Head, Molecular Immunology Laboratory

A/Prof Conor Kearney is a NHMRC Investigator and Head of the Molecular Immunology Laboratory at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. He holds honorary appointments at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.

After completing his PhD in Molecular Biology at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland, A/Prof Kearney took up postdoctoral studies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, where he studied genetic, transcriptional and epigenetic determinants of anti-tumour immune responses. His research program has made several important discoveries relating to mechanisms of tumour immune evasion, tumour cell death and T cell differentiation trajectories in cancer (e.g., Kearney et al 2021, Science Advances; Kearney et al 2018, Science Immunology; Kearney et al 2017, Cell Death & Differentiation; Djajawi et al 2024, Cell Reports;  Lelliott et al 2021, Cancer Discovery; Freeman et al 2019, Cell Reports).

The Molecular Immunology Laboratory, led by A/Prof Kearney uses a range of cutting-edge, molecular immunology, cell biology and genome-wide drug and genetic (CRISPR/Cas systems) screening approaches to identify tumour cell vulnerabilities to cytotoxic lymphocytes for the identification of new cancer immunotherapies.