Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) has an independent mentoring and advisory role to the Executive, providing strategic insight and commercial direction to the Centre. The SAB plays a key role in advising the Centre on the development of the strategic and commercialisation plans. The Board advises on patent versus publication strategy, and commercialisation and spin-out strategy as required. They assist in identifying intellectual property, partnering and licensing opportunities and organisations with which CBNS can ally. In addition to the core members of the SAB, there are temporary international members, including the CBNS Visiting Professor, who provide variation to the scientific mix of the SAB.

Professor Alan Rowan

Professor Rowan has performed his research at the interface of chemistry and biology with seminal and pioneering work on processive catalysis and functional self-assembly. His latest scientific achievement has been the development of the first truly biomimetic hydrogel which mimics the mechanic and functional properties of the extracellular membrane. This scientific breakthrough is now being developed commercially for wound dressing, drug therapeutic and cell growth. This has further established Professor Rowan as a truly innovative scientist, working toward understanding at the molecular level the functionality of hierarchical materials and catalysis. Professor Rowan’s considerable scientific curiosities has resulted in him working in many areas, ranging from magnetic materials, single enzyme catalysis, supramolecular catalysis through to nanometresized solar cells and photonic materials. In the last ten years, he developed the concept of processive catalysis, mimicking the natural exo- and endonucleases and demonstrated that a macrocyclic catalyst can thread onto and move along a polymer substrate in a highly efficient process. In January 2016 Professor Rowan joined the University of Queensland as the Director of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. He previously led a research group at Radboud University’s Institute of Molecules and Materials, one of Europe’s leading research centres for the nanoscience’s. He was awarded an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship to continue his work on novel biomimetic and dynamic materials.

Dr David Owen

Dr Owen is the Vice President of Research at Starpharma and has extensive experience in medicinal chemistry and biochemistry, and in managing teams focused on commercially directed drug discovery. He has held several positions in the biotech industry including Mimotopes, Cerylid and Glykoz and has gathered extensive international experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development. Since joining Starpharma Dr Owen has driven the drug delivery programs by developing and executing a number of successful proof-of-concept studies. The results from these studies have led to a number of commercial partnerships such as Stiefel, a GSK company, Lilly and AstraZeneca, as well as driving Starpharma’s own internal drug delivery program focused on an improved dendrimer-docetaxel formulation.

Dr Julio Ribeiro

Dr Ribeiro completed his PhD in Medicine at UNSW in 1998. He then moved from academia to start a business carried at Sigma-Aldrich Pty. Ltd., Australia and NZ, where he had many executive roles, including technical support manager, sales manager and manager of a fine chemical division (SAFC) in Australia and NZ.

In 2006, Dr Ribeiro founded Inventia Pty Ltd, a fine chemical and biotechnology company. As Managing Director, Dr Ribeiro oversees R&D projects from conceptualisation to delivery. This includes the conception of projects, contracting scientists, daily operations and writing final reports based on scientists’ results. In its short period of existence, Inventia has landed several R&D contracts. In 2012, Dr Ribeiro created Inventia Genetic Technologies Pty Ltd (IGT). A subsidiary of Inventia Pty Ltd. IGT is now Australian leading provider of bovine IVF for the beef farmers in QLD. IGT has been conducting several research projects in the field of bovine IVF with the objective of increasing the pregnancy rate; facilitate oocytes and embryo transport and development of new bovine IVF media. In 2012, in partnership with UNSW, Dr Ribeiro started the 3D Bioprinting project; commercialising the 3D Bioprinting technology. This resulted in the creation of Inventia Life Science Pty Ltd in 2013.

Professor Jagat R. Kanwar – until November 2019 Professor Kanwar is the Head and team leader of Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Australia. Professor Kanwar has an international reputation and expertise in investigating fundamental and applied molecular signalling aspects of the pathogenesis of cancer, chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, thereby, leading to the development of treatment strategies from bench to bedside. He has more than 150 research publications in high impact factor and peer-reviewed international journals, 27 book chapters and 3 edited books. Professor Kanwar’s research has generated several patents/PCTs with more than five licensed patents for commercialization to Biopharma industry. His research combines Immunology with state of the art and cutting-edge techniques in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Nano-biotechnology and visualization to investigate the pathways in which key molecules are regulated in both normal and disease states. A number of in vitro human cell/tissue-based co-culture models for cancers, microbial infections; autoimmune diseases; chronic inflammatory diseases (osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease), gut health, neurodegeneration and immunomodulation have been developed by his group. Kanwar’s main research objective is to understand and target the mechanisms involved at the molecular and subcellular level which gives us an edge over the prevalent targeting techniques. He carries out both academic and commercial research projects and develops new approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, and nanomedicine based new generation delivery systems.

