Bench Side Story

Looks at the impact of evidence based medical research globally, the researchers involved and the progress made leading to proven discovery on population health

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

BIG DATA RESEARCH IN MATERNAL, PERINATAL AND RENAL HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY

Dr Erandi Hewawasam
Research Fellow,
National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit
Centre for Big Data Research in Health
UNSW @UNSW, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | June 2026

Dr Erandi Hewawasam is a Research Fellow at the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit within the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at University of New South Wales (UNSW). Her work focuses on maternal and reproductive health, chronic diseases (e.g., kidney disease, endometriosis), and early-life outcomes. She is the Program Manager for the Fertility Medicine Data Asset for Australia (FM-DATA), an MRFF-funded national infrastructure project linking fertility, hospital, Medicare, pharmaceutical, and perinatal datasets covering more than 40 million individuals. She also coordinates the Early Life Course Platform, integrating around 20 New South Wales and Australian federal administrative datasets to support population health research.

Before joining UNSW, Dr Hewawasam spent over five years at the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) as a post-doctoral research fellow and program manager for Pregnancy and Kidney Research Australia (PKRA).  In these roles, she led patient-centred research at the intersection of pregnancy and chronic kidney disease (CKD), using data linkage, registry analysis, cohort studies, and surveys to improve parenthood outcomes for Australians with CKD. Her work has informed national clinical guidelines, been embedded into renal clinical care and specialist training programs, and contributed to international nephrology education initiatives.

Dr Hewawasam has published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals and secured more than $275,000 in competitive funding. In 2025, she received the prestigious James McWha Rising Star Award, one of University of Adelaide’s Distinguished Alumni Awards, recognising exceptional early-career alumni demonstrating leadership and significant impact in their profession and community. Alongside her research, she supervises higher degree students, mentors medical trainees, contributes to teaching, and advocates for inclusive opportunities for women in science as a UNSW STEMM Champion 2025.

Source: Supplied
SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Australian Health Journal @AUHealthJournal]

WHY NEGATIVE RESULTS IN CLINICAL TRIALS MATTER
International Clinical Trials Day 2026, a year in review: Trial of The Year 2025

With
Professor Brett J. Manley, Consultant Neonatologist
Mercy Hospital For Women @MercyPerinatal , Melbourne & Professor of Neonatal Medicine,
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, University of Melbourne, Australia

Kate Francis, Biostatistician (Snr Research Officer)
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute @MCRI_for_kids , Melbourne & Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne & Affiliate Biostatistician, The Royal Children’s Hospital @RCHMelbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Professor Christopher Reid, Chair
Australian Clinical Trials Alliance @ACTAcommunity @ACTA_org (ACTA) & School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University @MonashUni &
School of Population Health at Curtin University @CurtinUni, Western Australia

A BENCH SIDE STORY SYNDICATION
Filmed in Melbourne & Perth | May 2026

Negative results in a clinical trial can be extremely valuable — both scientifically and ethically. A “negative result” usually means the treatment being tested did not work better than the standard treatment, placebo, or expected outcome.

The aim of the PLUSS trial was to find out if installation of budesonide (a steroid) with surfactant to the lungs of extremely preterm babies helps to prevent lung disease, or Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

BPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterised by disordered alveolar and vascular development, most commonly affecting extremely preterm infants exposed to mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).  BPD is associated with mortality, and adverse long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Despite advances in neonatal care including antenatal corticosteroids, exogenous surfactant, and the increasing use of non-invasive respiratory support, the incidence of BPD has increased in the state of Victoria in 2005 compared with earlier eras.

Extremely preterm infants participating in the trial were monitored closely after birth and an assessment completed at 36 weeks to check for BPD. Participating infants were also followed up when they are two years old.

The trial was led by a team of researchers at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne and the Liggins Institute in Auckland, New Zealand and had 29 participating centres around the world.

In 2025 the PLUSS Trial received the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Trial of the Year 2025 Award as well as the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award2025.

