Professor Marco Falasca.

Having your research published in the prestigious publication Science is such a momentous achievement that Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) researcher Professor Marco Falasca, from Curtin’s School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, received an additional award for it.

The Curtin Research Office recognised Marco’s achievement and significant contribution to the university’s research at its recent Research and Innovation Awards. The achievement earned him a prize of $10,000 towards his research.

Co-authored by Marco and Curtin/CHIRI Adjunct Professor Giuseppe Danilo Norata, from the University of Milan’s Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences in Italy, Science published the paper “mTORC1 activity repression by late endosmal phosphatidylinositol 3, 4-bisphosphate” in June 2017.

The paper details the team’s research into the control of metabolism by the protein complex mTORC1. Crucial for normal physiology, dysregulation of mTORC1 is associated with diseases including cancer and diabetes. The paper is of interest because it describes a novel mechanism by which the activity of a master regulator of cell growth (mTOR) is suppressed when cells experience nutrient deprivation.

At CHIRI, Marco’s research focuses on identifying and developing opportunities for the prevention and treatment of the age-associated disorders and diseases of diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

Marco and Giuseppe’s contributions to the Science paper were part of a collaboration with lead author Andrea L. Marat and several colleagues from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie in Berlin, Germany, and researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany.