Dr Katharine Irvine is a Senior Research Fellow and a Career Track Fellow at Mater Research, working in the Macrophage Biology Research Group, which was established in 2017. Kate has authored over 50 scientific publications, with her research largely focused on diverse aspects of multi-functional immune cells called macrophages in health and disease.

At Mater Research, Kate is developing research projects investigating the role of macrophages in the progression and complications of chronic liver disease, as well working on new collaborations in area of Chronic Diseases with Mater’s clinical team. She has a strong focus on clinical and translational research and hopes to deliver research outcomes that will benefit patients and change healthcare practice. She is an active member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and regularly contributes to peer review.

“Pure luck brought me to the field of immunology, and to the fascinating cells of the innate immune system that create inflammation in response to a huge variety of ‘danger’ signals in the body, which eradicate the danger and orchestrate healing. Innate immune cells are present in every organ in the body where they perform critical, sometimes organ-specific functions, during development and in health and disease – which provides a never-ending supply of interesting research projects. I am driven to understand how these amazing cells work, their roles in health and disease, and how they could be manipulated to provide better treatments for patients”.