Source: Adapted from https://t.co/NoCFlVy2Mn website

As seen on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory

Australian Health Journal @AUHealthJournal
Produced & published by AUDIENCED
Get your interviews captured across Australia https://t.co/mlk5MPl9oY

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

BRAIN AGEING, DEMENTIA AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Professor Perminder S. Sachdev AM @sachdevps , MBBS, MD, PhD, FRANZCP, FAAHMS, Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, UNSW Sydney @UNSW @UNSWMedicine & Co-director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) @CHeBA_UNSW, UNSW Sydney & Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia & Co-Director of the Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) & Director of the Centre for Research Excellence in Vascular Contributions to Dementia (CRE VCD)

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | May 2026

Professor Perminder Sachdev AM graduated from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in 1978 and completed his MD in Psychiatry there in 1983. Following time in New Zealand, he relocated to Australia, where he completed psychiatric training and a PhD at UNSW in 1991. His doctoral work examined ethnopsychological concepts in Māori culture. His early research focused on drug-induced movement disorders, including akathisia, tardive dyskinesia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome, while his later work has centred on dementia and pre-dementia syndromes, particularly neuroimaging, biomarkers and risk factors.

Professor Sachdev has held numerous leadership roles, including membership of the DSM-5 Neurocognitive Disorders Work Group, President of the International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology, and leadership positions within VASCOG, the International Neuropsychiatric Association, and the RANZCP Neuropsychiatry Section. He has also contributed extensively to Alzheimer’s Australia and Tourette syndrome advocacy.

His research interests span neuropsychiatric disorders of ageing, vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia, mild cognitive impairment, brain stimulation therapies, neuroimaging, Tourette syndrome and adult ADHD. In 2012, he co-founded CHeBA and leads major longitudinal studies, including the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, alongside international consortia such as COSMIC, STROKOG and ICC-Dementia.

His achievements have been widely recognised, including appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (2011), Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2015), and recipient of the Ryman Prize (2022) for contributions to ageing research. He has also received the Lishman Oration Award (2024) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).

Professor Sachdev has authored over 1,000 journal articles, multiple books, and a book of poetry.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

CASE STUDY increasing survival, free of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely preterm infants

With
Professor Brett J. Manley, Consultant Neonatologist
Mercy Hospital For Women @MercyPerinatal, Melbourne & Professor of Neonatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, University of Melbourne, Australia

Kate Francis, Biostatistician (Snr Research Officer)
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute @MCRI_for_kids , Melbourne &
Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Paediatrics,
University of Melbourne & Affiliate Biostatistician, The Royal Children’s Hospital @RCHMelbourne , Melbourne, Australia

Professor Christopher Reid, Chair - Australian Clinical Trials Alliance @ACTAcommunity @ACTA_org (ACTA) & School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University @MonashUni & School of Population Health at Curtin University @CurtinUni , Western Australia

CASE STUDY
Filmed in Melbourne & Perth, Australia | May 2026

Negative results in a clinical trial can be extremely valuable — both scientifically and ethically. A “negative result” usually means the treatment being tested did not work better than the standard treatment, placebo, or expected outcome.

The aim of the PLUSS trial was to find out if installation of budesonide (a steroid) with surfactant to the lungs of extremely preterm babies helps to prevent lung disease, or Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

BPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterised by disordered alveolar and vascular development, most commonly affecting extremely preterm infants exposed to mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).  BPD is associated with mortality, and adverse long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Despite advances in neonatal care including antenatal corticosteroids, exogenous surfactant, and the increasing use of non-invasive respiratory support, the incidence of BPD has increased in the state of Victoria in 2005 compared with earlier eras.

Extremely preterm infants participating in the trial were monitored closely after birth and an assessment completed at 36 weeks to check for BPD. Participating infants were also followed up when they are two years old.

The trial was led by a team of researchers at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne and the Liggins Institute in Auckland, New Zealand and had 29 participating centres around the world.

In 2025 the PLUSS Trial received the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Trial of the Year 2025 Award as well as the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award2025.

