Professor Mackay receives the 2024 International ICIS-Luminex John R. Kettman Award for her outstanding contributions to cytokine and interferon research

University of Melbourne Professor Laura Mackay, laboratory head and theme leader in immunology at the Doherty Institute, has been honored with the 2024 ICIS-Luminex John R. Kettman Award for Excellence in Cytokine and Interferon Research for her exceptional research into memory T cell populations and their regulatory cytokines.

Since 2020, the award, named for Dr. John Kettman, an immunologist who was instrumental in developing Luminex’s technologies and the Luminex Corporation, recognizes a mid-career researcher who has made outstanding contributions to the field of interferon or cytokine biology.

Cytokines signal proteins released by cells that regulate immunity, inflammation and blood cell development, affecting the behavior of other cells. Interferons, a specific type of cytokine, protect against infections and cancer by inhibiting virus replication, activating immune cells and boosting the body’s immune response.

Before Professor Mackay’s research, it was widely believed that immune memory was controlled solely by immune cells in the blood. However, her work showed that a distinct population of T cells in body tissues, such as the skin, is key to mediating immune protection. Over the past decade, her team has worked to define the cytokines and molecular signals that regulate this T cell population.

Her work has contributed to a significant shift in cancer treatment strategies from traditional methods such as radiation and chemotherapy to immunotherapy.

With infectious diseases and cancer driving global mortality rates, Professor Mackay said she is pleased her work in changing the approach to controlling these diseases has been recognised.

“I am extremely honored to receive this award. Our research is driven by a mission to understand and ultimately defeat diseases that affect millions of people worldwide,” said Professor Mackay.

“I am deeply grateful for the continued support of the scientific community, our collaboration partners and ICIS, who share our commitment to significantly improving patients’ lives.”

Professor Mackay will present her ICIS-Luminex Award presentation: “Regulation of tissue-specific immune responses,” at the Cytokines 2024 Joint Meeting with KAI 2024, to be held in Seoul, Korea later this year in October.