Professor Francine Marques wins prestigious ASMR Peter Doherty Leading Light Award
Professor Francine Marques
Monash University is proud to announce that Professor Francine Marques has been awarded the ASMR Peter Doherty Leading Light Award for 2024 by the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR).
This highly esteemed accolade recognises mid-career researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of medical and health research in Australia.
Professor Marques, from the Monash University School of Biological Sciences, is a globally recognised leader in the field of hypertension research.
She has been honoured with this award for her pioneering work on the role of dietary fibres and the gut microbiota in regulating blood pressure.
In her breakthrough 2023 study, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, Professor Marques demonstrated, for the first time in a clinical setting, how gut-derived metabolites can lower blood pressure in individuals with untreated hypertension.
This discovery is poised to reshape how hypertension is treated, offering a simple, dietary-based solution to what remains one of the leading causes of death globally.
“This recognition is a great honour, and I am extremely grateful to my research team, collaborators, and mentors,” said Professor Marques.
“Our work is driven by the goal of finding innovative ways to prevent and manage hypertension,” she said.
“We are excited about the potential of interventions focused on our gut to provide affordable and accessible solutions to millions of people around the world.”
Professor Marques leads the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University, where she continues to investigate the intricate mechanisms underlying hypertension.
Her research spans gut health, gene-environment interactions, and cardiovascular disease.
To date, her work has attracted more than $11.5 million in competitive research funding and resulted in over 120 high-impact publications, furthering the understanding of hypertension and influencing treatment guidelines worldwide.
The ASMR Peter Doherty Leading Light Award also celebrates Professor Marques' tireless dedication to promoting diversity in STEM.
As a passionate advocate for gender equality, she actively mentors early-career researchers, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, to help them advance in scientific careers.
The ASMR Peter Doherty Leading Light Award is a testament to Professor Marques' commitment to research excellence and her remarkable contributions to improving public health outcomes. She is receiving the award at the ASMR National Scientific Conference today, where she will discuss the broader impacts of her work on cardiovascular disease prevention.
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