Principal Consulting Scientists
Professor Christopher Parish
Scientific Consultant and Lipovaxin Project Leader
Professor Parish is a Professorial Fellow and leader of the Cancer and Vascular Biology Group in the Department of Immunology at the Australian National University’s John Curtin School of Medical Research. During the past 30 years he has investigated various aspects of the immune system. During the early 1970s he was the first person to demonstrate that cell-mediated immunity and antibody formation are mutually antagonistic responses. This phenomenon, termed immune deviation, has been recognised as playing a critical role in the development of autoimmune disease and in resistance or susceptibility to different infections. In recent years he has been particularly interested in the role that complex carbohydrates play in cell adhesion and cell migration. These studies have formed the theoretical basis for the development of a number of carbohydrate-based drugs that inhibit inflammation, tumour metastasis and angiogenesis - the most highly developed being the anti-cancer drug PI-88 which is entering Phase III clinical trials.
Professor Parish has published over 250 scientific papers and holds 21 international patents. An important feature of his research career is his success in commercialising discoveries. The patented intellectual property he has developed underpins four separate Australian biotechnology companies; Progen (founded 1989), Praxis (founded 1998), Biotron (founded 1999) and Lipotek (founded 2001).
>>Read more about Professor Parish in his ANU web profile.
