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Monday July 15, 2024

Congratulations to Kim O'Sullivan
2022 ASI Career Advancement Awardee

We warmly congratulate
Kim O'Sullivan
winner of the 2023 ASI Career Advancement Award

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I completed my undergraduate studies and Master’s Degree in Anatomy and Structural Biology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Within these areas of study, the closest I came to any Immunology was a 2^nd year Microbiology Unit that briefly covered the 5 classes of antibody. You could say I kind of “fell” into Immunology when in 2002 I joined the Autoimmune Kidney Disease and Vasculitis Research Group as a Research Assistant for Prof. Stephen Holdsworth and Prof. Richard Kitching at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Prof Holdsworth and Kitching-are recognised as world leaders in the study of glomerulonephritis and immune mediated kidney diseases. It was in this lab that my passion for immune mediated diseases was really ignited. I became really interested in a rare disease called Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis (AAV), characterized by inflammation of the small blood vessels. If left untreated this can develop into glomerulonephritis (GN) a major cause of kidney disease. AAV is a debilitating autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, current treatment has multiple side effects and 30% of patients relapse and become dialysis dependent within 3 years. Patients are left severely immunocompromised and at risk of death from infection in the first year of diagnosis. They also often fail to sustain remission. This long-term immunosuppression really effects the quality of patients lives. Many experience brain fog, weight gain and fractures due to bone thinning. There is a significant need for new therapies with fewer side effects.

The lack of effective treatment and understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms behind  AAV inspired me to complete a PhD. Since completion of my PhD, my research interest has expanded to investigating the pro-inflammatory role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in MPO-ANCA vasculitis with a particular focus on looking for potential therapeutics which will prevent NET formation and ameliorate disease-without compromising host defence. As my track record grew in this area, so has opportunities for collaborations and my investigation of NETs has expanded into inflammatory lung diseases, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer tumour biology. This has led to success in the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in the form of 2x Ideas grants and Industry funding which allowed me to set up my independent research lab “The Translational Kidney Therapies Group” in 2021 within the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases at Monash University in Melbourne.

Given the rarity of the disease I study research efforts need to be coordinated worldwide to achieve enough patient numbers to explicate immunological mechanistic meaning from data generated. This requires collaborative work with clinicians, specifically. This career advancement award from ASI allowed me to attend the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting, held in Philadelphia in November 2023. This is the largest and most prestigious meeting worldwide for Kidney research. This is a major event for the city and banners are put up all down the street. The exhibition area where the posters are almost has a festival like atmosphere with bright lights and displays reminiscent of times Square in New York.

Attending this conference enabled me to present my findings but also enabled me to network with other researchers and form collaborations. Importantly as a basic scientist presenting research findings at a clinical conference gives me credibility when approaching clinicians for collaborations. The networking did not finish as the conference came to a close every day, as I also had the opportunity to attend axillary meetings. This included the first inaugural gathering of the International Society for Glomerular Diseases. This new society has been set up to elevate collective effects towards building the future of glomerular science and medicine.

A particular highlight was attending the Mayo Clinic dinner to honour Prof Richard Glassock a pioneer in glomerular disease research, who in his 80’s delivered a powerful talk in what he thought the future of Medicine would like where he predicted that AI was going to play a large role in predicting outcomes in patients. These opportunities for networking at the Mayo Clinic dinner, and the International Society for Glomerular Diseases were almost as pivotal as attending the conference as I was introduced to the worlds leaders in this research area in an informal collaborative setting. As a new laboratory head this exposure is invaluable, and pivotal for moving my independent research forward. I thank the ASI for making this possible by giving me the Career Advancement Award.

World’s largest poster presentation

Author: Kim O'Sullivan

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ASI