Mark von Itzstein
Bio
Professor Mark von Itzstein AO is an elected Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy (2003) of Health & Medical Sciences (2015), and a joint recipient of the prestigious Australia Prize (1996). He was also appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (General Division) in 2019 and has won numerous national and international awards during his career. Professor von Itzstein led the team responsible for the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of the anti-influenza drug, Relenza®, which has been approved for the treatment of influenza worldwide since 1999. This discovery is considered to be a significant outcome and flagship in glycotherapeutic and antiviral drug development in the last century and has further consolidated the world platform of using carbohydrates as drugs and carbohydrate-recognising proteins as drug discovery targets. Professor von Itzstein was the Founding Director of Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics for over 23 years and since February 2024 he has been appointed as a Distinguished Professor within the Institute. The Institute for Glycomics is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere and only one of a few in the world. The Institute's researchers collaborate with leading scientists around the globe to build a critical mass around research in areas of clinically significant diseases. Professor von Itzstein is an NHMRC Investigator L3 since 2021 and has a major research effort in the area of drug discovery focused on influenza, parainfluenza and other viruses, drug-resistant bacteria and cancer. He has international standing in glycoscience and drug discovery particularly in the area of anti-infective drug discovery. Professor von Itzstein has published over 240 papers and invited reviews and has extensively patented his research.
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