The UQ Diamantina Institute has welcomed Dr Antje Blumenthal as the Balzan Fellow in 2010.
The fellowship provided by Prof Ian Frazer, a 2008 Balzan Prize recipient, is intended to encourage outstanding early career researchers to undertake their studies in The UQ Diamantina Institute.
Dr Blumenthal was selected from a high quality field of international and domestic applicants. She comes to the role with a strong research background in immunology and microbiology, specialising in how cells of the innate immune system are activated to orchestrate the successful defence against pathogens.
Antje began her career with PhD studies at the Research Center Borstel in Germany. Following completion in 2004, she undertook a 5 year postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Antje has also supervised students and postdoctoral scientists in their early research careers during this time.
“My goal is to establish a premier research branch that studies host-pathogen interactions and general mechanisms of inflammation. Besides this, I am looking forward to becoming an integral part of the scientific community here at the Diamantina Institute.”
Intending to establish a dynamic team of researchers, Dr Blumenthal offers postgraduate and higher research degree opportunities for students interested in studies in the fields of immunology, microbiology and biomedicine.
Dr Blumenthal’s research has the potential to greatly advance scientific knowledge about general mechanisms of inflammation. Such information can in turn help to open up new avenues for diagnosis and treatment in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
