The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) has a proud tradition
of research in Immunology, beginning with the Clonal Selection Theory
of Nobel Laureate F. M. Burnet, then continuing with the studies of
J.F.A.P. Miller on the thymic origin of T lymphocytes and of G.J.V.
Nossal on antibody synthesis by B lymphocytes. However, beginning with
expansion under the directorship of Nossal and continuing under the
current Director Suzanne Cory, other research fields, including
cancer, haematology, molecular biology, and structural biology, have
become prominent. This has led some to the impression that WEHI is no
longer an immunology institute, when in fact immunology is a theme
widespread throughout WEHI and is not just confined to the Immunology
Division; the divisions of Autoimmunity and Transplantation, of
Infection and Immunity, of Cancer and Haematology, and of Molecular
Genetics of Cancer all perform research in immunology. The citations
to WEHI work in immunology clearly show that this discipline thrives
in the modern-day WEHI and that many separate groups contributed to
the citation increase.
Three specific factors contributed to this WEHI citation increase.
Firstly, research from laboratories which might seem to be outside the
field of immunology has produced important immunological insights.
Thus molecular studies on apoptosis by the Cory, David Vaux, and
Andreas Strasser laboratories has explained aspects of lymphocyte
development and survival, and work on cytokine receptors and cytokine
signalling by Nick Nicola, Doug Hilton, and collaborators has
illuminated lymphocyte physiology.
The second factor was the early commitment of Li Wu and I to the
study of dendritic cell isolation, development, and function. They
have contributed to the explosion of interest in dendritic cells, and
any publication on this subject brings a high citation rate! The
extension of their work on murine dendritic cells to the human immune
system and to vaccine design, complementing the much-cited work of
Andrew Lew and colleagues on vaccine targeting, will be an important
aspect of future work at WEHI.
The third factor is the collaborative ethos at WEHI which has
produced a potent synergism between different laboratories. Thus the
approach to dendritic cell research by Jose Villadangos and I has been
enthusiastically applied to studies on cytotoxic T cells and tolerance
in the Bill Heath laboratory. Heath and Gabriel Belz have in turn
collaborated with Frank Carbone at the University of Melbourne to
extend this work to the role of dendritic cells in resistance to viral
infections. Collaborative interactions are also the strength of a new
research team on B lymphocytes, as the cell signalling studies of
David Tarlinton, Lynn Corcoran, and Steve Gerondakis interact with the
developmental approach of Stephen Nutt and the systems biology
approach of Phil Hodgkin; citations from this new group are beginning
to rise. Both carefully planned and spontaneous "over
coffee" interactions contribute to this interactive research
network.
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Dr. Ken Shortman, Head, Immunology Division
Melbourne, Australia
cites
:
ccording
to a recent analysis of the 
