FOOD AND FASTING PERIODS AS MEDICINE TO PREVENT DISEASE
Professor Leonie Heilbronn
University of Adelaide &
Group Leader Obesity and Metabolism,
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Adelaide, South Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Adelaide, South Australia | February 2025
Professor Leonie Heilbronn is based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), where she leads the Obesity and Metabolism laboratory. Her research is at the interface between basic and clinical science. She is internationally recognised for her work in nutritional modulation in humans and has made major contributions to our current understanding of mechanisms underlying conditions such as insulin resistance, particularly inflammation and lipid metabolism. She has also contributed significantly to current concepts of caloric restriction (CR), intermittent fasting (IF) and time restricted eating (TRE) in humans. She has published more than 110 peer reviewed papers in scientific journals and is an Associate Editor of Obesity, and Obesity Research and Clinical Practice.
Prof. Heilbronn is a translational investigator in obesity and diabetes research. She has a particular interest in understanding how fasting and meal timing alter nutrient signalling pathways to improve health and contributed extensively to current concepts in calorie restriction, intermittent fasting and time restricted eating. She has published more than 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has a current h-index of 44. She is an Associate Editor of Obesity and the European Journal of Endocrinology. She is President of the Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society and an Associate Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.
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Pregnancy in women with chronic kidney disease
Professor Shilpanjali Jesudason is an academic nephrologist and Head of Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service, South Australia.
From 2017-2020, she was the Clinical Director of Kidney Health Australia, the peak body for patients with kidney disease. In this role she developed a passion for advancing kidney disease education in primary care.
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CASE STUDY Next Generation Condom Contraception
Eudaemon Technologies, an early-stage medtech company with a focus on sexual reproductive health, is developing a hydrogel condom to address the need for a better feeling, next generation condom, with the potential to improve user experience and address issues with traditional latex condoms.
“Over 1 million STI’s being diagnosed every day and up to 120 million unplanned pregnancies every year result in a $60 billion health burden across the globe”, says Co-Founder and Executive Director of Operations, Dr Simon Cook.
Formed in 2018, the company focuses on developing tough hydrogels as an alternative to address issues with odour, colour, and taste commonly associated with latex condoms. This technology can be loaded with small molecule drugs for flavours or anti-STI compounds, and was developed in response to a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address unplanned pregnancies and STIs.
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Dr Kelly-Anne Masterman
RESEARCH IN NEEDLE-FREE VACCINE DELIVERY SYSTEM
@ VAXXAS, BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
