Congratulations to our 2021 Professor Pauline Hall Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship Winner, Dr Sahar Keshvari.

Dr Keshvari is working on a number of projects that look at the role macrophages (the cells of our innate immune system) play on chronic liver diseases, including fibrosis of the liver.

Liver transplants are currently the only treatment available to patients with end-stage liver disease, but when a liver is transplanted it goes without oxygen for a period of time. When the blood supply is returned to the organ, it can cause tissue damage – called Ischemia-reperfusion injury – that can affect the transplant outcome.

Dr Keshvari is hoping she can find a way to boost the health of the donor liver so transplant patients can look forward to better outcomes.

“My team at Mater Research is examining if immune cells called Macrophages, can be programmed to preserve and improve donor liver function so that the window of opportunity for transplantation is extended. We’re also looking at if these reprogrammed immune cells can reverse liver damage,” she said.

The future of this project, if successful, is going to be a game changer for many patients, not just in Australia, but around the world. We look forward to updating you on the progress of Dr Keshvari’s research as it evolves.

Thank you to the late Professor Pauline Hall (and her surviving family) for her generosity and vision in creating this fellowship. We think she would be pleased to see a researcher of Dr Keshvari’s calibre continuing her legacy in this way.