Brendan Scott Crabb FASM (born 13 September 1966) is an Australian

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

research scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

and director and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the

Burnet Institute The Burnet Institute is an Australian medical institute that combines medical research in the laboratory and the field, with public health action to address major health issues affecting disadvantaged communities in Australia, and international ...

, based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia.

Background and early career

Educated in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and Australia, Crabb received a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in the Department of Microbiology. In 1992, he completed his PhD in virology with Michael J. Studdert at the School of Veterinary Science also at the University of Melbourne. His PhD project, which explored proteins of equine herpes, led to a diagnostic test which could distinguish horses infected by the lethal equine herpes virus-1 and the less damaging equine herpes virus-4. He then completed a

postdoctoral fellowship A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

in the laboratory of Alan Cowman before starting his independent laboratory at the

Scientific career

Research focus

Crabb's main research focus is on the identification of new targets for

therapeutic intervention An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one or many people – usually family and friends – to get someone to seek professional help with a substance use disorder or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious prob ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and the development of a

malaria vaccine A malaria vaccine is a vaccine that is used to prevent malaria. The only approved use of a vaccine outside the EU, as of 2022, is RTS,S, known by the brand name ''Mosquirix''. In October 2021, the WHO for the first time recommended the large-sc ...

. More broadly, his interests mirror the mission of the Burnet Institute - to improve the health of poor and vulnerable communities through research, education and public health. In 2009, Crabb and his research team identified the export protein translocon in malaria. This discovery was published in ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

'' and solved the mystery of how

proteins Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

with an export motif are trafficked out of the infected parasite and into the

cytosol The cytosol, also known as cytoplasmic matrix or groundplasm, is one of the liquids found inside cells (intracellular fluid (ICF)). It is separated into compartments by membranes. For example, the mitochondrial matrix separates the mitochondri ...

of the

red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

. This finding has broad impact in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and also has considerable importance as a major new drug target in malaria. Together with his principal collaborator Alan Cowman, Crabb is also well known for his development of molecular genetic systems in human malaria, having described the first

gene knockout A gene knockout (abbreviation: KO) is a genetic technique in which one of an organism's genes is made inoperative ("knocked out" of the organism). However, KO can also refer to the gene that is knocked out or the organism that carries the gene kno ...

in the causative agent ''

Plasmodium falciparum ''Plasmodium falciparum'' is a Unicellular organism, unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of ''Plasmodium'' that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female ''Anopheles'' mosqu ...

'' in a paper published in the journal ''Cell''.

Burnet Institute

Crabb was appointed director and CEO of Burnet Institute in 2008, a position previously held by

Ian Gust Ian David Gust Officer of the Order of Australia, AO, Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, FRCPA, Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, FRACP, MASM, FT (born 15 January 1941) is an Australians, Australian ...

AO, John Mills AO, Steve Wesselingh, now executive director of the

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) is an independent health and medical research institute in Adelaide, South Australia. The institute is housed in a purpose-built eponymous building with its iconic " cheese-grat ...

, Ian McKenzie AM, and Mark Hogarth. Although a molecular scientist by training, Crabb's interests include addressing technical and non-technical barriers to maternal, newborn and child health in the developing world. In recent years, under the banner of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, he has established a major research field site in

East New Britain East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, consisting of the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely des ...

, principally to identify the underlying drivers (including malaria) of

low birth weight Low birth weight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization as a birth weight of an infant of or less, regardless of gestational age. Infants born with LBW have added health risks which require close management, often in a neonatal intensi ...

and

stunted growth Stunted growth is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, ...

in relatively calorie-rich, yet resource-poor settings. Under Crabb's leadership, Burnet Institute has continued to focus on improving the health of vulnerable populations through strategic, infrastructure and policy initiatives, especially embedding research as a key pillar of the institute's

international development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...

activities. In addition, during Crabb's tenure as director and CEO Burnet has: * expanded its infrastructure with the completion of the Alfred Centre Stage 2 doubling the capacity of Burnet's laboratory facilities and floor space * refocused its

and research programs across the

Asia Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Is ...

with a priority on addressing the health issues of

and

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

* restructured with a programmatic focus on issues of maternal, child and

adolescent health Adolescent health, or youth health, is the range of approaches to preventing, detecting or treating young people's health and well-being. The term adolescent and young people are often used interchangeably, as are the terms Adolescent Health and Y ...

, disease elimination, health security, and behaviours and health risks * focused attention on addressing issues of

gender equity Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

, and embracing and encouraging diversity within the workplace * developed commercial activities in Australia and in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(360Biolabs and Nanjing BioPoint Diagnostic Technologies) supporting the institute's long-term sustainability

Special appointments

As President of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) from 2012 to October 2014, Crabb was a leading advocate for high level policy reform and played critical roles in transformative government policy and funding initiatives, including the generation of the $20b

Medical Research Future Fund The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is a research fund established in Australia by the Abbott Government. It is managed by the Future Fund, with interest generated going to medical research. In 2020-2021, the MRFF reached its capitalisation ...

. He is a Member of the PATH/Malaria Vaccine Initiative and Vaccine Science Portfolio Advisory Council (VSPAC), USA, and was Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Inaugural Malaria World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in 2018. He holds honorary professorial appointments at Monash University and Melbourne University in Australia. Other special appointments include: * Member, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) * Member, Victorian Medical Research Strategic Advisory Committee * Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Centre for Cancer Biology, UniSA and SA Pathology, from 2015 * Chair, Victorian Chapter of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (VicAAMRI), 2014–ongoing * Chair, Gordon Conference on Malaria, Tuscany, Italy, 2013 * Member, Health Exports Advisory Committee, 2013 * Member, Alfred Medical Research & Education Precinct Council, 2013 * Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), from 2012 * Board Member, AMREP AS Pty Ltd * Board of Management, Gene Technology Access Centre * Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Malaria Program, Wellcome Trust, Sanger Institute, UK * NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, 2007–08 * Editor-in-Chief, International Journal for Parasitology, 2006–09 * NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, 2004–07 * NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, 2003–04 * International Research Scholar, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA, 2000–08

Awards and honours

* Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

, 2021 *GSK Award for Research Excellence, 2019 * Australian True Leader in Medical Research,

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

, Boss Magazine, 2016 *

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for eminent service to medical science as a prominent researcher of infectious diseases, particularly malaria, and their impact on population health in developing nations, as an advocate, mentor and administrator, and through fostering medical research nationally and internationally, 2015 * Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is an academy to promote health and medical sciences in Australia. It was established in June 2014. It cites "The Academy will serve the three purposes identified as of high priority in the 20 ...

, 2015 * Bancroft–Mackerras Medal, Australian Society for Parasitology, 2009 * Melbourne Top 100 Most Influential People, The Age Magazine, 2007 *

David Syme Research Prize The David Syme Research Prize is an annual award administered by the University of Melbourne for the best original research work in biology, physics, chemistry or geology, produced in Australia during the preceding two years, particular preference ...

, The University of Melbourne, 2006 * Melbourne Achiever Award, Committee for Melbourne, 2001 * International Scholar Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA, 2000 & 2005 * Young Tall Poppy Award (Victoria), Australian Institute of Political Science, 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crabb, Brendan 1966 births Living people Australian medical researchers Australian virologists Companions of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science