Rate My Professor Damian Purcell

Professor Damian Purcell is Professor in Virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and Head of the Molecular Virology Laboratory at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. He received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1987 and was a CJ Martin Travelling Fellow at the Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, USA. Upon returning to Australia, he undertook postdoctoral research and established independent research on HIV molecular virology in 1993 at the Doherty Institute, progressing through appointments as Senior Research Fellow in 1998, Principal Research Fellow in 2004, and Professorial Fellow in 2013. He moved to a tenured teaching and research position at the University of Melbourne in 2001. Purcell has supervised 29 PhD completions and authored over 125 peer-reviewed journal articles, with his work cited more than 6,700 times.

Purcell's research focuses on molecular virology, particularly RNA-mediated regulation of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 replication and gene expression during productive and latent infection. His laboratory examines viral mRNA processing—including splicing, polyadenylation, nuclear export, translation, and degradation—as targets for novel antiviral drugs, vaccines, and therapies. Key areas include ribosome shunting mechanisms in HIV-1 env mRNAs, viral silencing in astrocytes, RNA interference as an innate antiviral defense, and development of HIV vaccines using modified HIV-1 and SIV gene expression. He leads projects on passive antibody microbicides, chronic immune activation in treated HIV disease, and RNA control of HIV-1 gene expression. Purcell has extended his expertise to SARS-CoV-2, contributing to diagnostics, genomics, vaccine assessment, and isolation of mutant strains. He holds leadership positions including Past President of the Australasian Virology Society, Chair of the Virology Division of the Australian Society for Microbiology, Co-Director of the Australian Global Virus Network Center, Chair of the ASHM HTLV-1 Working Group, and Steering Committee member of the Federal Ministerial Taskforce on HTLV. Representative publications include 'Alternative splicing of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 mRNA modulates viral protein expression, replication, and infectivity' (1996) and 'Preclinical development of a cross-protective β-SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle vaccine adjuvanted with MF59' (2026). He has secured multimillion-dollar grants, such as $4.3 million from the Australia-Japan Research Co-operative Program for HTLV-1 treatments and Medical Research Future Fund support for mRNA vaccine manufacturing.