ARMI Strategy 2030 is live. Six pillars, three priority outcomes, a five-year plan for regenerative medicine in Australia. armi.org.au/strategy-2030/

Fluorescent image of an early embryo. Blue cytoskeletal filaments form dense networks within each cell, highlighting internal structure.

Today ARMI launches Strategy 2030 – five years, six pillars, a clear path from discovery to the people who will benefit. Follow us to stay across the latest!

A/Prof Jenny Zenker (second from left) with Asian Pacific Organisation for Cell Biology Executive Committee members from China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, India and Australia at the 2026 joint conference in Hefei.

A/Prof Jenny Zenker attended the joint CSCB-ICCB-APOCB conference in Hefei last week. She is on the APOCB Executive Committee and will organise the 2028 ICCB conference in Australia. The Asia-Pacific region is where regenerative medicine is growing fastest.

Dr Christian Nefzger presenting at an ARMI seminar with a slide on ageing and transcription factor networks behind him.

Dr Christian Nefzger (Uni of QLD) presented at ARMI this week as part of our External Seminar Series. His work shows ageing is a structured process, reusing developmental mechanisms to reshape cell identity. It focuses on how transcription factor networks, including AP-1, regulate these changes.

Confocal image of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons: orange-yellow axon bundles crossing a cyan and violet dendritic network against deep blue. Real neural architecture, used to model motor neuron disease.

Axons from iPSC-derived motor neurons, glowing like lightning under a confocal microscope. This image models motor neuron disease, and won Dr Melinda Wang Best Optical Microscopy Image in Monash Micro Imaging’s annual competition.

Connor Leayr stands next to his winning sci-art image on an easel — a large, intensely colourful print of computationally tracked muscle stem cells.

Computational visualisation of muscle stem cell movement over 24 hours. Each line = one cell's path, randomly coloured. Raw data, rendered as abstract art.

Muscle stem cells, tracked for 24 hours, computationally coloured, and mistaken for abstract art. Connor Leayr (Roman Lab) won Best Sci-Art Image at the Monash Micro Imaging competition. Data has never looked this good!

Australian medical research has saved millions of lives. It can save millions more.
This new report from AAMRI outlines the role institutes play in Australia’s health system and economy and where funding gaps remain. Closing that gap will determine what comes next.

Heart formation isn’t just genetic. As the early heart beats, blood flow creates mechanical forces that help shape valve development. Disrupt the flow, and valves form differently. New ARMI review explores what this means for congenital heart defects. Read more: bit.ly/4s3yuBI

Red ARMI graphic congratulating Macsue Jacques and Jean Tan on admission to QUT’s Bridge Program, with their headshots and names displayed.

Congratulations to ARMI postdocs Dr Macsue Jacques and Dr Jean Tan on their selection to QUT’s Bridge Program. A great professional development step as they work to translate their research into new treatments. Read more: bit.ly/4bxiW4f

Meet Anna, one of ARMI’s 2026 social media ambassadors. She studies DNA methylation – how chemical tags organise gene activity – and how that structure shifts with age. Follow for Anna’s take on research life at ARMI.

Dr John Parisot presents on cell and gene therapy quality assessments at ARMI's NCRIS Showcase, Monash University, March 2026.

Great science needs great infrastructure. ARMI brought national capability leaders from Therapeutic Innovation Australia, Phenomics Australia and Bioplatforms Australia together this month so researchers know who to call before the critical moment arrives. Read more: bit.ly/3NINAhY

Meet Thamodi, one of ARMI’s two 2026 social media ambassadors. She studies why brain cancer cells grow so fast, asking whether a growth switch normally involved in body repair is being hijacked. Follow for Thamodi’s take on research life at ARMI.

Five professionals stand indoors in a research facility foyer beside a pillar displaying EMBL Australia, ARMI and SBI Australia logos. From left to right: Dr David Sly, Sharath Sriram, Paula Rogers, Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM, and Adam James. The group faces the camera, dressed in business attire, with office spaces visible in the background.

Last week we welcomed the chair of WA’s QEII Biomedical Precinct Paula Rogers, WA Health’s Director of Innovation Adam James, and WA Chief Scientist Sharath Sriram. Discussion centred on the future of biomedical research precincts & how research, clinical practice and translation intersect.

Red ARMI-branded slide introducing a guest seminar. Text reads: “What if your DNA could warn you about cancer… before it starts?” with a portrait of Professor Andrew Teschendorff on the right, wearing a dark blazer and smiling.

Educational slide titled “The science, simplified.” Explains DNA methylation as chemical switches on DNA, introduces the epiTOC clock for tracking cell division, and describes data-driven modelling using machine learning. Accompanied by a stylised DNA illustration.

Slide titled “Why it matters.” Lists three outcomes: predicting cancer years in advance, personalising screening, and understanding ageing at the cellular level. Includes a colourful microscopic image of cells on the right.

Your cells keep their own record of age. Last week scientist Andrew Teschendorff visited ARMI and showed how machine learning reads DNA methylation patterns to estimate tissue age, flag early disease signals, and track cell states.

Speaker Emily Oliver presenting a slide on epaulette sharks at a conference, standing beside a lectern and screen.

AquaCore team members in matching shirts standing outside the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre.

