Greater Perth Area
Professor Pfleger is Director Biomedical and Health Innovation at The University of Western Australia and the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub. He is also Head of Molecular Endocrinology and Pharmacology at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (UWA Centre for Medical Research). His laboratory studies the molecular pharmacology of receptors, particularly those important in kidney and lung disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes complications and cancer. Additionally, he is Chief Scientific Advisor to Dimerix, a spin-out company from The University of Western Australia. Dimerix is commercialising technologies invented in his laboratory and directed towards drug discovery around receptor heteromers, a new class of drug targets. Dimerix's lead therapy co-invented by Prof Pfleger, DMX-200/Qytovra, is in Phase 3 clinical trials for chronic kidney disease (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis). Prof Pfleger has also co-founded RAGE Biotech Pty Ltd, which is developing new approaches to modulate the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), an important target in chronic inflammation. He is an advisor to VeinTech and Pretect Devices. Prof Pfleger was awarded his MA and PhD from Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities respectively, and relocated to Western Australia in October 2002. He was a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Peter Doherty Research Fellow (2005-2008), Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow (2011-2014), and NHMRC RD Wright Research Fellow (2015-2018). Prof Pfleger is Chair of Biodesign Australia and Perth Biodesign. He was also Founding Co-Director of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program, Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies, President of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists and member of the REDI Steering Committee. He is currently a member of the International Advisory Group of the British Pharmacological Society, of which he is a Fellow, the Sector Advisory Panel for the WA Health and Medical Research Strategy 2023-2033, and the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Innovation Expert Committee. Prof Pfleger's recent accolades include the British Pharmacological Society Novartis Prize 2016, 2017 40under40 Intrapreneur Category winner and City of Perth Strategic Alliance Award, UWA Innovation Champion 2018, and 2018 ASCEPT Award for outstanding contribution and leadership as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee 2017-2018.