A Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) researcher has received an Australia Day honour.
Associate Professor Ngaire Elwood has been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine, particularly through stem cell research.
This accolade recognises dedication and service to a specific locality, field of activity or to a particular group.
Associate Professor Elwood is Director of the BMDI Cord Blood Bank, a partnership between MCRI, The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and Fight Cancer Foundation that sits within the Blood Development Group. Associate Professor Elwood is also the current Chair of AusCord, Australia’s public cord blood bank network.
Associate Professor Elwood’s research uses blood, collected from the umbilical cord of babies post-birth. This cord blood is a valuable source for treating blood cancer and is increasingly used in immunotherapies and other types of regenerative medicine due to its ability to create blood and immune cells, and to assist in tissue repair.
Through this work, Associate Professor Elwood is dedicated to improving blood transplant outcomes and exploring other innovative and unique therapies.
The BMDI Cord Blood Bank has supplied 597 cord blood units for bone marrow transplants as of January this year.