Source: Adapted from https://t.co/vskddPUjyj website

SEE OTHER CASE STUDIES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

PERIPHERAL INTRAVENOUS CATHETER MANAGEMENT

With
Dr Grace Xu @GraceXu_NP ,
Nurse Practitioner
Emergency Department,
QEII Hospital, Brisbane &
Emergency & Trauma Centre,
Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital,
Brisbane, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Brisbane, Australia | May 2026

Dr Grace Xu is a clinician-researcher, senior nurse practitioner, and emerging implementation scientist with more than 16 years of emergency nursing experience. She is a Fellow of the College of Emergency Nurses Australasia and a Centaur Fellow. She also leads the Early Career Researcher/Clinician Researcher portfolio within the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research group.

As Chief Investigator, Dr Xu has secured over $3 million in competitive grant funding and co-authored more than 40 publications, including eight ranked among the top 10% most cited globally in her field. Her international research standing is reflected in Scopus rankings, placing her in the top 99th percentile for mindfulness research and the top 93rd percentile for catheter infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her wellness research informed local and state wellness activity planning and was featured by major media outlets such as 10 News (2020 & 2021).

Her achievements have been recognised through numerous awards, including the Early Career Researcher Award (2024), Early Career Academic of the Year (2024), Research Implementation Award (2024), Clinician Researcher Award (2023), Outstanding Achievement in Nursing/Midwifery Leader Award (2022), and multiple teaching excellence awards.

Source: Supplied
Thanks to: Emergency Medicine Foundation @emfresearch

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

POST STROKE BRAIN RECOVERY TARGETING BLOOD FLOW AND VESSEL HEALTH

Dr Daniel Beard @DocBeardface87,
Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle @Uni_Newcastle
Group Leader, Neurovascular Research Laboratory
New South Wales, Australia &
Visiting Scientist,
University of Oxford @UniofOxford , United Kingdom &
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
ShearFlow

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Newcastle, Australia | May 2026

Dr Daniel Beard is a Senior Lecturer and Group Leader of the Neurovascular Research Laboratory at the University of Newcastle, with a distinguished career in stroke research. Dr Beard completed his PhD in Human Physiology in 2015, uncovering the impact of intracranial pressure on collateral vessel failure. He has held prestigious research and teaching roles at the University of Oxford and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin @ChariteBerlin , contributing to international collaborations on neurovascular protection. His research has been supported by competitive grants, including an NHMRC @nhmrc Ideas Grant, and he has received numerous awards for innovation, research excellence and teaching excellence, including:

-Winner of the Challenger Pitch Prize at the Proto Axiom Challenger Summit (2024).

-Paul Dudley White International Scholar for the highest-ranked Australian abstract at the 2022 International Stroke Conference, New Orleans.
-Recipient of the Learning Design and Teaching Innovation Teaching Excellence Award and Mid-Career Teaching Award from the University of Newcastle (2024).
His most recent work focuses on understanding and improving collateral blood flow during ischaemic stroke. Notably, his groundbreaking work on shear stress and cerebral blood flow with renowned researchers at Harvard University, resulted in a patented nanoparticle therapy that selectively boosts brain perfusion during stroke, saving brain tissue and improving patient outcomes. This work was recently published in Advanced Science: https://t.co/cFaRxXpWcg.

Dr Beard is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the University spinout ShearFlow that is now commercializing this technology to reach the clinic. This work aims to deliver targeted stroke therapies that could give patients a improved chance at recovery and a better quality of life.

Source: Supplied and adapted

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

GIVE A RESEARCHER A GIFT OF PUBLICITY
At a time when funding is tightening and global health challenges are growing more complex, supporting health and medical researchers has never mattered more. Researchers drive the discoveries that improve care, save lives and shape healthier futures, yet too often their impact goes unseen. By helping researchers build their profile, amplify their voice and showcase the real-world value of their work, supporters can strengthen public trust, attract vital investment and ensure the breakthroughs society depends on are recognised, funded and sustained.

This International Clinical Trials Day you can support your friendly researcher by gifting them a video placement on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory our online show on medical researchers, case studies and impacts on population health.

