Dr Vi Wickramasinghe awarded inaugural Moderna Australia Fellowship
30 October 2023
Peter Mac’s Dr Vi Wickramasinghe has been awarded the inaugural Moderna Australia Fellowship for his world-leading RNA research.
Dr Wickramasinghe successfully won the Fellowship for his work that has uncovered key mechanisms that modulate RNA (ribonucleic acid) functionality. RNA in our bodies carries genetic information that is translated into various proteins necessary for cellular processes.
Many of these RNA regulatory proteins are altered in various types of cancer, underlying the importance of these cellular processes in both fundamental RNA biology and in disease. Dr Wickramasinghe aims to leverage the curiosity driven work on RNA subtypes and accompanying regulatory processes in his laboratory to develop new RNA targeting therapies to treat cancer.
Through uncovering the protein interactomes of different types of RNA in human cells, this work will potentially impact the efficacy of RNA based therapeutics.
“mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines have been transformative for diseases such as COVID-19, but personally where I think the major breakthrough will come inthe next 5-10 years is in cancer,” Dr Wickramasinghe said.
“The overarching question that we look at in my lab is, ‘how is RNA altered in cancer?’. As an RNA scientist, trying to translate what we're doing into the clinic will be game changing for me with the help of the Moderna Fellowship.
“Moderna has world-leading scientists and I really look forward to being able to work with them over the next few years. Moderna establishing a presence in Australia is transformative for the RNA sector, so I will look back on this in five years and think this has changed my career.”
Dr Wickramasinghe has led the RNA Biology and Cancer Laboratory at Peter Mac since mid-2016 and has a joint appointment with the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Melbourne.
Recipients of the Moderna Australia Fellowship will receive expert mentorship, experiential learning, and collaboration with Moderna’s world-leading R&D teams to support their industry capabilities.
From 2023 to 2027, Moderna’s Australia Fellowship Program will target awarding two fellowships per year to Australian researchers working on concepts that have the potential to enable the advancement of mRNA medicines.
Dr Wickramasinghe explains his research and the impact of mRNA technology.