$2.5 million CSL Centenary Fellowships announced

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – 10th October 2019

Dr Kamala Thriemer and Associate Professor Daniel Thomas will be funded through the $25 million CSL Centenary Fellowships program, which was established in 2016 to foster excellence in medical research by supporting mid-career Australian scientists to pursue world-class research.

Kamala Thriemer has led large clinical trials in malaria-affected countries to tackle vivax malaria, which infects 14 million people every year. The parasite can hide in the liver and re-emerge months later. Her studies have shown that as few as one in ten patients successfully complete the long course of treatment.

She will use her $1.25 million CSL Centenary Fellowship to develop and optimise treatment programs against vivax malaria in SE Asia and the Horn of Africa. She is confident that vivax malaria can be controlled using the suite of drugs currently available.

Dr Thriemer is a public health researcher at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.

Daniel Thomas has developed new ways to identify a cancer’s weakness and target it with personalised treatment. Later this year he will start treating patients with blood cancer including acute myeloid leukaemia.

The CSL Centenary Fellowship will facilitate his return from Stanford University, California to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the University of Adelaide.

“One of the greatest discoveries we’ve made over the past couple of years is the realisation that cancer cells are not as smart as we thought,” Daniel says. “There are limits to what they can do.”

CSL Chief Scientific Officer Professor Andrew Cuthbertson said that Dr Thriemer and Dr Thomas both work in fields of global significance.

“These projects add to Australia’s international reputation for strong research with significant translational potential and global application,” he said.

“The CSL Centenary Fellowships aim to provide funding stability for leading Australian researchers through high-value, long-term support. We are proud to support this research and are excited by the benefits of these projects – not the least of which will be a new generation of young researchers inspired and mentored by Kamala and Daniel.”

About the CSL Centenary Fellowships

The Fellowships are competitively selected, high value grants available to mid-career Australians who wish to continue a career in medical research in Australia. They were established to mark 100 years since the establishment of CSL in 1916. Two individual, five-year, AUD$1.25 million fellowships are awarded each calendar year. www.cslfellowships.com.au.

About CSL

CSL (ASX:CSL) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL – including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus – provides life-saving products to more than 60 countries and employs more than 25,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. www.CSL.com

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