Co-Directors

Professor Nan Shen

Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Ren Ji Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine | China

Dr Nan Shen is a Professor of Medicine and Director of Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Ren Ji Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, as well as a Principal Investigator, head of Lab of Molecular Rheumatology at Health Science Institute, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China). He also holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor at the Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati (USA). Dr Shen received his medical degree from Shanghai Second Medical University and PhD from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). His research mainly focusses on the molecular dissection of the disease pathways in systemic autoimmune diseases using a functional genomics approach and the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus. The current major ongoing research projects include functional dissection of human lupus positional candidate genes; molecular mechanism of type I interferon pathway activation in lupus; role of the IFN-α targeted gene in lupus autoimmunity; MicroRNA and Lupus autoimmunity and development of novel biomarkers for human lupus. He has published over 90 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has also been invited to deliver presentation at many high-profile international conferences. His research contributions have been recognised with several prestigious awards including Silver Snake Award for distinguished physician from the Chinese Government; Science and Technology Progress Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and ACR Rheumatology Research Foundation Edmund L. Dubois, MD, Memorial Lectureship.

He is currently serving as a member of APLAR scientific committee; Associate Editors for Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Research & Therapy and International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases; Editorial Board member of Annals of Rheumatic Diseases Clinical Immunology Scientific Report, and Faculty member of Faculty of 1000 Prime.

Professor Carola Vinuesa

The John Curtin School of Medical Research | The Australian National University | Australia

Professor Vinuesa is clinically-trained and Head of the Pathogens and Immunity Department at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (The Australian National University). She obtained a medical degree at the University Autonoma of Madrid and undertook specialist clinical training in the UK. In 2000 she was awarded a PhD by the University of Birmingham (UK). She has ~ 80 publications cited ~4,400 times. Her work has led to very influential findings including the discovery of Roquin and its paralog Roquin-2, genes important for immune regulation and tolerance, and the importance of posttranscriptional control of T cell and macrophage gene expression to prevent autoimmunity (Nature 2005; Nature 2007; J. Exp. Med 2009; Nat Rev Immunol 2005). Her group identified T follicular helper (Tfh) cells as an independent T cell subset (Immunity 2009) and discovered a causal link between Tfh cell accumulation in autoimmune diseases (J. Exp. Med 2009; Diabetes 2011). This was followed up by the discovery of specialized T follicular regulatory (Tfr) cells (Nature Medicine 2011). Over the last few years she has worked closely with Professor Cook establishing the APOSLE cohort of lupus patients, carrying out the initial proof-of-principle exome sequencing experiments on this cohort and establishing the technological platform that forms the basis of the CPI. Her achievements have been recognized by numerous awards including the 2008 Science Minister Prize, the 2008 Biogen-Idec Prize, the 2009 Gottschalk Medal of the Australian Academy of Science, the 2012 Inaugural Elizabeth Blackburn NHMRC Fellowship and the 2015 Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research. She also counts with over 100 invitations to present her work including plenaries at Keystone symposia, Gordon conferences and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Symposia, and several keynote speeches.