Professor Fariba Dehghani

Professor Dehghani is the Director of ARC Food Processing Training Centre and the Director of Centre for Excellence for Advanced Food Enginomics at the University of Sydney, an Associate member of IChemE and a member of ARC College of Experts. She has been selected by Engineers Australia as one of the top 50 Engineers for innovation in research in 2016. She is a reputed researcher who has been instrumental in building an interdisciplinary research environment that stimulates the interface and intersects of engineering, science, business, medicine, pharmacy, and agriculture. Her international team of researchers and industry partners have worked together to provide pragmatic, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solutions to a diverse range of issues, with the aim of improving lives. Professor Dehghani’s research has made significant contributions to the design of advanced and environmentally friendly techniques for processing materials; the extraction of high value and active compounds from natural resources for the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases such as infection and cardiovascular disease; and the synthesis of materials for musculoskeletal tissue repairs. Her research is highly regarded, not only in academia but by industry. She has established long-term collaborations with the food and biotech private sectors and acquired substantive funding from national and international competitive grant applications. She has published more than 250 papers and is co-inventor on 13 patents, including nine with potential end users. She has mentored more than 45 postgraduates, more than 100 honours/masters researchers and several successful entrepreneurs. Her research led to the establishment of a start-up Company, Trimph Pty Ltd, in 2015 by receiving more than $2 M fund from a private investor and from government. The product from this company has recently received approval from TGA for the clinical application.

Professor Magdalena Plebanski – from November 2019 Professor Plebanski has a PhD (Immunology), MBA (Business), DPS (Psychology), BScHon (Biomedicine). She is also an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. She is a Director of the Biomedical and Health Innovation Enabling Capability Platform (BHI-ECP) at RMIT University, as well as Head of the Translational Immunology and Nanotechnology Program at School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT. An interdisciplinary research leader in nanotechnology for biomedical innovation, leveraging collaborations with engineers and clinicians to develop new approaches to promote human health. Her primary interest is to develop practical immune therapies and vaccines against complex diseases, specifically cancer, malaria and asthma, pioneering the use of synthetic size-defined non-inflammatory nanoparticles. Professor Plebanski has over 175 peer-reviewed publications plus multiple published book chapters and abstracts, including field changing findings on vaccines and on immune evasion mechanisms used by parasites and cancer cells including top world-class journals: Science, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Immunity, Nature Medicine, PLOS Pathogens, PNAS, Nature Communications and Lancet. Currently studying immunity in multiple human trials: of vaccines in the elderly or to validate new diagnostics, prognostics and treatments for ovarian cancer, together with Charitable Organisations, Universities, Hospitals and large Pharma. Approximately 50 patents in 10 patent families. Successfully progressed findings into human trials or commercialisation in diverse roles as an inventor, CSO, CEO and Director in biotechnology companies nationally and internationally. Current interests further involve big data analysis for the optimised application of vaccines and chemotherapy (personalised medicine or precision medicine) to vulnerable populations such as the elderly, as well as to patients with cancer, as well as the promotion of holistic, integrated, compassionate approaches to human health.

2019 temporary members

Professor Chunying Chen

Professor Chen received her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry (1991) and obtained her PhD degree in Biomedical engineering (1996) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology of China. She worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences (1996-1998) and at the Medical Nobel Institute for Biochemistry of Karolinska Institute, Sweden (2001-2002). From 2002 onwards, she has been working as a group and project leader at the China Nanosafety lab. Professor Chen has been awarded the National Award for Innovation and Outstanding Service to the Standard authorised by Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China in 2011, the Second Prize of Beijing Science and Technology (ranked second) in 2008, the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award (ranked second) in 2012.

Professor Irene Yarovsky

Professor Yarovsky is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Program Leader for Biophysics and Bioengineering of the Health Innovations Research Institute of RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. She completed her PhD in Monash University in 1994 on the topic of theoretical computer simulations of protein interactions with functionalised surfaces, under supervision of Professor Milton Hearn. She then joined BHP Research Laboratory in Melbourne where during the next 6 years she applied computational modelling to design advanced industrial materials and processes. At present, she is particularly interested in studying the response of biological systems to environmental triggers, including electromagnetic fields. Of particular relevance to ACEBR is Irene’s expertise in development and application of innovative computer simulation strategies to study the external stress response of biomolecules in different environments at the atomic level. In her projects supported by the ARC Linkage scheme she employed atomistic simulations to study the effects of non-ionising radiation on protein structure and dynamics, including their ability to form fibrillar aggregates. This work has shed light on the response of insulin to static and oscillating electric fields and laid a foundation for further research on biomolecular interactions with electromagnetic radiation proposed in ACEBR.

Professor Joseph Wang

Professor Wang is a Distinguished Professor, SAIC Endowed Chair and Chair in Department of Nanoengineering at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He is also the Director of the UCSD Center of Wearable Sensors and Chief Editor of Electroanalysis. He served as the director of Center for Bioelectronics of ASU before joining UCSD. Wang has made pioneering contributions to wearable biosensors, nanomachines and nanobioelectronics. Prof. Wang has published more than 1060 papers; 11 books and he holds 30 patents. These publications have been cited approximately over 101,000 times and his H-index is 157. He received several national ACS and ECS Awards in Instrumentation and Electrochemistry, 10 Honorary Professors and 3 Medals of honors from different countries. Professor Wang is a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He has guided over 250 PhD students and post-doc fellows over his career

Professor Ranjeny Thomas

Professor Thomas is a Professor of Rheumatology at University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, consultant rheumatologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Her research seeks to understand autoimmune disease and restoration of immune tolerance. Through this work, she developed and tested the first rheumatoid arthritis vaccine. She has also contributed major insights into how the microbiome is involved in causing spondyloarthropathy leading to the development of disease biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. Ranjeny is founder and a director of the spin-off company, Dendright, which is developing immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases.

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