ACB members

Chair

Associate Professor Laurens Manning is an adult infectious diseases physician at Fiona Stanley Hospital, clinical researcher at University of Western Australia and honorary Research Fellow at The Kids Institute. He helped establish the Lifeblood Microbiome Bank in Perth and is on the Clinical Advisory Board. Associate Professor Manning has a diverse research portfolio and expertise in drug/vaccine and biologicals development pipelines and interpretations across clinical observational, randomised interventional, genetic association, reference interval determination, diagnostic test assessment, biomarker, and clinical pharmacology studies. Associate Professor Manning provides clinical expertise in the fields of infectious diseases and tissue products.

Members

Professor David Brown is a clinical immunologist and immunopathologist who has expertise in the basic cellular pathways that many biologicals target, as well as significant experience in using these drugs in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. He also has expert knowledge regarding the immunological tests used for the diagnosis of diseases leading to, and resulting from, the use of biological therapies. Professor Brown is the Director of Immunopathology at NSW Health Pathology-ICPMR, and is a member of the NSW Pathology Immunology Advisory Clinical Stream. In addition, he has experience in the recognition and treatment of the side effects of biological therapies. Professor Brown provides expertise in the fields of infectious diseases, blood products, and clinical practice.

Dr Jason Brown is a general surgeon, working specifically in the areas of acute surgery, burns and trauma with over 26 years of healthcare experience. He is currently the Director of the Queensland Statewide Adult Burn Service at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the Acting Chief Digital Health Officer for Metro North Health.  He has also worked previously as a dental practitioner. Dr Brown has knowledge and experience with medical devices, biologics and medical software and integrated devices. He provides expertise in tissue products, cellular therapies, including tissue engineering and clinical expertise. 

Associate Professor Ngaire Elwood AM is the Director of the BMDI Cord Blood Bank in Melbourne and serves as Chair of the AusCord network of public cord blood banks. Associate Professor Elwood is also the Head of the Cord Blood Advanced Therapies Research Laboratory at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute where the focus is on the creation of GMP-grade induced pluripotent stem cells for potential therapeutic use and clinical trials using cord blood for neurological and cardiac repair in infants and children. She is the past-Vice President of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy Board of Directors, and past ANZ Regional Vice President for the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy. Associate Professor Elwood currently serves on boards of the National Stem Cell Foundation Australia, Stem Cells Limited and the Cord Blood Association (international) and was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2024 for significant service to medicine, particularly through stem cell research. Associate Professor Elwood provides expertise in the field of tissue products, blood products, and cellular therapies, including tissue engineering.

Professor John Hayball is Professor of Immunology at the School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, University of South Australia, and Chief Scientific Officer of Sementis Ltd. He leads a research team with diverse multidisciplinary capabilities ranging from basic organic, physical and protein chemistry, through to molecular and cellular biology, immunology, virology and vaccinology, and regulated biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Professor Hayball has expertise in immunological tolerance and immunity and the development of new immuno- and bio-therapeutics using genetic engineering and biomanufacturing technologies. Professor Hayball provides expertise in the fields of infectious diseases, vaccinology and immunology. 

Dr Marisa Herson is an Associate Professor in Bioethics at Deakin University. She is a retired plastic surgeon who specialised in burn care and in human tissue banking and has a Doctorate degree in skin bioengineering. Dr Herson maintains an interest in all fields of Medical Products of Human Origin, and has contributed in a diverse range of advisory roles and in commissioned work for national and international projects. She is a member of the Eye and Tissue Working Group, a member of the Eye and Tissue Advisory Committee of the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority, a member of the WHO Advisory Panel on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation and the WHO Taskforce on Human Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, and co-chaired the preparation and launch of the Who Global Strategy for Tissue Transplantation. Dr Herson provides expertise in the field of tissue products.

Dr Shafqat Inam is a consultant haematologist at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. His clinical focus is malignant haematology, stem cell transplantation, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. He has additional expertise in quality and safety with a focus on the laboratory and regulatory aspects of cell and other novel biological therapies. His main research focus is clinical trials in novel immunotherapies including CAR T cell therapy, lymphoma, and myeloma. Dr Inam has also undertaken substantive quality improvement projects with a focus on cell therapies and transplantation, and is a current representative on the Alfred Hospital drug and therapeutics committee. He provides expertise in the fields of tissues products, blood products, cellular therapies, including tissue engineering and clinical practice.

Professor Stephen Kent is an infectious diseases physician and heads a viral immunology and vaccines laboratory at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne. He also works part time as a visiting infectious diseases physician at the Alfred Hospital and the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Professor Kent has extensive clinical and research experience, has led the discovery and clinical development of vaccines and anti-infective monoclonal antibodies through to phase I trials, and has conducted clinical research on licensed vaccines, particularly those for COVID-19 and Influenza. He is also very familiar with pre-clinical vaccine and anti-infective monoclonal antibody research. His expertise and experience are highly relevant to human cell and tissue products where infectious disease transmission is often a major donor consideration. Professor Kent provides expertise in the field of infectious diseases.

Dr Kenneth Micklethwaite is a haematologist and physician scientist, actively working in cell and gene therapy of malignancy. He is the Medical Director of the Sydney Cellular Therapies Laboratory and the Clinical Lead for the CAR T-cell program at Westmead Hospital, the NSW Immune Effector Cell Translational Centre. He is active in the field of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells in Australia, developing novel new cell and gene therapies for haematological and solid organ malignancies. He has served as co-chair of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Immuno-Gene Therapy Committee. Dr Micklethwaite provides expertise in the field of cellular therapies, including tissue engineering.

Dr Zlatibor Velickovic is the Facility Director of Cell and Tissue Therapies WA at Royal Perth Hospital.  Working at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, he managed the TGA-accredited laboratory for molecular histocompatibility testing. He helped set up and validate the GMP facility at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and managed production activities for cell and gene therapy clinical trials. Dr Velickovic is also the Regional Vice President, Australia and New Zealand, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy. Dr Velickovic provides expertise in, cell and gene therapies and tissue products, including manufacturing and regulatory expertise.

Ms Julie Wheeler has a wide variety of health care experience, including research, government policy, health practitioner regulation, clinical practice and most recently as a consumer representative. In addition to her clinical experience, she also has tertiary qualification in health, including a Master of Public Health, Master of Midwifery, Bachelor of Nursing and Graduate Certificate in Legal Medicine. She is also an active member of the Consumer Health Forum of Australia. Ms Wheeler provides expertise in consumer health issues.

Professor Andrea Yool is a Professor of Physiology at the University of Adelaide. As a university instructor and researcher for over 30 years, she has amassed a broad background in physiology, pharmacology, and neuroscience with expertise in methods including electrophysiology, molecular biology, membrane physiology, cell biology, microscopy, and imaging. Alternative medicines have been a long-standing focus of her research, and a foundation for international partnerships and published work on modulators for treating invasive cancers, kidney disease, neuropathology, and cardiac hypertrophy. Professor Yool provides expertise in the fields of tissue products and cellular therapies, including tissue engineering.