A truly Asia–Oceania gathering

The course drew a diverse cohort of early-career researchers from across the FIMSA region. In a strong demonstration of FIMSA and ASI's shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of immunologists, approximately 16 FIMSA society early career researchers (ECRs) from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong (China) and Indian, as well as 19 ASI ECRs received Travel Awards, enabling broad participation from both within Australia and across the wider Asia–Oceania region. This generous support ensured that talented young scientists from diverse backgrounds could engage with the program and build lasting connections.



World-class faculty across the full spectrum of immunology

Participants were privileged to learn from an outstanding and truly international faculty. Four plenary speakers set the stage with visionary perspectives: Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer (The University of Queensland, Australia) reflected on the challenges facing tumour immunotherapy; Professor Peter A. Savage (The University of Chicago, USA) explored the role of antigen specificity in regulatory T-cell fate and function; Professor Sidonia Fagarasan (Kyoto University/RIKEN, Japan) discussed the metabolic regulatory pathways that link immunity to anti-cancer responses; and Professor Ken Smith (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia) examined the intersection of genetics, infection and temperature in immune regulation.

The invited speaker programme spanned the breadth of modern immunology, with talks organised around key thematic areas. Several speakers focused on the technological frontiers driving discovery: Professor Jong-Eun Park (KAIST, South Korea) on integrated single-cell atlasing; Associate Professor Quan Nguyen (QIMR Berghofer, Australia) on spatial pharmacomics and AI-driven precision medicine; and Dr Tri Phan and Dr Kylie James (both Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia) on advanced intravital imaging and single-cell approaches to inflammatory disease. Others delved into the fundamental mechanisms of immune regulation: Professor Youn Soo Choi (Seoul National University, South Korea) on the molecular control of germinal centre responses; Dr Hui-Fern Koay (Doherty Institute, Australia) on the regulation of innate-like T cells; and Dr Parul Mehrotra (IIT Delhi, India) on the homeostatic roles of dying cells. A strong translational thread ran through presentations on infectious diseases, with Associate Professor Ponpan MatangkasombutChoopong (Mahidol University, Thailand) addressing human immune responses in dengue infection; on next-generation vaccines for ageing populations from Dr Michelle Linterman (Malaghan Institute, New Zealand); and on cellular reprogramming from Professor Jose Polo (The University of Adelaide, Australia). 

Career insights from editors and a physician-scientist

Beyond the science, the course placed strong emphasis on career development. Dr Fabiola Rivas, Editor-inChief of Immunity, and Dr Nick Bernard, Senior Editor at Nature Immunology, shared candid insights into the editorial process and their personal career journeys in scientific publishing. Their talks offered participants a rare window into life as a scientific editor – from manuscript evaluation to the broader publishing landscape. Complementing these editorial perspectives, Professor Ranjeny Thomas delivered a compelling talk on her journey from fundamental discovery through to clinical trials, illustrating the persistence required to translate bench research into patient benefit. Her story, spanning dendritic cell-mediated immune tolerance, drug development, and the founding of multiple spin, out companies now in clinical trials – served as an inspiring example of the translational path for the next generation.

Lightning Talks: a showcase of emerging research

Across the three main days of the course, 30 early-career researchers delivered lightning talks spanning an extraordinary range of topics – from T-cell exhaustion and regulatory T-cell metabolism to tumour immunology, Speaker dinner at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centredengue virus immunity, vaccine development, inflammatory bowel disease, and beyond. The breadth of subjects reflected the diversity of the cohort and the interdisciplinary nature of modern immunology. Selected talks were recognised with four presentation prizes, generously sponsored by ASI's flagship journals Immunology & Cell Biology (ICB) and Clinical & Translational Immunology (CTI), alongside Nature Immunology and Immunity – a fitting tribute to the quality of research presented by the next generation of immunologists from across the Asia–Oceania region.

