NEXT-GENERATION NK CELL-BASED IMMUNOTHERAPIES FOR HARD-TO-TREAT CANCERS
Associate Professor Fernando S. F. Guimaraes, PhD, GAICD
Group Leader, Translational Innate Immunotherapy
Frazer Institute, Faculty of Medicine,
The University of Queensland, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Brisbane, Australia | February 2025
Associate Professor Fernando Guimaraes is an internationally recognised leader in cancer immunotherapy and natural killer (NK) cell biology. Based at The University of Queensland, he leads innovative research focused on developing next-generation NK cell-based immunotherapies for hard-to-treat cancers, including sarcomas and neuroblastoma.
A/Prof Guimaraes completed his PhD at the Institut Pasteur and pursued postdoctoral research at QIMR Berghofer and WEHI before joining UQ in 2019. His pioneering work has significantly advanced understanding of immune evasion mechanisms in cancer, leading to potential breakthroughs in NK cell therapies. His research integrates systems biology, experimental oncology, and bioinformatics to design novel, targeted treatments resistant to tumour-induced immunosuppression. His contributions have earned him numerous awards, including the QLD Tall Poppy, UQ Frazer Institute Rising Star, Translational Research Institute – Connecting with the Clinic Awards.
He has published extensively in top-tier journals, secured and led major research funding (NHMRC, MRFF, US DoD) focused on NK cell therapies. A/Prof Guimaraes also plays a key role in mentoring early-career researchers, serving as the Chair of the Research Committee at Cure Cancer Australia and leading multiple international collaborations.
Source: supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2037-8946
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Understanding the experience of pain for novel brain-based treatments
Associate Professor Tasha Stanton leads the Persistent Pain Research Group at SAHMRI. She is also co-Director of IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. She is a clinical pain neuroscientist, with original training as a physiotherapist, and her research focusses on pain – why do we have it and why doesn’t it go away?
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Precision and personalised nutrition
Laureate Professor Clare Collins is helping people access effective medical nutrition therapies that significantly reduce their risk of chronic disease. She and her team are developing innovative technologies, including apps and online programmes.
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Benefits of prehabilitation ahead of surgery
Dr Matthew Wallen PhD, AES, AEP is a Senior Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship, the Deputy Lead of the Cancer Survivorship Program, and a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Science and Clinical Exercise Physiology within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, in South Australia. His clinical interest focuses on improving outcomes for people requiring major surgery, specifically (1) lifestyle interventions, including exercise, nutritional, and psychological support to improve the health and wellbeing of people prior to surgery, termed ‘prehabilitation’, (2) novel physical function assessments aimed at identifying people at risk of treatment-related complications, and (3) implementation of new models of care in cancer.
