Michael Lazarou is an Associate Professor of Medical Biology at WEHI with a co-appointment at Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. He completed his PhD studying mitochondrial disease in 2008 at La Trobe University. His post-doctoral studies were conducted at the National Institutes of Health (USA) where his research focused on PINK1 and Parkin and their role in maintaining mitochondrial health via mitophagy (a pathway that degrades damaged mitochondria), which led to his receiving the 2013 ASBMB Boomerang Award. A/Prof Lazarou’s discoveries have formed the basis of modern models of PINK1/Parkin mitophagy and general autophagy. He uses advanced imaging technologies assisted by AI approaches developed by his team, and combines gene editing of human cell lines, including stem cell derived neurons, with cell biology and biochemical approaches to understand the mechanisms of mitophagy. His autophagy and mitophagy discoveries have been recognised as major breakthroughs by Science Signaling, Journal of Cell Biology, and Autophagy. A/Prof Lazarou has received multiple awards including holding an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2017–20), and the 2022 ASBMB Shimadzu Research Medal. A/Prof Lazarou currently serves on the editorial board of Journal of Cell Biology, and is co-founder and scientific advisory board member of Automera, a company focused on harnessing autophagy driven degradation to treat disease.
Research
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a key player in the development of Parkinson’s disease, and this highlights the need to develop therapeutic approaches that target mitochondrial health. A/Prof Lazarou aims to translate fundamental research into mitophagy towards discovering a drug therapy that will have significant benefit in improving mitochondrial health in Parkinson’s disease. This research has the potential to improve treatment options and improve quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease which currently has no drug to slow or stop disease progress. The Foundation’s support will allow A/Prof Lazarou to advance his discovery research toward developing therapeutics that target mitochondrial dysfunction that can have impact in Parkinson’s disease and beyond, including other forms of neurodegeneration with mitochondrial involvement (e.g. Alzheimer’s).