Keynote presentation: ASCEPT Rand Medal I Prof Grant Drummond
| Thursday, December 11, 2025 |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Hall C Lower Section |
Details
It is a privilege to deliver the Rand Medal Lecture and to reflect on a career shaped by curiosity, collaboration, and the generosity of mentors.
My journey in pharmacology began over 30 years ago when Prof Tom Cocks, University of Melbourne, took a chance on a zoology graduate, first as a research assistant and later as a PhD student investigating endothelium-dependent vasodilator mechanisms in mammalian coronary arteries. This work helped define the roles of bradykinin receptors and the elusive endothelium-derived hyperpolarising factor (EDHF), revealing its interplay with nitric oxide and prostacyclin in vascular relaxation.
Postdoctoral training with Prof David Harrison at Emory University opened the door to molecular biology and the redox-sensitive pathways regulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). These studies highlighted how reactive oxygen species influence eNOS activity and vascular tone. Exposure to the pioneering work of Prof Kathy Griendling (Emory University) on NADPH oxidases (Noxes) inspired a new research direction. A conversation with Prof Greg Dusting at an American Heart Association meeting led to a program at the Howard Florey Institute exploring Noxes in atherogenesis. Using animal models, we demonstrated that Nox2 drives endothelial dysfunction and plaque formation, and that genetic or pharmacological targeting of Nox enzymes limits disease progression – work that seeded a start-up company, Radical Biotechnology.
With support from mentors including Profs Roger Summers and Michael Berndt, I established an independent team at Monash University, later moving to La Trobe University. Collaborating with Prof Chris Sobey, we integrated immunology into vascular research, uncovering roles for B cells in hypertension, M2-like macrophages in vascular remodelling, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in renal injury. These discoveries were made possible by a remarkable team of students and postdocs – over 100 in total – whose creativity and dedication have been the cornerstone of our success.
In this lecture, I will revisit these milestones and share recent work using omics and single-cell technologies to explore interactions between the gut microbiome, immune system, and cardiovascular health. Looking ahead, the challenge is to translate these insights into precision therapies that prevent and treat vascular disease – a goal that will demand the same spirit of collaboration and innovation that has defined my career so far.
Speaker
Prof Grant Drummond
La Trobe University
From Organ Baths to Omics: Unravelling Endothelial, Oxidative and Immune Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Disease
Biography
Professor Grant Drummond is a pharmacologist and vascular biologist with over 30 years of experience in research and tertiary education.
He holds senior leadership positions at La Trobe University including Co-Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research and Associate Dean (Research Partnerships) for the School of Agriculture Biomedicine and Environment.
Grant Drummond’s research is focussed on understanding the roles of oxidative stress and the immune system in hypertension and its downstream complications including kidney disease, heart failure and atherosclerosis.
His work has shown that hypertension is associated with activation of T cells, B cells and macrophages. These immune cells then accumulate in key blood pressure-regulating organs such as the blood vessels, kidneys, heart and brain, where they promote inflammation and tissue damage via the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin 18, interferon-g) and autoantibodies.
The long term goals of Grant Drummond’s research are to develop novel therapies that alleviate hypertension and end organ damage by dampening inflammation.
Grant Drummond has over 180 publications and his work has received more than 17,500 citations. His work has been continuously supported by the NHMRC and Heart Foundation of Australia for >20 years.
He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, and Associate Editor for the British Journal of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Research and Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
Chair
Bridin Murnion
Senior Staff Specialist
St Vincent's Hospital / UNSW Sydney
