The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Dr Lauren Holz

Dr Lauren Holz

+613 8344 0782 | lauren.holz@unimelb.edu.au

Position:
Post-doctoral Researcher
Theme(s):
Immunology, Bacterial and Parasitic Infections
Discipline(s):
Discovery Research
Unit(s):
The University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (DMI)
Lab Group(s):
Heath Group

Dr Holz is a liver immunologist who completed her PhD at the University of Sydney where she identified novel CD8+ T cell tolerance pathways utilised by the murine liver. After undertaking post-doctoral studies on hepatitis infected patients at NIH she returned to Australia in 2015. Since this time she has performed key studies vital to the identification of liver tissue-resident memory T cells and identified the factors necessary for Trm cells to seed the liver. Building on this critical data she began developing novel vaccine strategies to target the liver stage of malaria. In the past four years she has developed and patented two novel vaccine platforms, the most recent of which is an mRNA vaccine.

  • Key Achievements
    • Dr Holz’s work on a novel malaria mRNA vaccine that generates liver tissue-resident memory cells has been awarded the 2023 Moderna Australia fellowship as well as grant funding from mRNA Victoria. She has been a recipient of funding from the NHMRC as well as overseas funding agencies such as HRC New Zealand. Her development and patenting of novel vaccine platforms has resulted in travel awards and multiple conference prizes.

    Publications
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    Research Groups
    • Heath Group

      Professor Bill Heath’s group’s cellular immunology research currently focuses on understanding killer T cell function with particular reference to improved vaccination strategies and understanding malarial disease.


      Lab Team

      Heath Group