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Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Associate Professor Kevin Pfleger, of the WA Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR), has been honoured with an Australian Museum Eureka Prize for his work on improving the way pharmaceuticals act on the human body.

A research leader at The University of Western Australia affiliate WAIMR, Associate Professor Pfleger was awarded the "Emerging Leader in Science" prize at a ceremony in Sydney to recognise the nation's top scientists.

The award acknowledges a young scientist who has used leadership skills to create impact inside their institution, amongst their peers, within their discipline or in the wider community.

Associate Professor Pfleger has been head of Molecular Endocrinology at WAIMR for three years.

He is also Chief Scientific Officer of "Dimerix Bioscience", a spin out company commercialising the discoveries of his laboratory revolving around interactions of proteins that regulate how cells respond to hormones and neurotransmitters.

Associate Professor Pfleger's work is focused on developing better therapeutic drugs with fewer side effects for a range of medical conditions such as prostate disorders and complications associated with diabetes.

His research has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council, the Raine Medical Research Foundation and Dimerix Bioscience.

Associate Professor Pfleger will fly to Manchester where he has been invited to present his most recent findings at the Drug Discovery 2011 Conference.

The Eureka Awards , which are a partnership between government organisations, institutions, companies and individuals committed to celebrating the vitality, originality and excellence of Australian science, are presented annually by the Australian Museum.

The WA Young Scientist of the Year 2009 has also recently been honoured following selection of his work amongst the NHMRC's 10 of the Best Research Projects 2010.

Media references

Associate Professor Kevin Pfleger (WAIMR)  (+61 8)  9346 1980

Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)                       (+61 8) 6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783

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