"CURE TANK" – pitching for collaboration

A highlight of the course was the interactive "CURE TANK" Pitch Session, modelled after the popular entrepreneurial pitch format. Following the lecture program, the 70 participating mentees were divided into eight groups, each tasked with developing a 10-minute chalk-talk-style research pitch. Drawing on the diverse expertise within their teams, groups collaboratively selected a research question and crafted a compelling proposal. Throughout the brainstorming session, mentors circulated to challenge ideas and provide guidance. The following day, teams presented their pitches to a panel of scientific "Sharks" (Professor Ken Smith, Professor Tri Phan, Professor Joanna Groom and Dr Hui-Fern Koay) for assessment and feedback – fostering not only friendly competition but, more importantly, genuine cross-disciplinary collaboration and the forging of new research networks.

Celebrating 20 years of Gardasil: a moment of reflection

A particularly special moment occurred on 28 August, when the course coincided with the 20th anniversary of the first administration of the Gardasil HPV vaccine. The vaccine traces its origins to decades of research led by Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer and the late Dr Jian Zhou at The University of Queensland. Frazer met Zhou in 1989 while on sabbatical at the University of Cambridge, and invited Zhou and his wife, fellow researcher Dr Xiao-Yi Sun, to work at UQ. In 1991, while working in the lab, they noticed virus-like particles on an electron micrograph – a discovery that would become the basis of the vaccine. "Jian said, 'We've got the shell of the virus' and I said, 'Yes, and we've probably got a vaccine'," Professor Frazer recalled. They filed the first patent in 1994, and after years of clinical trials, history was made on 28 August 2006 when the first official dose of the Gardasil vaccine was given to teenage girls Emma and Rachel McMillan at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

Tragically, Dr Zhou passed away in 1999 before the work was publicly recognised. "It's sad that Jian died before the work was publicly recognised," Professor Frazer said. "It's important we recognise his major contribution to everything that was achieved." Dr Sun, who was part of the research team, reflected: "Were he alive today, Jian would simply be grateful that his work has helped save lives because that was his nature."

Two decades later, Gardasil has helped protect millions of people in more than 130 countries, with more than 600 million doses administered worldwide, and has placed Australia on track to become one of the first nations to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. The journey to develop and manufacture Gardasil revealed significant challenges in translating scientific discoveries into real-world health solutions – challenges that inspired Professor Frazer's vision for a dedicated translational research institute. That vision became reality in 2012 with the establishment of the Translational Research Institute (TRI), where this very course was held. Professor Frazer served as TRI's founding CEO and Director of Research.

The 20th anniversary celebration at the course was thus a full-circle moment: the Translational Research Institute – born from the lessons of Gardasil's translational journey – hosted the very course where the next generation of immunologists gathered to learn how to bring their own discoveries from bench to bedside. Participants had the honour of celebrating this milestone with Professor Frazer, who shared his personal translational journey and presented Travel Awards to early-career researchers. He was joined by Dr Xiao-Yi Sun, widow of co-inventor Dr Jian Zhou, and Emma and Rachel McMillan – now women in their thirties – who, two decades earlier, had received the first doses of the vaccine. Together, they provided a powerful and moving reminder of how fundamental immunological discovery, persistence, and collaboration can translate into lasting global health impact – a message that resonated deeply with the course's overarching theme.


Acknowledgements

The Organising Committee – Professor Di Yu, Associate Professor Kelvin Tuong, Professor Gabrielle Belz, Associate Professor Fernando Guimaraes, Professor Joanna Groom, Professor Laura Mackay and Dr Ajith Vasanthakumar – together with an outstanding Supporting Committee (Naiqi (Nathan) Wang, Ismail Sebina, Byungchul (Jay) Lee, Mehrdad Pazhouhandeh, Marina Yakou, Daniel Butcher and Chen Wang), delivered a program that was as inspiring as it was educational. FIMSA extends its sincere gratitude to ASI for hosting this joint event, to all speakers and mentors for their generosity with time and expertise, and to the sponsors whose support made the course possible. Most importantly, FIMSA thanks the enthusiastic participants who brought energy, curiosity and collaboration to Brisbane – the future of immunology in our region is in good hands.


Photos are courtesy of the University of Queensland, the Translational Research Institute and Dr Mehrdad Pazhouhandeh.