Monash University is a large, research intensive Australian university in Melbourne, Australia, with over 63,000 students and 15,000 staff.

• MONASH’s research expertise spans the range of scientific and translational activities.
• Monash University is closely aligned with several academic teaching hospitals, the largest of which is Monash Medical Centre at Monash Health.
• Monash University is a central partner in the Monash Health Translation Precinct, enhancing translational research capabilities at the Monash Health precinct, and strengthening links between education and training, basic and clinical research, and patient care.
• Monash University and Monash Health are key members of the Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre, recognised by the NHMRC as one of four of Australia’s first Advanced Health and Research Translation Centres.
• Monash University has substantial expertise in Immune and Inflammatory diseases and in Renal Medicine, key areas in RELENT. Researchers work in several teams in these areas, including in the Monash Centre for Inflammatory Diseases.



Main personnel involved in the project


Professor A Richard Kitching (MB ChB (with distinction), FRACP, PhD, FASN), the local PI, is a nephrologist and physician-scientist at Monash Health. He is the Director of the Monash University Centre for Inflammatory Diseases. His clinical and research interests are in the pathogenesis and treatment of immune renal disease.

• His clinical practice informs his research, which is particularly focussed on renal vasculitis and other forms of severe and rapidly progressive forms of renal disease
• Using a variety of innovative systems to help define disease pathogenesis, his group has published extensively in the vasculitis field in the past 5 years.
• His research has shaped our understanding of how leukocytes, particularly T cells, mediate immune renal disease.
• He has an international reputation based on his research, speaks regularly at national and international meetings and is a member of the Editorial Boards of the two highest ranked renal research journals, The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Kidney International.

 

Dr Maliha Alikhan is a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases.

• She has a particular interest in studying innate and adaptive immune responses in ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis.
• Her research focuses on understanding the functional role of intrarenal CD8 memory T cells in ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis, with the aim to develop improved diagnostics and improved biomarkers.
• She has established critical techniques to study autoimmune responses in the kidney.