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Dr Chrishan Samuel

Dr Chrishan Samuel

Current Position

Senior Research Fellow

Address

Department of Pharmacology
Monash University
Clayton, Victoria, 3800 Australia

Email: chrishan.samuel@monash.edu
Phone:  +61 3 9902 0152
Facsimile:  +61 3 9902 9500

Chrishan Samuel received his PhD from the Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne in 1999, working with Professors John Coghlan and John Bateman to determine the extracellular matrix remodelling actions of the hormone, relaxin, specifically in relation to its ability to soften the pelvic ligaments of pregnant mammals, which is required for successful parturition. He then completed 2 years of postdoctoral training in the Department of Dermatology, Stanford University and Molecular Medicine Research Institute (California, USA), where he further studied  matrix proteins (collagens, fibrillins) that served as targets of relaxin activity.

Chrishan returned to Australia in early 2001 and re-joined the Relaxin Team at the Howard Florey Institute, establishing the Relaxin-Fibrosis Laboratory in 2002, which focused on developing novel therapeutic strategies for cardiac and renal fibrosis (scar tissue accumulation), a hallmark of most forms of heart and kidney disease; with particular attention to defining the anti-fibrotic potential of relaxin and related peptides. During this time, he produced over 70 publications and his research was supported by an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2002-2004); an NHFA/NHMRC RD Wright Career Development Fellowship (2007-2011); and various grants from the NHMRC, ARC, NHF, ASCC as well as various commercial sources. In September 2011, he was recruited to the Department of Pharmacology at Monash University, where he heads the Fibrosis Laboratory.

Chrishan's work has shown that relaxin protects the ageing and injured heart and kidney from fibrosis progression, and is a rapidly-acting but safe anti-fibrotic that prevents and/or reverses scar tissue build-up in various diseases (fibrotic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, tubulointerstitial renal fibrosis), regardless of etiology. His current work involves identifying novel therapeutic targets for fibrosis regression/cardioprotection by relaxin; comparing its rapid-occurring efficacy to existing therapeutics for heart/kidney disease; and determining if relaxin can facilitate existing/other novel therapies/other hormones to maximise their therapeutic potential. He also continues to collaborate with others to further develop other novel treatment options as anti-fibrotics.

Collaborators

  • A/Professor Ross Bathgate (Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Melbourne)
  • A/Professor Xiao-Jun Du (Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne)
  • A/Professor Tim Hewitson (Dept. of Nephrology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne)
  • A/Professor Darren Kelly (Dept. of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne)
  • Professor Karl Kunzelmann (University of Regensburg, Germany)
  • Dr Michael Mathai (School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Victoria University)
  • A/Professor Yuben Moodley (Dept. of Respiratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, WA)
  • Professor Nadia Rosenthal (Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Melbourne)
  • A/Professor Sharon Ricardo (Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Melbourne)
  • Professor Prashanthan Sanders (Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Adelaide, SA)
  • Dr Dennis Stewart and Dr Elaine Unemori (Corthera Inc., San Mateo, CA, USA)
  • Professor Roger Summers (Dept. of Pharmacology, Monash University)
  • A/Professor Mimi Tang (Dept. of Allergy and Immunology, Royal Children's Hospital)
  • Professor John Wade (Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Melbourne)
  • A/Professor Yong Zhou (University of Alabama, USA)

Publications (2005-present)