News and Press
Anna Steinberger Trainee Merit Award for Dr. Rukmali Wijayarathna
Another prestigious ASA award for IRTG Monash - 3 in a row
We are happy for this
At the ASA conference 2023, IRTG Monash alumna Rukmali was awarded the Anna Steinberger Trainee Research Excellence Award for her presentation titled "Interferon epsilon: a novel anti-viral agent in the maile reproductive tract."
Congratulations! We are happy for this recognition of IRTG members.
May 2023
Poster Award for Shashika Kothalawala
Congratulations to Shashika, student of P1, for her achievement!
Her poster was chosen for the best poster award at the 56th Annual Conference Physiology and Pathology of Reproduction and 48th Joint meeting of Human and Veterinary Medicine. Well done!
March 2023
Best Poster Award for Christiane Pleuger
for her presentation at the 12th European Congress of Andrology, Barcelona
Congratulations to Christiane (IRTG project 9) who won this year’s Best Poster Award with her poster titled "Strategically positioned resident immune cells shape distinct immunological landscapes along the murine epididymis". Bravo!
October 2022
Best Talk Award for Miriam Figura and Jannis Heyer
IRTG Medical students receive one of the two best talk awards at the DGA 2022
Congratulations to Miriam and Jannis, both medical students in IRTG P2 for this achievement.
Working on the same project, they jointly gave an oral presentation of their research at the 34th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Andrology (DGA), held 08 -10 Sep 2022 in Giessen.
Title: "Immune characteristics of testicular germ cell tumors: A comparative study of seminoma and embryonal carcinoma".Good job!
September 2022
Best Poster Award for Rashidul Islam
Best Poster Prize awarded at the DGA Annual Conference, Giessen 08-10 Sep 2022
Congratulations to Rashidul (IRTG project 2) who received the best poster award for his presentation titled "Tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes in human testis cancer – identification and functional analysis". Well done!
September 2022
First author paper of Samira Hosseini in P2
Paper accepted in Histochemistry and Cell Biology
Congratulations to Monash student Samira for her first first author paper "The changing landscape of immune cells in the fetal mouse testis" that has been accepted for publication,
June 2022
13th Joint Degree for Julia Bender
Applause for the next degree completion
Julia is the thirteenth student to successfully complete the joint PhD degree achieving the merit "magna cum laude". We wish all the best for her very promising future.
May 2022
Another Award for Penny Whiley
Excellence Award to young researchers
At the ASA conference 2022, for her outstanding performance, Penny was awarded the Anna Steinberger Trainee Research Excellence Award. Congratulations to this fantastic achievement!
May 2022
12th Joint Degree for Raouda Sgaier
Congratulations to JLU based student Raouda to complete her Joint PhD
With a great performance via video conference Raouda passed her thesis defense. Applause to this excellent result! We wish her all the best for her promising future.
May 2022
Doctoral degree in Medicine for Elena Berg
Congratulations to medical student in P5 for her outstanding performance
Elena completed her doctoral degree in Medicine with the merit "summa cum laude".
Applause! We are proud of her being part of IRTG and wish her all the best for her future.
April 2022
Another publication of Hassan Kabbesh in P3
Paper to be published in Tissue Barriers
We are very pleased about Hassan's new publication for P3 "Transmigration of macrophages through primary adult rat Sertoli cells". Well done!
Pubmed PMID: tba
April 2022
First first author publication of Sneha Biniwale
Paper of Monash student in P10 accepted
We are happy to annouce that Sneha's paper "Regulation of macrophage number and gene transcript levels by activin A and its binding protein, follistatin, in the testes of adult mice" has been accepted by the Journal of Reproductive Immunology. Well done!
PubMed PMID: tba
March 2022
Three JLU students finally overseas for their research stay
Rashidul Islam, Magda Kuchta and Shashika Kothalwala at Monash
After nearly two years of travel restrictions due to the corona pandemic, Rashidul from P2 was the first student to be allowed to travel to Australia last November. He is working in Kate Loveland's group.
Magda, who is working in project 6 under supervision of Ralf Middendorff has started her research stay mid-February in the lab of Betty Exintaris.
Shashika, student in the group of Daniela Fietz, is the third student to have left for Australia. She will be hosted by Liza O'Donnell and carry out research within project 1.
We wish you all a lot of success and a pleasant stay in Australia!
