Ovarian cancer is the tenth most common cancer in Australia, and a silent killer. My research focuses on our discovery of IFNε as a very effective natural tumour suppressor in ovarian cancer, with the aim of developing new therapeutics that can reverse that process and improve survival rates.

Learn more about my group's research

Professor Hertzog's research focus is on IFNε as a natural ovarian cancer tumour suppressor, with the aim of developing new therapeutics.

Areas of interest

COVID-19 Endometriosis Inflammation and cancer Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Influenza Lung cancer Microbiome in health and disease Ovarian cancer

Research group

Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling

Biography

Professor Paul Hertzog, Research Group Head, Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling Research group; NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow; a Research Professor of Monash University; and an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Professor Hertzog has a significant record of research on immune responses to cancer and infectious diseases, using a multidisciplinary approach involving analyses of the cell, molecular biology of cytokine signalling and gene regulatory networks, preclinical genetically modified mouse models of disease, and clinical studies.

Professor Hertzog’s research group’s work has been published in eminent journals including Cell, Science, Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, Immunity, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. This work resulted in Professor Hertzog being awarded the international 2013 Milstein Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research.

Professor Hertzog obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne, then undertook postdoctoral positions at the Eppley Institute of Cancer Research, USA and at the University of York, UK.

Professor Hertzog is founder of the Victorian Infection and Immunity Network and its Industry Alliance Program, and he co-convenes the Lorne Infection and Immunity annual conference.

READ MORE | The power of IFN-e: ovarian cancer breakthrough, Can the body’s signalling protein be harnessed to stop ovarian cancer?

Publication highlights