Dr Elizabeth Webb, a researcher within the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR) group led by Professor Mark Polizzotto, has made groundbreaking contributions to patient-centred research, particularly in the management of cellulitis and chronic oedema. Her randomised controlled trial demonstrated that compression therapy significantly reduces the risk of cellulitis recurrence in patients with chronic leg swelling by 77%. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this study has already influenced clinical guidelines globally and is being implemented in medical practices around the world.

Dr Tom Lea-Henry, from the Personalised Medicine and Autoimmunity group under Associate Professor Simon Jiang, has identified a genetic change that reduces the severity of autoimmune kidney disease (glomerulonephritis or GN) in a mouse model. This discovery points to a new potential therapeutic approach for GN, which is a leading cause of kidney failure in Australia, especially among those under 40. Dr Lea-Henry’s work is paving the way for the development of a new class of drugs that could revolutionize the treatment of GN by replicating the effects of this genetic change.