The 1997 Australian of the Year, Nobel Prize winner and University of Queensland graduate Professor Peter Doherty will return to his alma mater to deliver a free public lecture on How we deal with viral infections on Friday, September 12.
Professor Doherty will deliver the University of Queensland Medical Society's 1997 E. S. Meyers Memorial Lecture at Mayne Hall, St Lucia campus at 8pm.
A light supper will follow the lecture. For bookings, contact Karen Welsh (telephone 3365 5261).
Professor Doherty and Professor Rolf Zinkernagel won the 1996 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their cellular immunology research carried out in 1973-75 at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra.
The research discovered how the body's immune system recognises virus-infected cells, and Professor Doherty's work has had a major impact on the medical profession's understanding of transplants and vaccine production.
Professor Doherty is an honorary professor in the University of Queensland's Pathology Department. He completed a bachelor of veterinary science degree at the University in 1962 and a master of veterinary science in 1966.
He completed a PhD in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, then switched his research emphasis from animal to human pathogen studies.
Professor Doherty is currently chairman of the Department of Immunology at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
His other major awards include the Paul Ehrlich Prize, Gairdner International Award for Medical Science and the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award.
The lecture honours the memory of Errol Solomon Meyers, a major contributor to medical education in Australia and co-founder of the University of Queensland's Medicine Faculty in 1936.
Each year a prominent figure delivers the lecture, with a theme of personal endeavour and achievement.
Previous lecturers have included British author Lord Jeffrey Archer and Australian historian Thomas Keneally.
- At 2pm on Friday, September 12 at Brisbane Customs House, Professor Doherty will launch the AusBiotech Alliance, the founding sponsors of which are the University, UniQuest Ltd, CSIRO, AUSTRADE, IDP Education Australia and Queensland University of Technology to promote Australian biotechnology.
The Alliance will be co-located with the University's new Institute of Molecular Bioscience when it is established.
The Alliance was developed to enhance existing and to create new investment opportunities and strategic alliances among companies and R&D agencies in Australia and overseas.
AUSTRADE national manager (biotechnology) and University of Queensland graduate Dr Gabrielle Persley said the initiative aimed to increase economic and social benefits to Australia from the products, processes and services of biotechnology.
Biotechnology is any technique that uses living organisms to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms for specific uses.
It can be applied to research and product development in the pharmaceutical, agriculture, food processing, chemical, mining and environment conservation industries.
- Following the launch, at 5pm, Professor Doherty with present the University with a replica of his Nobel medal. The presentation coincides with the unveiling of a portrait of Professor Doherty, painted by Glen Gillard.
Media note: Professor Doherty will stay at the Brisbane Hilton (telephone 07 3234 2000) on Wednesday, September 10 and Friday, September 12.
For more information contact John Singleton of the National Australia Day Council (mobile 019 399 320) or Judy Brookman at the National Australia Day Council (telephone 02 9267 8002). For Biotech Alliance information, contact Dr Persley (telephone 07 3365 4939, mobile 0419 579 200).
