Prof Mark Febbraio to Join Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University
Prof Mark Febbraio, one of Australia’s leading Metabolic Disease researchers will join the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University on Feb 1 2019.
Mark is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and currently Head of the Diabetes and Metabolism Division at the Garvan Institute for Medical Research. He is also the CSO of N-Gene Research Laboratories Inc., a USA based Biotechnology Company and the Founder and CSO of the recently incorporated company Kinomedica.
His research is focussed on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with exercise, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer and his aim is to develop novel drugs to treat lifestyle related diseases. Metabolic disease is a key therapeutic focus for MIPS and Mark’s recruitment will add strength and depth to a rapidly expanding program in drug discovery and development in this area.
Mark has published widely (>250 publications, >30,000 citations, h index 96) and has won prizes at international, national and institutional levels. These include the Australian Diabetes Society (ADS) Kellion Award (2017), the Sandford Skinner Oration (2011), the ESA/ADS Joint Plenary Lecture (2009), the Colin I Johnson Lectureship by the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia (2006) and the A K McIntyre Prize for significant contributions to Australian Physiological Science (1999). He is on the Editorial Board of Molecular Metabolism and has served on the Editorial Board of many leading journals in the past.
Mark is also dedicated to health and fitness. He was a full time triathlete before embarking on his scientific career, and continues to compete.
Mark will base his laboratory in the Drug Discovery Biology (DDB) Theme at MIPS (led by Prof Arthur Christopoulos) where there is significant synergy with current programs in Metabolic disease. These include the modulation of G protein coupled receptors to alter adipocyte metabolism, to activate glucose disposal in skeletal muscle, to enhance and preserve the release of insulin from pancreatic islets, and to regulate central nervous system control of metabolic pathways. Mark will start to transition his group to MIPS early in 2019.
Acknowledging the great potential of the appointment, Prof Chris Porter, the Director of MIPS commented ‘I’m absolutely delighted that Mark will be joining MIPS. Metabolic disease threatens the health of worryingly high, and growing, numbers of people across the globe. Mark’s appointment will significantly power our efforts to better understand disease progression in this area and to develop novel therapeutics to address what remains a key unmet medical need’.