ARMI’s AquaCore team attended ANZAAP 2026 in Adelaide last month. Emily Oliver presented on the species behind the research – from zebrafish to sharks – and how they support regenerative medicine. Read more about AquaCore: armi.org.au/facilities/a...

National Close the Gap Day graphic, dated 19 March 2026, featuring bold text and a colourful circular patterned design with the words “Justice, Equality and Healing.”

National Close the Gap Day focuses on coordinated, sustained action to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We support the effort to ensure advances in medical science translate into improved outcomes for this community.

Following International Women’s Day, we share reflections from women across ARMI about their experiences in science. Their perspectives highlight the value of supportive teams, mentors and colleagues in building strong research communities.

Women researchers and staff talking in small groups during ARMI’s Women’s Coffee Chat. A screen reads “Welcome to ARMI’s Women Coffee Chat”.

Women seated in a large circle during a discussion at ARMI’s Women’s Coffee Chat, sharing experiences about careers and support in science.

Following International Women’s Day, we are sharing a recent ARMI initiative. A couple of weeks ago our Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted the first Women’s Coffee Chat — bringing women across the Institute together to connect, share advice and discuss experiences in science.

Purple International Women’s Day graphic displaying the message “Happy International Women’s Day”. The International Women’s Day logo appears at the bottom left, and the hashtags “#GiveToGain #IWD2026” appear at the bottom right.

Today we acknowledge International Women’s Day. Women across ARMI contribute to research, training and the everyday work that supports scientific discovery. In the coming days we will share a few ways our community connects and supports women in science.

Students presenting research posters and discussing their projects with attendees at the ARMI Poster Symposium in a bright atrium space.

Last week we hosted our Honours and Masters student poster symposium. Around 20 students presented their work through flash talks and poster sessions. All of it an important part of research training.👨‍🎓👩‍🎓

Today is Rare Disease Day. Rare diseases affect 300M people worldwide across 6000+ conditions. Many are under-diagnosed and poorly understood. At ARMI, we study how cells grow and repair to investigate Kabuki syndrome, San Filippo disease, Noonan syndrome, Hardikar syndrome and muscular dystrophies.

Professor Amander Clark presenting at a lectern in a seminar room, speaking and gesturing with her hands beside a computer monitor and microphone.

After hearing yesterday from Professor Amander Clark (UCLA), we’re thinking carefully about how pluripotent stem cells can model and regenerate ovarian tissue, and what ethical standards must guide that work. With reproductive science advancing, public engagement on these issues is vital.

Event slide for the ARCS + DIA Cell and Gene Therapy Summit 2026 featuring a headshot of Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea. Text highlights her role as Session co-chair and Deputy Director, Strategy and Planning at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, and lists the session title, date (25 February 2026) and time (3pm). ARMI logo in the top right.

Tomorrow, @mveg001.bsky.social (aka Marguerite Evans-Galea) co-chairs Session 4 at the ARCS Australia + DIA Cell and Gene Therapy Summit in Sydney. With James Wabby, she’ll discuss positioning Australia as an APAC hub for advanced therapies, diagnostics, data and manufacturing. More: bit.ly/4sdrgM5

Dr William Roman pipetting liquid into a culture dish inside a sterile lab cabinet, wearing gloves and a lab coat, with racks of tubes nearby.

We’re recruiting a postdoc in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Lead iPSC and spatial transcriptomics projects in a serious, multidisciplinary lab environment. Applications close 22 March. More: bit.ly/4aJjQJg

Thanks to the Rebecca L Cooper Foundation for awarding a fellowship to Prof Nir Eynon (@nireynon.bsky.social). Prof Eynon will develop the world’s first multi-tissue, cell-type specific atlas of ageing biomarkers. Read more: armi.org.au/news-media/m...

Professor Liran Carmel presenting at the front of a seminar room, gesturing to a slide on paleogenomics as an audience sits facing him.

It was fascinating to hear Prof Liran Carmel speak at ARMI today about epigenetics in ancient DNA. By reconstructing DNA methylation maps, his team reveals how the shift to farming reshaped human biology – and how mammoths adapted to polar cold.

Seven ARMI researchers stand outdoors on a lawn at the Lorne Genome Conference, wearing conference lanyards. From left to right: Masoud Baghi, Jennifer Zenker, Nir Eynon, Bernadette Jones-Freeman, Elizabeth Reisman, Rushali Kullachanda Aiyanna and Yonghui Wang. Trees and navy umbrellas are behind them on a sunny day.

We’re at #LorneGenome this week. Jenny Zenker presents tomorrow on how microtubule organisation shapes stem cell fate. Our posters are covering limb development, muscle adaptation, ageing transcriptomics and exercise proteomics. At Lorne? Come say hello.

For the International Day of Women & Girls in Science we asked our women scientists a simple question: What would you tell your younger self about a career in science? Swipe to see what they said.

Professor Edwina McGlinn (@eddymcglinn.bsky.social) has been appointed our Deputy Director, Research Strategy & Impact. She plans to strengthen ARMI’s international research partnerships and focus on translating discovery science into clinical outcomes. More: armi.org.au/news-media/m...

Ageing is not just a linear process. We’ve developed a new tool, SNITCH, that reveals sharp shifts in DNA methylation at specific ages, exposing hidden genomic complexity. This finding has implications for ageing, disease risk and future therapeutic approaches. Read more: armi.org.au/news-media/m...