2024 Bellberry-Viertel Fellow Announced

We're delighted to announce that Dr Marcel Doerflinger of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), was announced as the 2024 Bellberry-Viertel Fellow at the Viertel Symposium last week.

The Bellberry-Viertel Fellowship supports a Senior Medical Research Fellow to receive $1.375 million over five years to support their research. Dr Doerflinger's work focuses on revolutionising treatment for lung disease, in particular Tuberculosis (TB).  TB remains the deadliest infectious disease worldwide, killing one person every 20 seconds, with drug-resistant strains posing a significant public health threat.

Current TB vaccines offer incomplete protection, and the lengthy, toxic antibiotic treatments required often lead to lead to poor compliance, further fuelling the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  Without new, innovative treatments, millions of people could die each year from AMR-related infections. Marcel’s research seeks to address this challenge by developing RNA-based therapies that manipulate the body's own defence mechanisms—specifically, a process known as programmed cell death. Rather than directly targeting bacteria with antibiotics, which can lead to resistance, these therapies focus on enhancing the body’s immune response.  Marcel has recently been appointed as a Lab Head at WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) overseeing the PC3 facility within the Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence Division. His aim is to leverage and expand his foundational work towards novel therapies for high impact infectious diseases.

Congratulations to the two Viertel Senior Medical Research fellowship winners Dr Rhea Longley of WEHI and Dr Luke Isbel of the University of Adelaide and thanks to the Viertel Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board, the Viertel Trustees and Equity Trustees.

Read the Equity Trustees Press Release

[caption id="attachment_16162" align="alignnone" width="667"] Bellberry Business Manager Charmaine Symons with Dr Marcel Doerflinger[/caption]