March 2022
Thesis submission Lachlan Cauchi
Monash thesis for joint award
Lachie submitted his thesis to both, Monash and JLU, in December 2022. Bravo!
Thesis title: Understanding the molecular mechanism of male intertility using flies, mice, and humans
December 2022
Thesis submission by Raouda and Julia
Submission at Monash and JLU for Joint Award
Raouda Sgaier and Julia Bender, doctoral researchers in project 4 and project 10 have both submitted their thesis.
Well done, we're proud of them!
Nevember 2021
Eleventh Joint Degree for Beatrix Stadler
Felicitations to Bea for the completion of her joint doctorate
With an outstanding performance at her oral defense, Bea achieved the best possible merit "summa cum laude". Applause and our best wishes for the new challenge!
September 2021
Publication for Elena Berg
Paper published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences
We are very proud of our medical student Elena, first author of the IRTG publication in project 5 "Chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome leads to impaired semen parameters, increased sperm DNA fragmetation and unfavorable changes of sperm protamine mRNA ratio". Well done!
July 2021
Award for Penny Whiley
First place in 3 Minute Thesis Competition for 'Very 'Importin' Proteins make Very Important People!'
The competition asks PhD students to give a compelling presentation on their thesis in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Congratulations to Penny for her vivid presentation to win the 3MT of the SCS and also of the Faculty Final!
July 2021
Publication in P12
Paper published in FASEB
We are glad about Bea Stadler's new publication for P12 "Physiological and pharmacological impact of oxytocin on epididymal propulsion during the ejaculatory process in rodents amd men". Great job!
June 2021
ETW 2021 Award for Christiane Pleuger
Best Selected Miniposters Talk at the virtual European Testis Workshop 30 May-03 June 2021
Congrats to Christiane ( IRTG project 9) who's miniposter "Caput and cauda epididymides react fundamentally different during actue bacteral epididymitis"was selected for one of five oral presentations. The best selected miniposters talks are awarded with 400 EUR each. Well done, Christiane!
June 2021
NYRA Award for Rukmali Wijayarathna
Best Scientific Poster Award award at the 13th NYRA Meeting
Rukmali received the well-deserved award for her outstanding poster presentation at the at the virtual meeting of the "Network for Young Researchers in Andrology" taking place 29-30 May 2021. The award is linked to a registration fee grant for the European Testis Workshop.
Congrats, Ruki!
May 2021
Poster Award for Rama Ravinthiran
Poster Prize awarded at the (virtual) 46th ASA Annual Meeting, 23-25 April 2021
Congratulations to Rama (IRTG project 9) who received the Thomas S.K. Chang Merit Award for her poster entitled "Distribution and phenotypes of mononuclear phagocyte population correlates with differential immune environments in the adult murine epididymis". Bravo!
April 2021
Farewell to Laura
Associated medical student in P9
After 7 months in Andreas Meinhardt's Laura Winter is returning to in the clinic. It was a great pleasure to have you with us. We wish you success for your further studies.
April 2021
Publication of P6 Monash alumna Sophie Lee
Paper published in Science of Reproduction
Congrats to Sophie for her paper "Oxytocin receptor antagonists as a novel pharmacological agent for reducing smooth muscle tone in the human prostate".
March 2021
Joint publication of P4
Paper published in FASEB
We are very pleased about the joint publication of P4 "Sperm proteins and cancer-testis antigens are released by the seminiferous tubules in mice and men".
March 2021
DGA Lecture Prize for Penny Whiley
Award from the German Society of Andrology for project 3
For her oral presentation "Activin A modulates the pace of germ cell development at the onset of spermatogenesis" at the 12th International Congress of Andrology, Penny Whiley from Monash, was awarded the Lecture Prize in the Experimental Field. Congratulations for this notable achievement!
December 2020
Review paper in P9
Review published in Frontiers in Immunology
Another success for Christiane Pleuger is the publication of "Differential Immune Response to Infection and Acute Inflammation along the Epididymis"
November 2020
First author paper of Siv Indumathy in P2
Paper published in Reproductive Immunology
Congratulations to Siv for her first first author paper Testicular immune cell populations and macrophage polarisation in adult male mice and the influence of altered activin A levels.
https://hudson.org.au/latest-news/learning-how-infection-and-inflammation-can-affect-male-fertility/
November 2020