HYPERTENSION AND THE GUT MICROBIOME: USING GUT MICROBES TO REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE
Professor Francine Marques
Professor of Genetics and Genomics
Monash University, Victoria, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed in Clayton, Victoria | December 2024)
Professor Francine Marques is an National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leader, Viertel Charitable Foundation, and National Heart Foundation Fellow.
She leads the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University and has published more than 120 peer-reviewed papers in journals such as Nature Reviews Cardiology, Nature Medicine, Nature Cardiovascular Research, and Circulation.
As a researcher Professor Marques has secured over $10 million in competitive funding as a principal investigator. She has won 31 awards, including the 2019 American Heart Association Hypertension Council Goldblatt Award, the 2020 High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia and 2021 International Society of Hypertension Mid-Career Awards, the 2021 Australian Academy of Science Gottschalk Medal, and the 2024 Australian Society of Medical Research Peter Doherty Leading Light Award, and was a finalist for 12 awards, including the Eureka Prize Emerging Leader in Science.
Her research team aims to build exceptional scientists that help improve cardiovascular health, using translational approaches to lower blood pressure via the gut microbiome. Professor Marques is also passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and helping communities change the current culture of research.
She has led research identifying intrinsic equity issues in the cardiovascular research community in Australia (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32839116/), followed by research to find solutions for these issues (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35577952/), resulting in the 2021 Women’s Agenda Emerging Leader in STEM award.
Outside work, Francine enjoys baking, travelling, spending time with family, friends and her dogs, and reading books.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4920-9991
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Targeting chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer patients
Dr Alex Cole, from the Centenary Institute’s Centre for Biomedical AI, is now leading the research focused on developing a new treatment to counteract a protein called follistatin (FST), known for making ovarian cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy.
By employing cutting-edge molecular biology and directed evolution techniques, the project aims to create nanobodies—small, precise molecules—that can block FST. If successful, these nanobodies could enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and improve ovarian cancer treatment rates.
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World-first clinical trial improves patient outcomes for kidney transplants (2023)
A world-first clinical trial conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand has identified the best fluid treatment to reduce the risk of patients requiring dialysis after a kidney transplant.
Around one in three people who receive a kidney transplant suffer delayed graft function, which means the transplant doesn’t work immediately and they require dialysis.
The lead-author of the study, was Royal Adelaide Hospital Nephrologist and University of Adelaide researcher, Dr Michael Collins.
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Indigenous Australian health and ear disease
Professor Kelvin Kong feels incredibly fortunate to lead a fulfilling life surrounded by his loved ones. With a demonstrated history of service in the health industry, he brings a wealth of expertise across various sectors including clinical research, medical education, surgery, paediatrics, health policy, and Indigenous education. Kelvin started his university, residing at New College in 1992, which brings him fond memories. Graduating from medicine from the University of NSW, Kelvin continued his studies and became a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and Australian Society of Otolaryngology, head & neck Society (ASOHNS).
