global Health division, co-led by Associate Professor Chris Tonkin and Professor Ivo Mueller. The division’s 11 laboratories now tackle health challenges affecting billions worldwide, from malaria and tuberculosis to anaemia and COVID-19.

We sat down with Assoc Prof Tonkin to reflect on five decades of progress and the vision that continues to drive this critical work forward.

Looking back, what are some of WEHI’s defining achievements in parasitology over these five decades?

One of the biggest advances in parasitology in the last 50 years was the creation of the world’s first genetically modified malaria parasite.

This breakthrough was made at WEHI, and it opened the door to understanding the biology of the parasite in ways that were previously impossible.

That foundational discovery, along with our work on drug resistance and identifying potential vaccine targets, have helped to shape how the world responds to malaria.

We now have antimalarial drug candidates in clinical trials, that were discovered through a longstanding collaboration between WEHI and global biopharmaceutical company MSD.

This offers real hope in our efforts towards the eradication of malaria, which remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death globally – sadly, a child dies of malaria every minute.

What about the deeper legacy and the lasting influence of this research hub?

The impact over these five decades goes well beyond scientific findings and discoveries.

WEHI has developed powerful research tools and techniques that have been adopted internationally, accelerating progress far outside our own labs.

We’ve also been a training ground for a generation of global health leaders. Outstanding researchers who began their careers here have gone on to lead labs at top institutions like Harvard, Imperial College London and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

And we’ve developed deep partnerships with communities across many countries, from Papua New Guinea to Malawi. Capacity building has been a priority in these collaborations, so the impact locally endures beyond the life of any individual research project.

That’s the great ripple effect of visionary science – it doesn’t just stay in one place.

Collaborations on the ground have been central to these efforts over the decades. Why is it so important to work directly with local communities?

Without that connection, the work we do in the lab doesn’t have the same meaning or impact. It’s not just about applying our findings – it’s about listening to the people affected and learning from them.

For example, by working with communities in malaria-endemic regions, we’ve been able to study how people’s immune systems respond to infection. We can feed our biological insights into the field, and what we get from the field helps us refine our research and make it more relevant.

Our work now goes beyond infection and into other medical problems that affect the most disadvantaged populations. For example, our collaborations in Malawi, where we ran a major trial tackling anaemia in pregnancy, involve extensive community engagement.

The dedicated teams on the ground in Malawi created the grassroots momentum for that world-first clinical trial, which has paved the way for more effective health policies to reduce the health burden of anaemia – one of the most avoidable causes of illness and death in resource-poor nations.

What are the next frontiers for this research?

The future is all about translating deep biological knowledge into real-world solutions.

We’re excited about our progress towards a long-acting drug that could protect people from malaria for up to a year. This could be a game-changer for communities at risk.

We’re embracing new technologies that allow us to study human responses to infection more directly, through controlled human challenge trials where healthy volunteers are exposed to a pathogen under carefully monitored conditions. It’s an approach that promises to revolutionise how we develop vaccines and treatments, to radically accelerate our progress.

While malaria is an important focus, we’re also working on other big global health challenges like tuberculosis, HIV, COVID-19 and Cryptosporidium, a major cause of childhood mortality in developing countries.

Most importantly, we’re deepening our partnerships. Our “bench-to-community” model ensures our research is both rigorous and grounded in the true needs of the people we aim to help.

We’re not just guessing what the problems are – we’re working with communities to co-develop solutions. That’s how we’ll continue to make a lasting impact.

What does this 50-year milestone say about the value of sustained research investment?

It shows that when you combine vision with even relatively modest support, you can achieve extraordinary things.

Just imagine what we could do – and how many millions more people we could help – with long-term support and investment into the future.

As a leader now, I’m inspired by those scientific giants that came before me and the impact they have made.

I’d love to be able to come back in 25 years, for the 75th anniversary, and sit back with a smile on my face and say: “Look what has arisen, because of the vision that I had.”

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Header image: Researchers in the Infection and Global Health division, with co-heads Professor Ivo Mueller (front left) and Associate Professor Chris Tonkin (front right).