High-Risk Atherosclerotic Plaques

Professor Levon Michael Khachigian (BSc(Hons), PhD, DSc) is a Principal Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and Head of the Transcription and Gene Targeting Laboratory at The Centre for Vascular Research, University of New South Wales and Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. His research, encompassed in over 100 journal articles and book chapters, has greatly increased our understanding of the fundamental transcriptional mechanisms that led to the inappropriate expression of harmful genes in cells of the artery wall. It has also led to his generation of novel DNA-based drugs that block arterial renarrowing after balloon angioplasty in a variety of experimental models. More recently, he has been unravelling the mechanisms behind tumor growth control and other neovascular pathologies by inhibiting angiogenesis. Professor Khachigian has been a major contributor to the broader workings of science on matters of policy, advocacy, consultancy, peer-review, mentorship, and societal service. For example, he is National Executive Director and President-Elect of the Australian Society for Medical Research, and Immediate-Past President of the Australian Vascular Biology Society. He has served on numerous grant review, fellowship, and policy formulation panels for the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia. He sits on the editorial boards of five international journals. Professor Khachigian has won many highly competitive awards for innovative research including the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research, the Gottschalk Award from the Australian Academy of Science, Eureka Prize for Scientific Research from the Australian Museum, RT Hall Prize from the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, AMGEN Medical Researcher Award, Eppendorf Award for the Young Australian Researcher, Quantum Scientific Research Award, Young Tall Poppy Award, and numerous named research awards for research excellence from the Heart Foundation of Australia. Professor Khachigian received his BSc with first-class honors in biochemistry, and PhD in cell and molecular biology from the University of New South Wales, then studied transcriptional control in the Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 2004, he was awarded a DSc in vascular pathobiology and translational research from the University of New South Wales.