THERAPY TO PREVENT HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN PEOPLE WITH LIVER CIRRHOSIS
Professor John Olynyk, Liver Specialist, Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist,
Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals
South Metropolitan Health Service, Western Australia &
Associate Director, Clinical Engagement,
Curtin Medical Research Institute, Curtin University, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026
Professor John Olynyk is a Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist with over 30 years’ experience, primarily at The Fiona Stanley & Fremantle Hospital Group. He planned the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service for the Fiona Stanley Hospital and was Head Department from 2010 until 2020.
Professor John Olynyk was appointed as Associate Dean and Head of the Medical Discipline at Curtin University in 2023 until 2025 and is now Associate Director, Clinical Engagement, Curtin Medical Research Institute, Curtin University.
Professor John Olynyk has a long and productive history of research in the field of haemochromatosis, liver disease and iron metabolism. He has sustained 27 years of continuous funding from the NHMRC and published over 270 peer reviewed publications with nearly 20,000 citations. He is patron of Haemochromatosis Australia and currently serves on the Royal Australasian College of Physicians overseas trained physicians assessment panel.
He has been a member of multiple national and international professional organisations. He was a keynote speaker at the UK Liver Cancer Meeting at Cambridge University in 2024. Currently he is leading a multicentre, international NHMRC-funded clinical trial examining whether aspirin therapy can prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in people with cirrhosis.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0417-3411
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Digital Biomarkers and AI for Optimal Diagnosis, Treatment, and Decision-Making
Associate Professor Johan Verjans is a clinician-scientist with a strong focus on cross-disciplinary translational research. In his role as Deputy Director at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML)—one of the world’s premier machine learning institutes, with over 200 researchers—and as Group Leader of Artificial Intelligence at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), he integrates his expertise in molecular medicine, clinical research, and advanced imaging with machine learning applications. This unique combination enables him to drive the translation of cutting-edge AI research into practical medical applications. He works with global teams from multinationals on AI problems.
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Understanding the experience of pain for novel brain-based treatments
Associate Professor Tasha Stanton leads the Persistent Pain Research Group at SAHMRI. She is also co-Director of IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. She is a clinical pain neuroscientist, with original training as a physiotherapist, and her research focusses on pain – why do we have it and why doesn’t it go away?
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Identification, characterisation and role of leader cells in ovarian cancer progression
Dr. Maree Bilandzic is a molecular cancer biologist dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of ovarian cancer (OC). Her research addresses critical gaps in OC treatment by investigating the mechanisms behind metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, and tumour recurrence. By utilising innovative methodologies and disease-representative models, Dr. Bilandzic has pioneered the identification and characterisation of leader cells (LCs)—a unique, stem-like subpopulation within tumours that plays a crucial role in OC progression.
