Faculty paper receives top accolade from journal Science

Professor Wolfgang Weninger,
Dermatology, Central Clinical School
Immune Imaging Laboratory, Centenary Institute

14 January 2008
Scientific research which Professor Wolfgang Weninger from the University of Sydney's Central Clinical School collaborated on with colleagues while at the Wistar Institute, was rated by the journal Science as representing one of the scientific breakthroughs of 2007.

Each year, Science which is one of the world's highest impact peer-reviewed scientific journals announces ten "Breakthroughs of the Year".

Professor Weninger's research provided dynamic new evidence of how the body's immune system reacts and interacts in the face of invasion by pathogens. The paper, "Asymmetric T lymphocyte division in the initiation of adaptive immune responses" was published in Science in March 2007.

As well as being a member of the University's Faculty of Medicine, Professor Weninger heads up the Centenary Institute's new Immune Imaging Laboratory. The Centenary Institute, located on the grounds of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney, is one of Australia's leading medical research institutes with a portfolio of projects in cancer, immunology and molecular medicine.

At the Centenary Institute, Professor Weninger will lead a team of researchers to study the dynamics of the immune system's response to cancer and infectious diseases.

Centenary's Executive Director Professor Mathew Vadas said, "The decision by Science to cite Professor Weninger's research as one of the 'Breakthroughs of the Year' is a truly prestigious honour that most scientists only ever dream about. We are honoured to have such an eminent researcher as Professor Weninger at the Centenary Institute."

The same paper is listed among the ten all-time highest-ranked papers in biomedicine by the Faculty of 1,000 Biology. This is an online research service that comprehensively and systematically highlights and reviews the most interesting papers published in the biological sciences, based on the recommendations of a faculty of well over 2,300 selected leading researchers ("Faculty Members").

Read the article in Science: John T. Chang, et al, Asymmetric T Lymphocyte Division in the Initiation of Adaptive Immune Responses, 315, 1687 (2007)

For more information, please contact Jane Moloney, Communications Officer, Centenary Institute,
T: 02 9565 6118
E: