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Crystallising a career in immunology

27 August 2008

Dr Natalie Borg

Monash University researcher Dr Natalie Borg is one of four recipients of the $20,000 L'Oréal Australia For Women in Science Fellowships for 2008.

Dr Borg is a NHMRC Peter Doherty Research fellow with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Her work focuses on analysing crystals with synchrotron light, to figure out how human bodies mount a rapid defence when viruses attack them.

"The immune system is complex and is made up of many specialised types of cells and proteins. The key is to understand their function," Dr Borg said.

To date, she's been working as part of a successful team at Monash University. In 2007 her work on how natural killer T cells recognise fats from invaders was published in Nature.

Dr Borg is setting up her own laboratory at Monash -- a bold move but essential if her career is to grow. With the help of her L'Oréal Australia For Women in Science Fellowship, she will study key steps in the body's early warning system against viral attack.

"Understanding how the proteins work together to trigger the immune system is the first step towards learning how to modify or enhance the immune response. Eventually this could lead to drugs that protect against viral infections," Dr Borg said.

"This is the basic research that needs to take place before we can make better drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent viral infections."

Dr Borg said although she was honoured to receive the L'Oréal Fellowship, she was concerned there was too little support for women at the early stages of their career.

"When I did my degree about seventy per cent of the students were women," Dr Borg said.

"However, very few senior women scientists have their own laboratories.

"At the same time that you're trying to secure independent funding, you're making decisions about having children. There needs to be more incentives to keep women with young families in science."