Founder(s) Sir Howard Florey Director Simon Foote Phone +61 2 6125 2550 | Focus Multidisciplinary Date founded 1948 | |
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Established 1948; 69 years ago (1948) Mission Translational medical research and postgraduate education Faculty Australian National University Medical School Address 131 Garran Rd, Acton ACT 2601, Australia Owner Australian National University Similar The Australian National, ANU Colleges of Science, NHMRC ‑ Canberra, ANU Commons, ANU College of Law | ||
The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCMSR) is an Australian multidisciplinary translational medical research institute and postgraduate education centre that forms part of the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. The school was founded in 1948 as a result of the vision of Nobel Laureate Sir Howard Florey and was named in honour of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia at that time.
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In addition to Florey, Sir John Eccles AC, FRS, FAA (1963) and Peter Doherty AC, FRS and Rolf M. Zinkernagel AC, FAA (1996), were Nobel Laureates as a result of research conducted at the JCSMR. Other notable researchers include Gordon Ada AO, FAA, Frank Fenner AC, CMG, MBE, FRS, FAA, and Sir Hugh Ennor CBE.
The Director of the School is Professor Simon Foote.
Research focus
Doherty's research discovered the way T cells interact with the Major Histocompatibility Complex in antigen recognition. Eccles was the Foundation Professor of Physiology at JCSMR when he received the Nobel Prize in 1963 for his study of nerve cells. Since 2012, the Eccles Institute of Neuroscience has been located in a new A$60 million wing of JCSMR.
Major action star Jackie Chan made donations to the School, with the Director in 2006 announcing the Jackie Chan Science Centre was named in his honour; and was opened by Chan in 2008.
On 28 August 2006, the new ACRF Biomolecular Resource Facility was officially opened within the JCSMR, a new facility focusing on investigating the molecular aspects of cancer biology. The facility was partially supported by a A$1.13 million grant awarded in 2004 by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science also forms part of the JCSMR.
JCSMR facilities
Completed as three buildings in stages over seven years at a cost of A$130 million, the design of the building is influenced by the DNA double helix and provides education, conference, and secure research laboratory facilities.
Parts of the School were filmed during the making of the drama series, The Code, broadcast on ABC TV during 2014 and 2016.