Associate Professor Katharine Irvine leads the Innate Immunity and Inflammation group within the Chronic and Integrated Care program. Kate has authored over 100 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 driving research projects investigating the physiological roles of macrophages in development and homeostasis, and their contribution to the progression and complications of chronic liver and metabolic diseases. 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 a member Liver Faculty executive sub-committee of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia.

“I am fascinated by the 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”.