*** Half price for month of International Clinical Trials Day USD$499 (normally USD$998) ***

Click here for further details, promo code and Terms & Conditions https://t.co/UIpXhuhUUk

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

IDENTIFYING AND TREATING AUTOIMMUNE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

With
Associate Professor Sudarshini (Darshi) Ramanathan @darshi_r , Neurologist & Head of Translational Neuroimmunology Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney @Sydney_Uni , Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | April 2026

Associate Professor Sudarshini Ramanathan is a neurologist and clinician scientist whose work focuses on autoimmune neurological disorders. Her research has helped identify new neurological syndromes due to antibody-mediated demyelination and encephalitis, and improve diagnostic tools and treatment guidelines for patients with autoimmune diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, muscles and nerves.

Associate Professor Ramanathan’s research program aims to improve our understanding of underlying disease pathogenesis with a focus towards ‘precision medicine’ in neuroimmunology – both with diagnosis and therapeutics. Her research focuses on defining the clinical, radiological, and immunophenotypic profiles of specific pathogenic autoantibodies; understanding what triggers autoimmunity and disruption of immune tolerance; and the cellular and humoural mechanisms of action of autoantibodies and how this might be translated into refining novel therapeutic approaches.

Her work thus far has resulted in the enhanced recognition of novel treatable neurological conditions, important biological insights into the pathophysiology of these disorders, and the development of diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes in vulnerable patients who otherwise risk chronic disability.

Associate Professor Ramanathan heads the Translational Neuroimmunology Group at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney; and also runs a neuroimmunology clinic at Concord Hospital. She supervises and mentors a research team of PhD and Masters candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and clinician researchers. Her research has been recognised by the Leonard Cox Award for Excellence in Neuroscience research and the NSW Premier’s Prize Award for Early Career Researchers (Biological  Sciences) in 2022.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES

Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv
Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story

https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST INFECTIONS TRIGGERING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Dr Deborah Burnett,
Scientia Senior Lecturer & Laboratory Head
UNSW Sydney @UNSW @UNSWMedicine , Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | April 2026

Dr Deborah Burnett is a Scientia Senior Lecturer and Laboratory Head at UNSW, where she leads a multidisciplinary research program spanning mechanistic immunology and translational vaccinology. Her work focuses on understanding how immune responses can protect against challenging infectious threats, including bacterial infections and infections associated with autoimmune disease.

After completing her PhD in 2019, Dr Burnett established her first independent group at the Garvan Institute @GarvanInstitute in 2022 and launched her laboratory at UNSW in 2024. Her research, published in major research journals including Science and Immunity, has helped redefine how self-reactive B cells contribute to protective immunity and is now shaping new approaches to prevention and cure of infections linked to autoimmunity.

Her contributions to research leadership and translation have been recognised through the NSW Premier’s Prize for Early Career Researcher of the Year, Research Australia’s Discovery Award @ResAustralia, the Australian L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship, a Young Tall Poppy Award, the Marie Krogh Prize for Women in Science, and selection as an International Union of Immunological Societies Rising Star. Through the Snow Fellowship, Dr Burnett and her team aim to develop new ways to distinguish protective from harmful immune responses, advancing safer vaccines, diagnostics and therapies for vulnerable communities affected by infection-associated autoimmune disease.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES

Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv
Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

RENAL CARE & DATA LINKAGE OF TASMANIAN KIDNEY DISEASE CASES

With
Professor Matthew Jose, Kidney Specialist
Head of Unit, Nephrology, Royal Hobart Hospital @TasmaniaHealth &
Professor of Medicine, University of Tasmania @UTAS_
Tasmania, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | March 2026

Professor Matthew Jose is a Renal Physician & Head of the Renal Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and Professor of Medicine for the University of Tasmania.

Winner of the 2021 Rural Science Award from the Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology, he has worked in regional, rural and remote Australian locations for nearly 20 years as a Renal Physician, including the Northern Territory.

He is currently Chairperson of the Tasmanian Statewide Kidney Clinical Network and a member of national clinical guideline groups including Therapeutic Guidelines and CARI guidelines kidney stone working group, as well as a member of the KidGEN (Kidney Genetics) national steering committee.

He has established the first regional young adult transplant clinic for young Tasmanians with a kidney transplant transferring from paediatric to adult care.

Professor Jose’s research has been funded by Australia’s NHMRC @nhmrc and MRFF, as well as Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation in Tasmania.

