MUSCLE CELL COMMUNICATION AND REPAIR
With
Dr. William Roman
Group Leader,
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI)
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne | April 2025
Dr. William Roman is a Group Leader at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University. He obtained his PhD from Paris Descartes University and Freie University of Berlin, focusing on nuclear positioning during skeletal muscle development. Dr. Roman’s research journey has taken him across the globe, including postdoctoral work in Barcelona, tissue engineering in Lisbon, and a brief stint at Stanford University.
At ARMI, Dr. Roman leads innovative research on intercellular communication within muscle organs. His work involves growing human muscles on chips to understand how skeletal muscle cells interact with neurons and tendons. This research aims to develop better models for studying muscle diseases, drug screening, and even applications in cellular agriculture and biorobotics.
Dr. Roman’s recent breakthrough in muscle repair mechanisms, independent of stem cells, has potential implications for preserving muscle function in exercise, diseases, and aging. His lab employs cutting-edge techniques such as cell biology, tissue engineering, and spatial transcriptomics.
In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Dr. Roman was awarded the prestigious 2024 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research, highlighting his significant contributions to the field of regenerative medicine.
Dr Roman’s research has been funded by the Baker Foundation, Australia’s NHMRC and more recently the National Stem Cell Foundation.
Source: Supplied and supplemented
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RESEARCH IMPACT SAHMRI, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (2023)
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, also known as SAHMRI has had significant impacts in various areas over the past ten years, and this year is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a week of events.
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Professor Alex Fornito
PROFESSOR ALEX FORNITO
HEAD OF THE BRAIN MAPPING AND MODELLING RESEARCH PROGRAM
TURNER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH, MONASH UNIVERSITY
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA -
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