Dr Matthew Tunbridge (pictured) is a nephrologist at the PA Hospital whose research is focused on improving therapies for organ transplantation. His work aims to develop safer and more effective ways of preventing organ rejection while reducing the serious complications that can come with long-term immunosuppressive treatment.
Through his research, Matthew is helping advance new approaches to transplantation medicine that could improve quality of life and long-term outcomes for transplant recipients.
What is your area of research?
My research is focused on improving therapies for organ transplantation.
What originally drew you to this area of research?
I am a kidney transplant doctor and prescribe anti-rejection medications for my patients every day. These medications are critically important because they prevent transplanted organs from rejecting. However, they also increase the risk of cancers and infections, which are some of the biggest concerns for transplant patients.
I want to develop better ways of treating organ transplant recipients that reduce these complications while still protecting the transplanted organ.
What impact do you hope your research will have on patient care or public health in the near and long term?
In the short term, I hope to develop strategies that improve transplant patients’ resistance to infections while taking immunosuppressive medications. A particular focus of my work is improving immune responses to vaccines so we can reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable infections in transplant recipients.
In the longer term, I hope to develop new treatments that can effectively “hide” a transplant from the immune system without compromising the body’s ability to fight infections or cancers.
How has funding from the PA Research Foundation helped accelerate your research?
Funding opportunities from Metro South Health and the PA Research Foundation provide incredibly important opportunities for local researchers to rapidly take ideas from the drawing board to the bedside.
I have been fortunate to receive support through the Metro South Health Research Support Scheme, which will allow me to trial a new vaccine against urinary tract infections in kidney transplant recipients.
The PA Research Foundation has also been a phenomenal partner for our department more broadly and has helped facilitate practice-changing transplantation research, including work by colleagues developing new treatments for skin cancers.
What challenges do you frequently face in your research?
As a full-time clinician, one of the biggest challenges is finding enough time to do research, and much of that work often happens after hours. Grant funding can free up dedicated research time, which makes a huge difference in how quickly we can translate research findings into clinical practice.
Can you share a recent breakthrough or exciting development in your research?
Before coming to the PA Hospital, I was involved in developing a new cell therapy designed to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. Our results in preclinical models have been very promising, and we are now hoping to move this therapy into first-in-human clinical trials in Australia.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work, and what are you most proud of in your journey so far?
The most rewarding part of my work is caring for patients and helping them achieve the best quality of life possible. I’m particularly proud of our group’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic investigating vaccine responses in immunosuppressed patients. That research directly informed vaccine policy for transplant recipients and their household contacts.
What’s a misconception people often have about your research?
One challenge is communicating just how complex the immune system really is. Everything we do in transplant medicine has consequences for the immune system, and trying to improve treatments without creating unintended effects is incredibly difficult.
Looking ahead, what future directions or innovations excite you the most in your area of research?
Transplantation medicine has not seen major leaps forward in treatment over the past 20 years. However, there are now several very exciting new therapeutic approaches entering clinical trials that have the potential to significantly improve outcomes for patients. It’s an exciting time for the field and one that offers real hope for the future of transplantation medicine.
How important are organisations like the PA Research Foundation in supporting research?
Organisations like the PA Research Foundation are absolutely critical. The funding they provide ensures we can investigate issues that genuinely matter to patients, while also supporting local research projects that can eventually grow into much larger programs with widespread impact.
The PA Research Foundation can’t do its work without its donors and supporters – what would you say to them?
Thank you so much for your support. Your donations make an incredibly important contribution to local medical research and help make this work possible.
