DNA REPAIR ON THE FANCONI ANAEMIA PATHWAY
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani
Laboratory Head, DNA Repair & Recombination
St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research,
Melbourne, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia | August 2025
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani is an internationally recognised expert in DNA repair, with a particular focus on Fanconi anaemia (FA)—a cancer-predisposition and bone marrow failure syndrome marked by extreme sensitivity to DNA damage. Based at St Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, he leads a research program dedicated to understanding the genetic, cellular, and reproductive consequences of FA. He is currently supported by a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Fellowship and funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
His career spans academia and industry across Australia, Europe, and the United States. He has contributed to several advances in FA genetics, including the identification of new functions of FA genes, particularly in reproduction, development of isogenic cell models, and use of high-throughput functional and screening assays. He has also demonstrated that FA is under-diagnosed in Australia, which has major consequences for these individuals and for the public healthcare system. His research has been published in top-tier journals and underpins several patents, including technologies that have been successfully licensed.
Associate Professor Crismani also leads multidisciplinary studies investigating fertility and cancer risk in individuals with FA. These include the first systematic study of biological parenthood and assisted reproductive technologies in adults with FA, and efforts to identify early biomarkers of oral cancer in this high-risk group. His work is conducted in close collaboration with scientists, clinicians, fertility specialists, and patient advocates. He co-founded Fanconi Anaemia Support Australasia with a group of families in 2019 and continues to organise scientific and social events for the FA community.
He works with international FA registries, research consortia, and the Fanconi Cancer Foundation to ensure research findings inform real-world care. His program bridges molecular biology, reproductive health, and translational science, with the goal of improving health outcomes for people with FA and genetic conditions.
Source: Supplied
-
Neonatal respiratory trials in sick & preterm newborn infants
Prof Brett J. Manley leads and collaborates on large national and international randomised clinical trials in neonatology. He previously collaborated on 4 randomised trials of nasal high-flow as non-invasive respiratory support for preterm and term infants, all of which were published in N Engl J Med. Recently he led the PLUSS trial of intratracheal budesonide for extremely preterm infants, that recruited in 21 NICUs across 4 countries, the results of which were published in JAMA. PLUSS was awarded the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance Trial of the Year in 2025. Another passion of his is mentoring and supervising early career researchers to undertake their own clinical trials.
-
Dental care improvements using informatics and artificial intelligence
a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Dentroid, a startup in Australia aiming to revolutionise dentistry with laser technology. He has gained extensive experience in various roles at research-intensive institutions across three different continents.
-
Outcomes of Corneal Allergenic Intrastromal Ring Segment (CAIRS) Surgery
Dr David Gunn is an ophthalmologist specialising in cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery at the Queensland Eye Institute and Focus Vision in Brisbane, Queensland. His journey into ophthalmology began during medical school, inspired by a mentor. His current research examines outcomes for patients undergoing Corneal Allergenic Intrastromal Ring Segment (CAIRS) surgery.
