Marcel Nold

In 2009, Marcel and his wife Claudia were invited to lead the Inflammation in Neonatal Diseases Research Group at the Ritchie Centre/MIMR-PHI in Melbourne, and to continue his medical training at Monash Newborn. On the clinical side, he received his board certifications in paediatrics in 2010 and in neonatology in 2012.

In science, Claudia, Marcel and their team continued to publish at a very high level, with two accomplishments standing out: they revealed the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of IL-37, a landmark discovery whose impact is illustrated by 80+ citations, the consecutive renaming of the IL-1 family of cytokines the German Society of Immunologys prestigious Georges Kohler Prize, enthusiastic praise by the Faculty of 1000 and national and international TV and radio coverage. The second achievement exemplifies the translational trajectory that is paramount at their laboratory: the Nolds have almost completed the bedside-to-bench-and-back circuit with their work on interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). As Marcel had experienced the urgent medical need to find the first safe and effective treatment for BPD in the neonatal intensive care unit, the Nolds showed in a mouse model that IL-1Ra prevents the disease.

They are now planning a clinical trial to prove the concept in babies. Because of these innovative programs, Claudia and Marcel have been awarded substantial grant funding and an international patent, and are collaborating with partners in the pharmaceutical industry.