Professor
Professor Nick Di Girolamo
1983-1985
BSc University of Sydney (conferred 1986)
1995-1997
PhD University of New South Wales (conferred 1998)
Title: Mechanisms of Tissue Destruction in Inflammatory Eye Disease
Medicine & Health
Biomedical Research Institute
Professor Nick Di Girolamo is Director of the Ocular Diseases Research Unit and Head of the Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Research, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales. Nick leads an internationally recognised group whose mission is to restore sight in patients blinded from severe corneal disease. His research program integrates basic sciences, revolutionary animal models, and world-first clinical trials using adult stem cells; the results of which have demonstrated improved eye health and vision in patients. Nick has received two decades of continuous funding from the NHMRC and other national and international funding agencies and has 120 peer reviewed published articles.
Broad Research Areas:
Stem Cells, Ophthalmology, Transplantation, Pathology, Inflammation
Qualifications:
BSc, PhD
Society Memberships & Professional Activities:
1. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARV0),
2. International Ocular Inflammation Society (IOIS),
3. Sydney Tissue Engineering and Matrix group (STEAM),
4. Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR),
5. Member, NHMRC GRP Panels(Autonomic/Peripheral & Sensory Nervous System; Surgery/Dental/Medical & Related Technologies),
6. Member, ORIA Research Advisory Committee,
7. Editorial board Member, Ocular Surface
8.Member of the TGA Advisory Committee on Biologicals
Specific Research Keywords:
Corneal Stem Cell Biology, Stem Cell Therapy, Ocular Surface Disease, Ultraviolet Radiation, Dry Eye Disease
E-mail
Location
Wallace Wurth (East) Building (C27)
- Publications
- Awards
- Grants
- Media
- Research Activities
- Teaching and Supervision
Publications
Awards
- ABC’s New Inventors (02-06-09) Episode winner and People’s Choice.
- Finalist and winner (23-11-09) of “Less is More Award” awarded to an inventor whose invention impacts the community or environment.
- Finalist 2010 UNSW Inventor of the Year (Biomedical)
- First Prize, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology ARVO-Scientific Image Contest winner. 2016 Migrating Multicolored Corneal Epithelia
- School of Medical Sciences, Researcher of the Year (2019)
Grants
Project Grants for Research (2015- )
2015
UNSW Goldstar Award
Mapping the fate of corneal epithelial stem cells in health and disease
CIA-Di Girolamo N.
$40,000 total
2015
Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia
ORIA/Renensson Bequest Grant
Destiny of limbal epithelial stem cells in the normal cornea
CIA-Di Girolamo N.
$50,000 total
2015-2016
Kylaco PTY LTD
Spondyathropathies (spas) peptide vaccine
CIA-Marcal, CIB-Wakefiled, CIC-Di Girolamo
$200,000 total
2016-2019
NHMRC Project Grant APP1101078
Mapping the dynamics of corneal stem cells during aging and after wounding and transplantation
CIA-Di Girolamo, CIB-Watson, CIC-Wakefield
$548,903 total
2016
UNSW Goldstar Award
Methods to mark and graft corneal stem cells to treat blindness
CIA-Di Girolamo N.
$40,000 total
2016-2017
Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Improving clinical outcomes for patients receiving corneal stem cell grafts
CIA-Di Girolamo N.
$100,000
2016-2017
Sao Paolo State Foundation for Research Support
Culturing human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on Nanoskin scaffolds for ocular surface reconstruction
Schellini, Viveiros, Rainho, da Silva, Ximenes, Padovani, Basmaji, de Olyveira, Di Girolamo
AUD $75,000
2017-2018
Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation
Development of a vaccine to treat HLA B27 spondylarthritis (SpA)
CIA-Wakefield, CIB-Di Girolamo, CIC-Tedla
AUD $50,000
2018
Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia
ORIA/Ivy May Stephenson Grant
A novel native scaffold for corneal epithelial regeneration
CIA-Di Girolamo N.
$49,500 total
2018-2019
Australia Research Council (ARC) Strategic Research Initiative Award
SR1101002 Stem Cell Australia: Transitioning into the future
Consortium of 65 CIs from 9 Australian Stakeholder Institutions and Partner Organizations (actual funds received $124,500)
$3,000,000 total
2019-2022
NHMRC Project Grant APP1156944
Improving diagnostics and therapeutics for corneal blindness
CIA-Di Girolamo, CIB-Watson, CIC-Wakefield
$827,204 total
2019-2021
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Accelerator Research Stem Cell Program
Stem cells for sight: building the pathway from the lab to the clinic
Watson, Di Girolamo, O’Connor, Munsie, Jamieson, Chow, Harkin
$425,000 total
2021-2022
Diabetes Australia. A Novel treatment for type 1 diabetes that regenerates sensory nerves: using the eye as a model.
CIA-Di Girolamo, CIB-Rye, CIC-Cochran, CID-Park
$60,000
Media
Ultraviolet Radiation and Tumours of the Human Cornea
1. Our research program focuses on understanding how excessive solar ultraviolet radiation and viral infections are potential triggers for diseases that develop on the surface of the human eye including benign pterygia, and invasive neoplasias. We study the role inflammatory mediators including cytokines, growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases in the pathogenesis of these lesions using cell culture models and fresh human tissue specimens.
Corneal Stem Cell Transplantation
2. The second arm of our research program focuses on identifying, isolating and cultivating human corneal epithelial stem cells to help us understand how the ocular surface is replenished and maintained in a healthy transparent state under normal physiological conditions and following trauma. We also hope to identify better culture conditions and robust markers for these rare cells with the ultimate aim of generating better quality stem cell grafts to treat patients with severe corneal diseases that result in blindness. The other area we are interested in pursuing is to develop diagnostic and prognostic in-office tests for patients with limbal stem cell deficiency. Initial proof-of-concept work to be carried out in animal models where our findings will be translated to the clinic
Corneal Wound-Healing
3. The third arm of our research program focuses on understanding the mechanisms of wound-healing in the cornea to devise better therapies to treat patients with persistent corneal epithelial defects. Patients with such conditions do not require a cell or tissue replacement strategy so we are searching for corneal wound-healing factors that can be dispensed to accelerate the healing process to prevent infection and other complications.
Dry Eye Disease
4. The fourth arm of our research program focuses on developing clinically relevant animal models of Dry Eye Disease (DED) understanding how this disease evolves, the ocular surface cell types involved in its pathogenesis and importantly treatments that can be used on patients with this condition.
Phase I Medicine Undergraduate teaching MFAC1501