Kathy Davern, BAppSc, MSc, moved to Western Australia in 2005 to establish and manage the world-class Monoclonal Antibody (MAb) Facility. This Facility currently employs five staff and provides antibody-related services to researchers, commercial and government groups throughout Australia as well as internationally. Kathy also holds a concurrent appointment as Research Manager of Perkins, overseeing research and management related aspects of the Institute. Prior to moving to WA, Kathy worked for over 20 years at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, and at the Scripps Clinic Research Foundation, La Jolla, California.

During her time at WEHI, Kathy worked in the fields of immunology and immunoparasitology with Professors Sir Gustav Nossal, Graham Mitchell and Graham Brown. Kathy’s research with Graham Mitchell on schistosomiasis involved a collaboration of over 15 years with Prof Edito Garcia, Wilfred Tiu and colleagues at the College of Public Health in Manila, Philippines. This work resulted in the identification of an important schistosome antigen, Sj26, which is now used throughout the world as the basis of the pGEX fusion protein vectors.

Since its inception in 2005, the MAb Facility has attracted a wide range of projects and clients. Current projects include production of antibodies to molecules involved in cancer, diabetes and immune regulation, as well as development of novel approaches to detection and neutralisation of components in Australian snake venoms and cane toad toxin.