Malaria expert joins Sydney

Professor Georges Grau a renowned expert in malaria has been appointed Professor of Vascular Immunology in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Professor Grau and his team will aim to advance research in the understanding of the fine machinery of inflammatory reactions. Using brain-derived endothelium, he will model diseases such as cerebral malaria, multiple sclerosis or viral encephalitis whilst lung-derived cells will allow studying adult respiratory distress syndrome, asthma and other pulmonary illnesses.

In addition to functional studies, he will also implement the latest imaging technology to visualise the diverse players involved in inflammation.

The bottom line of the new team is to gain an improved understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms that will lead not only to significant advances in fundamental knowledge of biology, but will also identify new targets for the development of drugs intended to treat the many diseases caused by inflammatory processes.