Our constitution stipulates that in addition to the Executive, there is a Committee that oversees the governance of the Society. The concept of the Committee has been dealt with in various ways over the years, but the Executive has decided to invite prominent members to form 'The Committee' to provide advice, direction and participate in decision-making. I would personally like to thank those noted below for agreeing to serve in these positions and provide oversight of the Society.

Edna Hardeman
Past-President, ANZSCDB
Professor, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales

MIRANDA GROUNDS

Research focuses on factors controlling the repair of damaged skeletal muscle and on potential treatments for muscle diseases such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and muscle wasting. Pioneereing research has led to many studies into factors controlling skeletal muscle regeneration with a particular emphasis on myogenesis in post-natal skeletal muscle in vivo, with an ongoing interest in the role of the extracellular matrix.

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CHRISTINA MITCHELL

The group is currently pursuing the identification and characterization of novel proteins that regulate cell growth and differentiation.





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RICHARD HARVEY

The aim of the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute is to understand how different genes work together individually and in networks to guide development of an animal and its organs, and how pathways might be augmented, particularly in regeneration.

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PHIL CROSIER

Major research interest is in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation, and lineage commitment, using the zebrafish model system to investigate the transcriptional regulation of stem cell function and the development of the innate and adaptive immune systems.

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ALPHA YAP
The laboratory studies cell-to-cell interactions occurring when cells attach to one another. We focus on the cadherin family of cell-cell adhesion receptors. These critically determine the ability of cells to recognise one another and organise into coherent tissues. By understanding the basic biological mechanisms of cadherin-mediated cell recognition, we thus hope to provide vital insights into the basis of developmental patterning and common human diseases.

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PETER KOOPMAN
The group focuses on genes controlling the formation of various organs in the developing embryo. Our main interest is striving to understand the events that determine whether an embryo develops as a male or a female, using techniques such as microarray screening and transgenic mouse models. We are also interested in how germ cells come to develop as sperm in males or eggs in females.

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SHARAD KUMAR
Apoptosis plays a fundamental role in cell and tissue homeostasis and its misregulation results in a variety of human diseases including many types of cancer. We are studying the function and regulation of caspases, a group of proteases that act as effectors of apoptosis.

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