Dr Dominic De Nardo is a Group Leader in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Monash University. He currently supervises 2 PhD students and several undergraduate students in his group with a focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling innate immune responses. In addition to his group, Dr De Nardo also supervises the members of Professor Ben Kile’s lab at Monash University, following his recruitment as the Dean of Medicine at the University of Adelaide.

Dr De Nardo received his PhD in 2009 from the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he developed a keen interest in macrophages and the innate immune system while working on mechanisms of Toll-like receptor activation. He then accepted a postdoctoral position with Professor Eicke Latz at the Institute of Innate Immunity in Bonn, Germany. During his postdoc Dominic identified the molecular mechanism underlying the ability of HDL to reduce inflammation, co-authored several studies published in journals such as Nature Immunology and Immunity and secured funding to lead a junior group. In 2014 he was awarded the Seymour and Vivian Milstein Young Investigator Award for notable contributions to basic research by the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS). Dr De Nardo returned to Melbourne in late 2014 to continue his research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, before moving in 2019 to work with Professor Kile at Monash University.

Dr De Nardo's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling activation and regulation of innate immune receptors and signaling pathways, and their roles in inflammation during health and disease. He has extensive expertise in numerous innate immune pathways including, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), Inflammasomes and cytosolic nucleic acid sensing receptors (cGAS-STING).