Australia presents research on anti-malarial drugs and nutritional supplements

Australian biotechnology scientists are in Indonesia this week to take part in the Australia-Indonesia Innovative Research Seminar Series.

Following on from the success of the first part of this seminar series earlier this month, the seminar is part of the Australian Embassy Jakarta’s Arts and Cultural Program 2014 and will feature some of Australia’s leading thinkers and innovative researchers.

The scientists will deliver seminars on the latest research into anti-malarial drugs and vaccines and the production of nutritional supplements, including omega-3 biotechnology research. It will also be an opportunity for them to exchange ideas with their Indonesian counterparts in Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said the seminar series would showcase Australian scientific innovation in effective anti-malarials and vaccines as well as nutritional health.

“This seminar series will enable Australia and Indonesia to explore ideas around prevention of malaria, which continues to be a significant burden on the health and productivity of the global population. It will also address concerns of food security and nutritional health as life-style diseases become more prevalent,” the Ambassador said. “This series will put the Australian researchers in touch with their counterparts in Indonesia to explore issues of mutual interest and concern.”

“I hope this series will help strengthen professional relationships between the scientists of both nations, as well as between our academic institutions, he said.

The Australian Embassy’s Arts and Cultural Program 2014 is on now until November. It is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The program includes concerts, visual art exhibitions, dance, literature, fashion and skateboarding in locations across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Kupang and Makassar.

The Arts and Cultural Program 2014 is generously supported by the ANZ Bank, the Australia-Indonesia Institute, Queensland University of Technology, the Victorian Government, Curtin University, Deakin University, Ernst and Young, Flinders University, Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland and the University of Tasmania.

Seminar series calendar on biotechnology:

Associate Professor Ian Menz
Dean of the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering at Flinders University, Adelaide

Professor Colin Barrow
Chair of Biotechnology at Deakin University and Director of the Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology (CCB)

Jakarta
Tuesday 30 September
10.00am
Australian Embassy

Surabaya
Wednesday 1 October
08.00am
Ruang Sidang Utama Gedung Rektorat Lantai 1
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya

Medan
Thursday 2 October
09.30am
Ruang Senat Akademik
Universitas Sumatera Utara

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, Cultural Attaché: Hp 0811 959 0304, Email: [email protected]

Speakers’ Biographies

Associate Professor Ian Menz
Dean of the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering at Flinders University, Adelaide

He received his PhD in purification and characterisation of plant mitochondrial NAD(P)H dehydrogenases from the Australian National University in 1995.

Associate Professor Menz’s current expertise is in bioenergetics, protein purification, crystallography and bioinformatics and drug discovery. During the course of his research he has become skilled at a great variety of laboratory techniques which have been instrumental in innovative problem solving.

Throughout his university career, Associate Professor Menz has strived to achieve excellence in teaching in the field of biology. In 2007, he received the Pearson Education UniServe Science Award for quality curriculum design, with co-recipients Karen Burke Da Silva and David Wood.

His current teaching research interests relate to evaluating interactive teaching tools, such as audience response units, for their ability to engage students and increase the quality of the learning experience from the student’s perspective.

Professor Colin Barrow
Chair of Biotechnology at Deakin University and Director of the Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology (CCB)

Professor Barrow’s research is primarily focused on food biotechnology and the application of nanomaterials for industrial purposes.

Professor Barrow has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and an MBA from Penn State in the USA. Professor Barrow has 180 peer-reviewed publications, several patents, and has presented at numerous conferences and workshops. He has served as a member of the Expert Advisory Committee for Canadian Natural Health Product Directorate (NHPD), is a founding member of International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF).