Professor Simon Mallal - HIV/AIDS researcher
Turning an idea into a cure
Simon Mallal and his research team are on a remarkable voyage of discovery to find a cure for HIV-AIDS. Simon’s twenty years of ground-breaking research have already given us treatments that help HIV-AIDS patients – and his work is bringing us closer to a vaccine for the disease.
Death sentence or cure?
In the early 1980s, when the world first became aware of HIV-AIDS, diagnosis meant certain death. Fear and stigma followed sufferers.
“In the community’s mind the prospect of preventing sickness and death from HIV-AIDS was science fiction – a possibility, nothing more,” Professor Mallal said.
“However we were confident that bringing together the right balance of people from science, health, computing and biostatistical backgrounds would be the key to improving patient care and breakthroughs.”
With research partner Professor Ian James from Murdoch University, the pair developed the WA HIV Cohort Study and electronic database collecting information from patients to inform treatment decisions and research.
What started as a research project in 1993 has now led to an internationally recognised, multi-million dollar medical research Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics (CCIBS).
Professors Mallal and James established CCIBS in 2000 with the support of Murdoch University and Royal Perth Hospital, attracting more than $20 million in grants.
Breakthroughs that changed the world
While HIV-AIDS treatments are vital, the key to victory over the epidemic is prevention.
The team is developing vaccines custom designed for regions around the world, tailored to the genetics of the people and the virus - which vary from nationality to nationality and country to country.
The research is centred on the recognition that HIV mutates in an individual according to the person’s DNA. It is hoped a vaccine will be ready by the end of this decade.
“I am keen to see my research used to advance practical advancements for the community,” he said.
“As a result I have forged over 30 collaborations with leading research groups including Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Oxford universities as well as industry and pharmaceutical groups.”
The research being undertaken at CCIBS has global applications for other diseases such as Hepatitis C.
Today, just 20 years after he embarked on his quest, Professor Mallal’s research results have made him one of the most important and notable contributors to science. His breakthroughs have been lauded in esteemed global publications such as Science, Nature and Lancet and in 2005 he was awarded the WA Premier’s Prize for Achievement in Science.
So when next someone poses that age-old question, “can one man make a difference?” – you have your answer.
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