Background

Professor Hogarth is researching the role of immune system in intractable human diseases, particularly in autoimmunity cancer and inflammation. The research investigates the fundamental roles of immune cells, their receptors and their antibodies, and how these can be manipulated for the treatment of human disease. The research program involves basic, applied and translational projects that have led to fundamental discoveries of immune function and to the subsequent development of potential biological and drug therapeutics for the treatment of inflammation, cancer or infection. Translational projects are examining human receptor gene polymorphisms and protein biomarkers associated with disease. The applied projects have resulted in new monoclonal antibodies, recombinant engineered receptor proteins as well as designer drugs. This successful research has been based on fundamental studies of human immune cell function and animal models of disease. We have extensively investigated the biochemistry, structure and function of major genes and proteins involved in immunity principally studies of cell surface molecules – the mouse Ly antigens and human CD antigens especially the immunoglobulin Fc Receptors. Recent work has defined the role of antibody based effector systems in tissue inflammation in allergy and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Collectively these are long-standing investigations into the role of Fc receptors has defined them to be one of the most important families of cell surface molecules involved in immune responses. These receptors (antibody receptors) play central roles in normal immune function – resistance to infection and regulation of antibody production and together with new monoclonal antibodies drugs can be harnessed for the treatment of cancer, infection and inflammation. Because the immune system has such broad reaching effect sand because new technologies have revolutionised research Professor Hogarth's work has broad implications for understanding and treating a wide range of disparate diseases. These include cancer – leukaemia and myeloma and solid cancers such as breast and colon; autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis including the rarer related diseases, vitiligo, vasculitis and immune-based blood clotting disorders as well as infections such as malaria, HIV and hospital infection. As a result, this research is directly relevant to adults and children alike, to mothers and babies, to men and women and to those with incurable disease or rare immune disorders. Professor Hogarth has had significant experience in translational research and technology transfer as an inventor and researcher with licenses of his laboratory's intellectual property to national and international companies. His corporate roles have included Directing the Austin Research Institute and as Director of Commercialisation and Research Strategy at Burnet Institute. He was also foundation CEO of the CRC for Biomarker Translation using nucleic acid array and proteomic approaches for the discovery of a consortium developing Mab to new markers of immune cells for therapeutic and diagnostic use. He has been involved directly in the establishment of companies and licensing and partnering negotiations relating to his own and also other Institute and CRC derived IP, including the sourcing of private and public capital for R&D programs.

Appointments

• NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow;
• Professor University of Melbourne;
• Professor Monash University

Awards

• Gottschalk Medal, Australian Academy of Science;
•  SASPITAS Award, Signals and Signal Processing in the Immune System