Our Scientific Advisory Board
Dr Walid Azar PhD
Chief Scientific Officer and Chair of Scientific Advisory Board
An experienced molecular biologist with an unwavering passion for the development of cancer therapies. With a strong commitment to advancing the field of oncology, Dr. Azar brings extensive experience from a diverse scientific background that spans both academic research and the fast-paced biotechnology industry.
Dr Dan Bates BSc (Hons), B.Med, FACSEM
Clinical Advisor
Dr Bates is a Sports and Exercise Medicine Specialist and Managing Director of Metro Pain Group and formerly Monash House Private Hospital, where he leads multiple first-in-human studies in pain. Dan works full-time with patients suffering from back, neck, and joint pain, following an extensive career in Sports Medicine, including roles as head doctor for AFL teams Melbourne and North Melbourne. His research spans exercise-induced asthma, examination techniques, biologics, osteoarthritis, chronic pain, and neuromodulation.
Professor Michael Brown MBBS Hons I, FRACP, FRCPA, PhD
Clinical Advisor
Professor Brown heads the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at Royal Adelaide Hospital where he is also a senior consultant medical oncologist. He heads the Translational Oncology Laboratory at the Centre for Cancer Biology where he leads a team advancing pre-clinical and translational studies on CAR-T cell therapy. Internationally, he has pioneered CAR-T cell therapy for metastatic melanoma, and nationally his team were the first to deliver phase 1 clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy for aggressive primary brain tumours of adults and children. He has more than 20 years’ clinical oncology experience sub-specialising in tumour subtypes of lung cancer and melanoma and over 25 years’ experience in clinical protocol development including in early phase immunotherapy studies. Prof. Brown has published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers. He is a Board member of Omico, the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program that administers genetic diagnostic matching for cancer patients and is a member of scientific review committees for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Professor Misty Jenkins PhD AO FTSE
Scientific Advisor
Professor Jenkins is an NHMRC Investigator Fellow and Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), where she leads the Immunotherapy Program and co-directs research strategy at the Brain Cancer Centre. Her work focuses on developing novel immunotherapy targets and CAR T cell therapies for adult and paediatric brain cancer, using high-throughput screening and advanced imaging to study the tumour microenvironment. She has developed multiple CAR T cells with plans for clinical translation. Prof Jenkins was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2023 for her contributions to immunology, women in STEM, and Indigenous health. She also serves in governance roles and advocates for equity and education.
Professor Luk Rombauts MD, PhD, FRANZCOG, CREI
Clinical Advisor
Professor Rombauts is a practising gynaecologist with a subspecialist qualification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, internationally recognised for his clinical research in women’s health, particularly endometriosis. He holds an Adjunct Clinical Professorship at Monash University and served as Head of Reproductive Medicine at Monash Health (2012–2023). He has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the World Endometriosis Society, Trustee of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation, and President of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand. Since 2016, he has been Group Medical Director of Monash IVF Group, a leading global IVF provider.
Associate Professor Laura Vella PhD
Scientific Advisor
Associate Professor Vella is a leading expert in extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, with over 15 years of experience advancing the understanding and application of EVs in human health and disease. She is Head of EV research at The Florey Institute, where her work focuses on the characterisation of EV cargo, EV-mediated intercellular communication, and the development of EV-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Laura currently serves as Chair of The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles Tissue EV taskforce and Chair of the Research Integrity Advisory Network at the University of Melbourne.
