Rate My Professor Mark Gorrell

Professor Mark Gorrell is Professor of Liver Science in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, where he also served as Academic Leader for Research Education from 2015 to 2022. He heads the Liver Enzymes in Metabolism and Inflammation Program at the Centenary Institute, an affiliate of the University of Sydney. Gorrell earned his BSc (Honours) and PhD from the Australian National University, followed by postdoctoral training in cell biology, virology, immunology, and protein biochemistry at the University of Melbourne and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He joined the Centenary Institute in 1995, establishing a prominent research career centered on the dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) family enzymes, including DPP4, DPP8, DPP9, and fibroblast activation protein (FAP). His investigations elucidate their biochemical functions, substrates, inhibitors, and roles in chronic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis, liver cancer, diabetes, metabolism, inflammation, and immune regulation. Additional expertise encompasses protein biochemistry, small RNA viruses, transcriptomics, proteomics, stellate cell biology, and mouse models of liver disease and obesity.

Gorrell's pioneering work on DPP enzymes contributed significantly to the development of DPP4-targeted therapies for type 2 diabetes, now prescribed to millions worldwide. He has published over 184 peer-reviewed articles, garnering more than 11,500 citations and an h-index of 55. Key publications include 'Understanding fibroblast activation protein (FAP): substrates, activities, expression and targeting for cancer therapy' (2014), 'CD26: a multifunctional integral membrane and secreted protein of activated lymphocytes' (2001), '3-dimensional imaging of collagen using second harmonic generation' (2003), 'Dipeptidyl peptidase IV and related enzymes in cell biology and liver disorders' (2005), and 'Diabetes and nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease: a pathogenic duo' (2012). He has mentored over 21 PhD and MPhil students, 23 honours students, and holds editorial board positions with Cancers and Scientific Reports, earning the Springer Nature Editorial Contribution Award in 2025. Recognized for supervision excellence, he received Centenary Institute Research Supervisor of the Year and shared the 2019 SUPRA Postgraduate Research Coordinator of the Year award. Active in the International Proteolysis Society, Gastroenterological Society of Australia, and NHMRC grant reviews, Gorrell's research advances therapeutic strategies for liver scarring, cancer prevention, and metabolic disorders.