Melbourne Laureate Professor Marshall Lightowlers is Principal Research Fellow with the National Health and Medical Research Council and Professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at The University of Melbourne. Professor Lightowlers’ research career has focused on the immunology and molecular biology of taeniid cestode parasites.
He was a member of a team of scientists which developed the first recombinant vaccine against a parasitic disease. Subsequently he has sought to development similar vaccines against infection with the larval stages of cestode parasites causing zoonotic infections in humans. This led to the development of highly effective, recombinant vaccines against cysticercosis in cattle and pigs caused by Taenia saginata and Taenia solium, respectively. In collaboration with researchers at Wallaceville New Zealand, he and his colleagues also produced a recombinant vaccine against infection with hydatid disease. The effectiveness of these vaccines makes them unique in helminth parasitology and they provide valuable models for the development of vaccines against other eukaryotic parasites. Professor Lightowlers’ vaccines against Taenia solium and Echinococcus granulosus are undergoing further development and optimization in preparation for their practical use. Application of the vaccines will be expected to reduce the transmission of these parasites and thereby reduce the number of new human cases of hydatid disease and neurocysticercosis. In October 2008 Professor Lightowlers’ vaccine against Taenia solium received more than $4M support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Global Alliance for Livestock Vaccines and Medicines (GALVmed). Professor Lightowlers has served as President of the Australian Society for Parasitology and has been awarded the society’s Bancroft-Mackerras Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Science of Parasitology.
Find out more about Marshall Lightowlers' experience
Marshall Lightowlers' highlights
FEATURED Journal article
Long-read sequencing reveals a 4.4kb tandem repeat region in the mitogenome of Echinococcus granulosus (sensu stricto) genotype G1
Read moreMarshall Lightowlers' selected work
Projects
Displaying the 18 most recent projects by Marshall Lightowlers.
Project Types
15
Research Grant
3
Research Contracts
Scholarly Works
Displaying the 216 most recent scholarly works by Marshall Lightowlers.
Honours, Awards and Fellowships
Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award
President's Prize
Laureate Professor
Bancroft-Mackerras Medal
Fellow of the Australian Society for Parasitology
Credentials
Positions
Professor
Veterinary Biosciences
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Western Australia
Bachelor of Science, Honours (First Class)
The University of Western Australia