Source: Supplied and adapted

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Ht7B72VuXE

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

PAEDIATRIC HAEMORRHAGE AND AIRWAY PROCEDURES
With
Associate Professor Shane George,
Paediatric Emergency physician &
Paediatric intensive care physician,
Gold Coast University Hospital @GC_Health @qldhealth
Queensland, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Southport, Queensland, Australia | March 2026

Dr Shane George is a paediatric critical care physician working in paediatric emergency medicine and paediatric intensive care at Gold Coast University Hospital. He is the clinical lead for children’s critical care research for Gold Coast Health, and is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland @UQ_News and Griffith University @Griffith_Uni .

Associate Professor George is also an active clinician researcher on topics that span both emergency medicine and PICU practice including safety in emergency intubation, sepsis, haemostatic resuscitation in children and respiratory support therapies.

He is a member of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International collaborative (PREDICT) and the ANZICS Paediatric Study Group, collaborating on numerous multicentre projects.

Associate Professor George’s research has been funded by Australia’s Emergency Medicine Foundation @emfresearch , Australian Government NHMRC @nhmrc and MRFF, the US based Thrasher Research Foundation.

Source: Supplied and Gold Coast Health website

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

PARAMEDICINE WORKFORCE ACROSS AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND
With
Associate Professor Liz Thyer
Associate Professor in Paramedicine
Western Sydney University @westernsydneyu , Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia | March 2026

Liz Thyer is an Associate Professor in the Western Sydney University Paramedicine program and is passionate about innovations and excellence in health sciences teaching and learning.

She was an advanced life support paramedic with Ambulance Victoria for 11 years including roles as a clinical instructor and peer support officer. She has previously worked at Victoria University with the Paramedic programs and at Deakin University in Learning Futures.

She is an active member of the Australasian College of Paramedicine @ACParamedicine and is the inaugural chair of the ACP Professional Standards Committee and Education Committee.

Her PhD was in physical anthropology, highlighting a continuing passion for anatomical studies, but her more recent research and HDR supervision focuses on the fields of health education, mental health, and paramedicine workforce issues.

She is the chief investigator of the Australasian Paramedicine Workforce Survey, a three-year study providing the most comprehensive data exploring trends affecting the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand paramedicine workforce.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story

https://t.co/Ht7B72VuXE

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

TRIALS IN TREATING STIs, VACCINES AND LIPID LOWERING MEDICATIONS

Dr Pi Lip Seet,
Principal Investigator
Paratus Clinical @ParatusClinical , Brisbane &
Surgical Registrar
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Brisbane | March 2026

Dr Pi Lip Seet graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, after completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Newcastle. He has undertaken broad hospital-based training across Queensland and the ACT, with clinical experience in Emergency Medicine, General and Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Intensive Care and Coronary Care.

Since joining Paratus Clinical Research in 2022, Dr Seet has served as both Principal Investigator and Sub-Investigator across Phase I–IV industry-sponsored clinical trials. His research experience spans vaccines, immunology, cardiovascular and endocrine disease, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, pain management, sleep medicine and adult psychiatry. He has been involved in multiple vaccine development programs, including RSV, influenza, COVID-19, herpes zoster and pneumococcal studies.

Dr Seet maintains current Good Clinical Practice certification and advanced life support training. With a strong foundation in acute and procedural medicine, he is committed to delivering high-quality, ethical clinical research, ensuring participant safety while supporting the advancement of innovative therapeutic and vaccine programs.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

THERAPY TO PREVENT HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN PEOPLE WITH LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Professor John Olynyk, Liver Specialist, Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist,
Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals
South Metropolitan Health Service, Western Australia &
Associate Director, Clinical Engagement,
Curtin Medical Research Institute @CurtinMRI , Curtin University @CurtinUni , Western Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026

Professor John Olynyk is a Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist with over 30 years' experience, primarily at The Fiona Stanley & Fremantle Hospital Group. He planned the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service for the Fiona Stanley Hospital and was Head Department from 2010 until 2020.

Professor John Olynyk was appointed as Associate Dean and Head of the Medical Discipline at Curtin University in 2023 until 2025 and is now Associate Director, Clinical Engagement, Curtin Medical Research Institute, Curtin University.

