IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Dr Tali Lang SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW
Dr Tali Lang received her PhD in Immunology at Monash Institute of Medical Research in 2011. At the completion of her PhD, she was recruited as a postdoctoral researcher to the Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Giessen, Germany and subsequently to the Rheumatology Research Group, Monash Health. During this time she developed expertise in molecular and cellular dissection of inflammatory signaling pathways which also included a translational component of in vivo mouse models of autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious diseases. Tali’s work has transformed the understanding of how inflammation and immunity is regulated when challenged under conditions of infection. Her work has revealed mechanisms by which pathogens can suppress host immunity in order to escape detection and eradication. Her most recent discovery was the identification of a new role for Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, which is required for activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Inflammasomes promote the release of inflammatory proteins and cell death. All her discoveries have resulted in numerous publications in top-tier journals including Nature Communications, Journal of Hepatology, Autophagy, Clinical Translational Immunology, Frontiers in Immunology and Immunology Cell
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Biology. Tali has successfully obtained national and international competitive research funding to support her research endeavours. Translational research Tali is currently a Senior Research Fellow leading clinical studies within the Department of Medical Oncology. Her research interests include developing innovative tools for capturing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and translating these into changes within clinical practice for improved health outcomes. The development of these tools is designed to capture patient-reported clinical data electronically, which can be fed back to treating physicians to improve communication between patientclinician, advance treatment outcomes and identify unmet needs of oncology patients. Since 2018, Tali has undertaken studies using paper and electronic PROMs evaluating toxicities associated with chemotherapy. This involved participation of over 200 cancer patients being treated at Cabrini, and the engagement and support of medical oncologists and haematologists. As an extension of these projects, she has also established a new collaboration with the Department of Information Technology at Monash University, to develop an app which patients, in the future can use to electronically report symptoms they may
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