St Vincent's Institute

St Vincent's Institute SVI is an independent medical research institute focussed on improving the health of all Australians

Diseases studied:
- Cancer and its spread
- Heart Disease
- Type 1 diabetes
- Obesity and type 2 diabetes
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Osteoporosis
- Mental health disorders (metabolism research)
- Infectious diseases
- Rare diseases

A new study, published in Nature Immunology, has revealed that tiny fragments of RNA play a critical role in keeping the...
10/02/2026

A new study, published in Nature Immunology, has revealed that tiny fragments of RNA play a critical role in keeping the immune system in check, opening new possibilities for treating autoimmune diseases.

Led by Professor Michael Gantier from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, the findings show that these RNA fragments are crucial in preventing the immune system from mistakenly attacking the body.

SVI researcher Dr Dingyi Yu was a key contributor to the study, which brings together leading scientists from across the globe.

Find out more: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/tiny-rna-fragments-open-new-pathway-for-treating-autoimmune-disease/

SVI researchers Associate Professor Ramin Shayan and Dr Tara Karnezis are helping establish the new Centre of Research E...
01/02/2026

SVI researchers Associate Professor Ramin Shayan and Dr Tara Karnezis are helping establish the new Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) for Lymphoedema and Lymphatic Regeneration.

Headed by Co-Directors Professor Benjamin Hogan of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Professor Natasha Harvey of Adelaide University, along with experts across Australia, the United States and United Kingdom, the CRE aims to develop critical baseline knowledge to improve understanding and treatment of these long-overlooked conditions.

Find out more: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/paradigm-shifting-research-to-underscore-australias-first-centre-of-research-excellence-for-lymphatic-diseases/

SVI PhD student Mary Louise Fac has taken home the Roger Melick Young Investigator Award from the Australia and New Zeal...
27/01/2026

SVI PhD student Mary Louise Fac has taken home the Roger Melick Young Investigator Award from the Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS).

Mary Louise’s work reveals a surprising age-dependent characteristic in women’s bones: women over 75 years old deposit bone with a different collagen arrangement to women under 45, a change not seen in men.

Find out more about the discovery: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/new-insight-into-bone-ageing-in-women-earns-national-award/

SVI researcher Dr Steve Foulkes has earned international recognition for research that is reshaping how clinicians under...
23/01/2026

SVI researcher Dr Steve Foulkes has earned international recognition for research that is reshaping how clinicians understand exercise intolerance in people affected by cancer and heart disease.

The study used comprehensive cardiopulmonary exercise testing to uncover why many breast cancer survivors struggle with physical capacity long after treatment has ended.

Find out more: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/why-exercise-is-harder-after-breast-cancer-svi-researcher-receives-award-for-latest-findings/

SVI researchers Associate Professor Andrew Deans and Dr Sarah Henrikus have joined a national effort to develop targeted...
07/01/2026

SVI researchers Associate Professor Andrew Deans and Dr Sarah Henrikus have joined a national effort to develop targeted treatments for a group of aggressive cancers.

The $5 million funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant Scheme marks one of the largest coordinated investments yet in this area.

Professor Hilda Pickett at Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) leads the program, which is administered through the University of Sydney and delivered in partnership with CMRI, SVI and the University of Wollongong.

The team is targeting treatment-resistant cancers that activate the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) mechanism and make up about 10% of all cancers. These cancers are known to be fast-moving and difficult to treat.

Find out more: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/svi-joins-national-effort-to-develop-targeted-treatments-for-aggressive-cancers/

18/12/2025

A year of progress, people and purpose at SVI.

Thank you to our students, researchers, partners and supporters for being part of 2025.

We can’t wait to see what’s next...

Congratulations to all our SVI PhD students who completed their PhD seminars this year.Across cardiology, human genomics...
17/12/2025

Congratulations to all our SVI PhD students who completed their PhD seminars this year.

Across cardiology, human genomics, RNA and T cell biology, immunology, diabetes and more, your research is helping drive progress across diverse areas of health and disease. We’re incredibly proud of the quality and impact of your work.

SVI is fortunate to have such a vibrant and dedicated student community, and we look forward to seeing your ideas and discoveries continue to grow.

Congratulations to Navya Shukla, David De George, Angela (Yi) Wang, Pongsakorn Sukonthamarn, Laura Sanz Villanueva, Yali Deng, Aaron Kwok, Lara Abbouche, Maddy Comerford, Thuy Trang (Jenny) Lam, Stephanie Rowe, Dhruti Parikh and Luke Spencer.

SVI researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding why children with Fanconi anaemia (FA) develop life-threatenin...
11/12/2025

SVI researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding why children with Fanconi anaemia (FA) develop life-threatening bone marrow failure – while also showing that cutting-edge gene-editing technologies may one day offer a safer, more effective treatment.

The study, published in Blood Advances, shows that Fanconi anaemia’s severe symptoms come from one faulty enzyme rather than wider problems in the cell’s repair system.

Associate Professor Andrew Deans’ team found that losing this single enzyme function explains all major features of the disease, including developmental issues, infertility, DNA-damage sensitivity and the loss of blood-forming stem cells.

Find out more about the milestone research: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/svi-scientists-unlock-cause-of-fanconi-anaemia-and-advance-new-gene-editing-therapy-for-children/

This year’s student-led BioMed Link Conference, held at the Bio21 Institute, brought together around 80 biomedical scien...
01/12/2025

This year’s student-led BioMed Link Conference, held at the Bio21 Institute, brought together around 80 biomedical science students from 15 institutions, creating a vibrant space for connection, collaboration and skill-building across universities.

With presenters representing 15 different disciplines, including strong participation from SVI, the University of Melbourne, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), the program gave students a rare opportunity to learn from a wide range of scientific fields and from each other.

Find out more about the event: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/biomed-link-conference-brings-emerging-researchers-together/

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is highlighting the far-reaching impact of Australian medical r...
26/11/2025

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is highlighting the far-reaching impact of Australian medical research through a new series of case studies.

Among the featured stories is the groundbreaking work in microsurgery led by researchers at SVI's O’Brien Department.

Find out how their development of precision instruments, surgical models and advanced techniques has shaped modern surgical practice around the world: https://www.svi.edu.au/news-events/pioneering-microsurgery-nhmrc-funded-research-leads-to-life-changing-medical-innovations/

Address

9 Princes Street
Melbourne, VIC
3065

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61392312391

Website

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Diseases studied: - Cancer - Type 1 diabetes - Obesity and type 2 diabetes - Alzheimer's disease - Bone diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis - Heart disease - Infectious diseases