Professor Laura Mackay receives LEO Foundation Award for T cells research

Professor Laura Mackay has won the LEO Foundation Award for the Asia-Pacific Region for her field redefining work in immunological memory.

Professor Mackay, Laboratory Head and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Leadership Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and Immunology Theme Leader at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, has received the award worth $100,000 USD.

The award will support Professor Mackay to build upon her research to shed light on how tissue-resident T cells provide first-line defense against infection.

Professor Mackay has changed scientific understanding, showing that immune memory is not exclusively controlled by elements found in the blood, but also by a population of permanent, resident T cells found in the body’s peripheral organs. She demonstrated that these T cells are key for combating both infection and cancer, and will now work to discover common genes and molecular pathways that drive the tissue-resident memory T cell fate.

Professor Mackay said: “The LEO Foundation’s work to highlight young skin researchers will greatly support our teams’ pursuit to understand the role of memory T cells in the skin. It is an honor to be recognized for this award among the talented pool of researchers across the Asia-Pacific region and to be afforded the opportunity to champion skin immunology research.”

LEO Foundation Chief Scientific Officer Anne-Marie Engel said: “At the LEO Foundation we are proud to support the research of Laura Mackay into how T-cells contribute to the body’s immune system memory, not only in the blood, but also at the body’s surfaces. We have no doubt this can lead to more groundbreaking discoveries in the future.”

The LEO Foundation, based in Denmark, provides funds and support to talented and inspiring young researchers. The LEO Foundation’s main objective is to ensure long-term development to deliver solutions in dermatological areas, such as melanoma.