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Thursday May 15, 2025

Congratulations to Roland Ruscher
2023 ASI Gordon Ada Award

We warmly congratulate
Roland Ruscher
winner of the 2023 ASI Gordon Ada Award

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Supporting mid career ASI members who wish to travel for career related purposes

My name is Roland Ruscher, I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), located in the tropical north of Queensland. I started my research group in 2022, focussing on the complex dynamics of intestinal barrier surface immunity. In 2023, I was honoured with the ASI Gordon Ada award, a recognition that significantly bolstered my research endeavours. This award was instrumental in overcoming some of the inherent challenges of conducting immunological research at a remote university, as it supported my recent travel to the USA to acquire new skills and data.

Central to my research are intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), a highly heterogeneous population of immune cells embedded within the gut epithelium. These cells play critical roles in maintaining epithelial integrity and homeostasis by surveilling the gut lining for infected or cancerous cells and by impacting inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Our research aims to dissect how IEL are impacted by two factors: age and physiological microbial exposure. Specifically, we examine IEL across different life stages (pre-sexual maturity, adulthood, and late life) and how these stages interact with varying microbial environments.

To address these questions, I spearheaded the establishment of the first and sole (to the best of my knowledge) Normalised Microbial Experience (NME / “dirty”) mouse facility north of Sydney. The NME/”dirty” mouse model is invaluable for translational research as the microbial diversification closely mimics ‘real-life’ conditions. Recent landmark studies have demonstrated that "dirty" mice provide a more accurate representation of the adult human immune system compared to specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, making our model an exciting advancement for our institute. We have furthermore integrated NME mice with a “timestamp” fate mapping model, enabling us to track individual IEL subsets and cells that can be permanently marked during their development at any chosen stage in life.

While my students in Australia use these models to investigate aspects of gut immunity during early and adult life, my contribution has expanded to exploring age-related changes, including cellular senescence. NME mice play a crucial role in these projects, offering a more realistic depiction of human immune responses. However, murine aging studies are inherently time consuming and costly, as the mice are often housed for over 1.5 years. I was therefore particularly interested in a specific model in the USA where cellular senescence – a hallmark of aging – can be genetically induced, so that the effects can already be studied in 6-month-old animals.

The University of Minnesota’s mascot, Goldy Gopher, and Roland on one of the last warm days of October 2023 before temperatures plummeted.

The Gordon Ada award facilitated my visit to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Immunology and the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism. This visit provided access to new resources and mentorship, which were instrumental in generating a wealth of new data and ideas. Despite the harsh -40°C winter conditions in Minnesota, which were starkly different from the tropical climate of my home, this visit enabled me to acquire expertise in advanced research techniques, such as parabiosis surgery, and to utilise their models of genetically induced accelerated senescence. These advancements have enriched our ongoing projects and expanded my collaborative network.

In addition, my visit to the USA has also fostered a new collaboration with researchers at Yale University School of Medicine. These partnerships are already yielding significant insights and driving our research forward. As a next step, I aim to strengthen my network within Australia, sharing the knowledge and skills gained from international collaborations and learning from domestic experts. In conclusion, my journey from the tropical summer of north of Queensland to the frigid winter of Minnesota and some of the academic hubs of the USA has been transformative.

The support from the Gordon Ada award has been instrumental in this journey, and not only facilitated the acquisition of new skills and knowledge but also opened doors to valuable collaborations that will continue to benefit our research into intestinal immunity. I am immensely grateful for this prestigious recognition and the opportunities it has provided.

Ruscher Lab, 2023. Left to right: Kim Miles (technician), Roland Ruscher (lab head), Maxine Smith, and Sarah Gillert (PhD students) in front of one of the AITHM institute’s buildings in Cairns.

Author: Roland Ruscher

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