SEMINAR: �Investigating the kidney: morphogenesis to regeneration�

Melissa Little is a graduate of the University of Queensland having completed a PhD on the genetic basis of childhood cancer at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. She continued this work as an Endeavour Fellow and the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh before returning to the Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology in 1992. Her molecular characterisation of the tumor suppressor WT1 broadened her field of interest to the molecular basis of normal urogenital development which led to a systems based analysis of gene expression. This has resulted in the most comprehensive temporo-spatial analysis of gene expression performed in any organ system. Currently an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Division Head, Melissa has been a laboratory head since 1995. Her research focus on the kidney has extended from development to disease, repair and regeneration where she has pioneered studies into potential cellular therapies for kidney disease.