Professor John Olynyk has a long and productive history of research in the field of haemochromatosis, liver disease and iron metabolism. He has sustained 27 years of continuous funding from the NHMRC and published over 270 peer reviewed publications with nearly 20,000 citations. He is patron of Haemochromatosis Australia and currently serves on the Royal Australasian College of Physicians overseas trained physicians assessment panel.

He has been a member of multiple national and international professional organisations. He was a keynote speaker at the UK Liver Cancer Meeting at Cambridge University in 2024. Currently he is leading a multicentre, international NHMRC-funded clinical trial examining whether aspirin therapy can prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in people with cirrhosis.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/Ht7B72VuXE

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

IDENTIFICATION & CHARACTERISATION OF MOLECULAR DRIVERS OF THERAPEUTIC RESISTANCE

Professor Pieter Eichhorn
Group Leader, Curtin Medical Research Institute @CurtinMRI & Dean of Research Infrastructure & Professor at Curtin University @CurtinUni , Western Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026

Professor Pieter Eichhorn is an internationally experienced cancer biologist and research leader whose career has been defined by high-impact contributions at the interface of functional genomics, translational oncology, and research infrastructure strategy.

He completed his PhD at the @UniofNewcastle , contributing to the cloning of the gene associated with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, before undertaking postdoctoral training at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in the laboratory of René Bernards. There, he performed pioneering functional genetic screens that identified key regulators of oncogenesis and therapy resistance, including critical roles for the PI3K signalling pathway in resistance to targeted breast cancer therapies.

He subsequently worked Dr. Jose Baselga at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology @VHIO and Harvard Medical School @harvardmed contributing to studies on signalling networks, resistance mechanisms, and ubiquitin pathway regulation in cancer.

A major career highlight has been the identification and characterisation of molecular drivers of therapeutic resistance, including work on PI3K pathway biology and ubiquitin-regulated oncogenic signalling, published in high-impact journals and informing biomarker-driven therapeutic strategies.

At Curtin University, he has established and led a multidisciplinary translational research program focused on deubiquitinases, epithelial plasticity, and non-coding RNA biology in breast and melanoma. In parallel, he has provided strategic leadership as Dean of Research Infrastructure, overseeing major national and institutional infrastructure investments, NCRIS-aligned initiatives, and large-scale collaborative platforms that enhance research capability and clinical translation.

COLLABORATIONS
National University of Singapore @NUSingapore , Walter and Eliza Hall Institute @WEHI_research , @Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre @PeterMacCC , Vall d’Hebron, Helmholtz Munich, University of Manchester,

FUNDING
World Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Council WA @CancerCouncilWA, Australia Center for RNA Therapy in Cancer
Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/SntWt691I8

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory https://t.co/Ht7B72VuXE

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

LIVER CANCER & PATIENT-DERIVED TUMOUR ORGANOIDS

Dr Benjamin Dwyer,
Senior Research Fellow &
Director, Western Australian Organioid Innovation Hub,
Curtin Medical Research Institute @CurtinMRI ,
Curtin University @CurtinUni , Western Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026

Dr Benjamin Dwyer is a translational cancer researcher driven by a clear purpose: to ensure discoveries made in the laboratory genuinely improve outcomes for patients.

Based at Curtin University, he established and now leads the organoid platform within the Liver Cancer Collaborative and directs the WA Organoid Innovation Hub, working at the intersection of biology, medicine and biotechnology to accelerate new treatments for liver cancer.

After completing his PhD in Perth, Dr Dwyer joined the world-leading liver research group of Prof Stuart Forbes at the University of Edinburgh @EdinburghUni , where he contributed to research spanning fundamental biology, clinical trials and commercial translation. He helped define how cholangiocarcinoma crosstalk with macrophages establishes a protective environment. In parallel, he was closely involved in the development of macrophage cell therapy for cirrhosis as part of the management team of the MATCH trials, and established novel, GMP-compatible methods to engineer and cryopreserve therapeutic macrophages, foundational methods for the commercial development of macrophage therapy. He was part of the founding team of a biotechnology spinout created to translate this work, and the therapeutic strategy built on those early methods is now progressing through Phase 1 clinical testing. Seeing principles he helped establish move from bench to bedside has been a defining milestone in his career.

