ACADI Seminar Series, May 19: Recent advances in genetic analyses of diabetes and its complications

On Friday 19th May, 2-3pm, we have the privilege of hearing from Professor Grant Morahan, a lead researcher on an ACADI funded project, and Dr Aleena Ali on the recent advances in the genetic analyses of diabetes and its complications.

Register here

The Speakers

Professor Grant Morahan

Professor Morahan has a doctorate from the University of Melbourne and worked at Scripps Clinic, USA. He led a research team at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, working on the genetics of complex diseases and researching Type 1 diabetes and immune tolerance. In 2005, he was appointed Inaugural Diabetes Research Professor at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, University of Western Australia.

Prof Morahan’s research has included antibody immunochemistry, immune tolerance, immunogenetics, and genetics of complex genetic diseases, especially type 1 diabetes. Research highlights include identifying IL12B as a susceptibility gene affecting diseases of immune dysregulation including severe childhood asthma and cerebral malaria; invention of the term ‘Systems Genetics’; and an international collaboration resulting in the discovery of 50 genes causing T1D, production of the world’s most powerful resource for identification of genes mediating complex in vivo traits, and developing new genetics analysis methods for defining an individual’s risk of disease. He has published over 270 scientific papers, including in Nature, Science, The Lancet, Nature Genetics, Diabetes and PNAS.

Dr Aleena Ali, MBBS PhD FRACP

Dr Aleena Ali is an endocrinologist and PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. Her research is investigating the genetics of diabetes and precision medicine.

Dr Ali obtained a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Honors) from Monash University with a scholarship, before completing her specialist training in Melbourne. She received a grant from the Diabetes Australia Research Programme to pursue her PhD. Her research has focused on monogenic diabetes and genetic risk scores to predict complications of diabetes. Dr Ali is currently living in London and working in the NHS while completing her PhD.

Register here for this online event

ACADI's monthly seminar series are held on the third Friday of each month.

The seminars are free and open to the public. The seminars will be recorded and viewable to anyone across Australia.

Our purpose is to provide an avenue for knowledge and idea exchange in the field of diabetes, medical research and innovation.

More Information

Lindsay Boardman-Bradley

lindsay.boardmanbradley@unimelb.edu.au