DNA REPAIR ON THE FANCONI ANAEMIA PATHWAY
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani
Laboratory Head, DNA Repair & Recombination
St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research,
Melbourne, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia | August 2025
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani is an internationally recognised expert in DNA repair, with a particular focus on Fanconi anaemia (FA)—a cancer-predisposition and bone marrow failure syndrome marked by extreme sensitivity to DNA damage. Based at St Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, he leads a research program dedicated to understanding the genetic, cellular, and reproductive consequences of FA. He is currently supported by a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Fellowship and funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
His career spans academia and industry across Australia, Europe, and the United States. He has contributed to several advances in FA genetics, including the identification of new functions of FA genes, particularly in reproduction, development of isogenic cell models, and use of high-throughput functional and screening assays. He has also demonstrated that FA is under-diagnosed in Australia, which has major consequences for these individuals and for the public healthcare system. His research has been published in top-tier journals and underpins several patents, including technologies that have been successfully licensed.
Associate Professor Crismani also leads multidisciplinary studies investigating fertility and cancer risk in individuals with FA. These include the first systematic study of biological parenthood and assisted reproductive technologies in adults with FA, and efforts to identify early biomarkers of oral cancer in this high-risk group. His work is conducted in close collaboration with scientists, clinicians, fertility specialists, and patient advocates. He co-founded Fanconi Anaemia Support Australasia with a group of families in 2019 and continues to organise scientific and social events for the FA community.
He works with international FA registries, research consortia, and the Fanconi Cancer Foundation to ensure research findings inform real-world care. His program bridges molecular biology, reproductive health, and translational science, with the goal of improving health outcomes for people with FA and genetic conditions.
Source: Supplied
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World-first clinical trial improves patient outcomes for kidney transplants (2023)
A world-first clinical trial conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand has identified the best fluid treatment to reduce the risk of patients requiring dialysis after a kidney transplant.
Around one in three people who receive a kidney transplant suffer delayed graft function, which means the transplant doesn’t work immediately and they require dialysis.
The lead-author of the study, was Royal Adelaide Hospital Nephrologist and University of Adelaide researcher, Dr Michael Collins.
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Dr Lisa Melton
RESEARCH IN SANFILIPPO
@ SANFILIPPO CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA -
Development of novel analytical and diagnostic tools using nanotechnology and microfluidics
Dr Alain Wuethrich is an NHMRC Emerging Leader fellow and ARC DECRA awardee at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Hailing from Switzerland, research focuses on the development of novel analytical and diagnostic tools that harness nanotechnology and microfluidics; two rapidly growing fields with high potential to provide diagnostic solutions needed for precision medicine.