Today, as part of the Liver Cancer Collaborative his research focuses on building patient-derived “mini tumours” for drug development that better predict treatment response, narrowing the gap between laboratory models and real patient outcomes.

COLLABORATIONS WITH:

Perkins Cancer Biobank, Australian Centre for RNA Therapeutics in Cancer, UWA @uwanews, WA Data Science Innovation Hub, Murdoch University @MurdochUni , Epichem @epichem, Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Australia @Cholangio1 , WEHI National Drug Discovery Centre @WEHI_research, Inventia Life Sciences @InventiaLifeSci , University of Edinburgh @EdinburghUni, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) @SNBTSblood, University of Calgary @UCalgary

FUNDING FROM:
Department of Health WA FHRI Fund @health_wa, Cancer Research Trust, Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) @GESAorg, Ian Potter Foundation @IanPotterFdn , AMMF- The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity @CharityAMMF

Source: Supplied and adapted

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

DEVELOPING UPPER LIMB MOTOR BIOMARKERS OF DEMENTIA

Kaylee Rudd, Junior Research Fellow, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre @WickingDementia, University of Tasmania @UTAS_ , Hobart, Tasmania

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | February 2026

Kaylee is currently a research fellow with the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania. She has recently submitted her PhD thesis, reporting the findings of her research on developing upper limb motor biomarkers of dementia. She has postgrad degrees in physiotherapy and experience working in the community and aged care across Tasmania for several years, where she worked with people with dementia.

Her experience underlined the importance of detecting cognitive impairment early and prompted her to join the Wicking to research dementia in 2021. Her research aims to better understand how movement is associated with cognition and to identify potential hand motor tests to help detect those at risk of developing cognitive impairment early.

One of the main highlights of her research experience has been close and regular collaboration with participants and team members of the ISLAND Clinic and the Tasmanian ISLAND Project.

Currently she coordinates the TapTalk project, a multi-level RHHRF funded project, which aims to develop a non-invasive screening test to detect risk of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Kaylee also contributes to national and international research projects. Examples are her work with the multisite Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) study investigating the impact of blood-based biomarkers knowledge on clinician’s diagnostic confidence, and her ongoing collaboration with the AI-assisted motor biomarkers team in the University of Leeds, UK.

Collaborations and funding from

- Wicking Dementia research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania
- Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service
- Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (RHHRF)

Source: Supplied and adapted

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC

[Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory]

METABOLIC PHENOTYPING, LIPIDOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS IN DEMENTIA

Dr Luke Whiley
Curtin Medical Research Institute @CurtinMRI ,
Western Australia

RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026

Dr Luke Whiley is a dementia researcher whose work focuses on understanding how the body’s metabolism, particularly the biology of fats known as lipids, influences our health throughout ageing.

His research explores how the body responds to illness, lifestyle, and environmental stress at a chemical level, and how these responses shape longterm disease risk. Using advanced blood-based measurement technologies, Dr Whiley studies thousands of small molecules at once to build a snapshot of a person’s metabolic health. By combining these measurements with data science approaches, his work identifies biological pathways that become disrupted in disease, providing insight into why some people are more vulnerable to conditions such as dementia.

A major focus of Dr Whiley’s research is Alzheimer’s disease, where he investigates how genetic risk, particularly variations in genes involved in lipid transport,  may affect metabolism across the body and lead to disease. This work highlights the importance of lipids in brain health, helping shift dementia research beyond proteins alone to include broader metabolic processes.

He also studies related questions in Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and COVID19, where metabolic disruption plays a key role in recovery and longterm outcomes. Alongside discovery research, Dr Whiley develops methods that allow detailed metabolic testing using much smaller samples, making future screening and monitoring more accessible.

His overarching goal is to improve understanding, earlier detection, and prevention of neurodegenerative disease, while keeping people with lived experience at the centre of dementia research.

Source: Supplied

SEE OTHER RESEARCHER PROFILES
Bench Side Story @BenchSideStory
https://t.co/vzQCTpFOVv

Get your own interviews and research published on Bench Side Story
https://t.co/Qrj09SzaeC