The Virology Research Laboratory (VRL) is headed by Professor Rawlinson (view a message from the director) and is part of the Virology Division at the South Eastern Area Laboratory Services (SEALS) at Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick. This research group emerged due to a need to integrate important discoveries related to inflammation and immunity of infectious disease, with the urgent need to improve treatment, diagnosis and prevention of infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), enterovirus, respiratory viruses such as influenza, and other viruses. View our Mission statement here.
The research program incorporates studies aimed at improving diagnosis and clinical care of:
- infants with congenital infections
- patients chronically infected with blood-borne viruses such as HCV
- transplant recipients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy
- enteric infections
- cystic fibrotic patients with viral exacerbations.
Studies of the inflammatory accompaniments of these viral infections and the relationship to patient outcomes are being investigated with the aim of developing better strategies for the prevention of virus-induced disease, including cancer and type 1 diabetes. The laboratory is situated at the nexus between the Prince of Wales Hospital Campus and the University of NSW, and benefits from close proximity to reference diagnostic laboratories for immunology and virology in SEALS, and a wide spectrum of adult (Prince of Wales Hospital), paediatric (Sydney Children’s Hospital) and maternal (Royal Hospital for Women) patients in need of care.
The research conducted by in the Virology Research Laboratory has been made possible through the kind support of our generous donors.
