Prof Julie Bines named Rotavirus Champion
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Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s (MCRI) Professor Julie Bines has been celebrated for her decades long commitment into preventing rotavirus and saving children’s lives.
Professor Bines has been named a Rotavirus Champion by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a recognition that honours researchers and scientists who dedicate their careers to protecting children and babies from the infectious illness.
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea in children under five years of age, causing more than 230,000 deaths every year, mainly in low-income countries.
Image: Professor Julie Bines
Professor Bines, who leads MCRI’s Enteric Diseases Group, worked alongside the late Professor Ruth Bishop to develop the RV3-BB rotavirus vaccine. Professor Bishop discovered the virus three decades prior.
The RV3‑BB vaccine, designed to be given from birth, has shown to be safe and promotes immunity to disease-causing rotavirus in clinical trials across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malawi, Africa.
Image: The late Professor Ruth Bishop
Due to its suitability for protecting babies, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends rotavirus vaccines are administered to all children. Rotavirus vaccines were added to Australia’s National Immunisation Program in 2007.
The accolade coincides with the 20th anniversary of the development of RV3-BB.
Professor Bines said she was honoured to receive the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s recognition.
“It’s wonderful to see our team’s contribution to the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis recognised on a global scale,” she said.
“We are eternally grateful for the insight and pioneering research undertaken by Ruth Bishop and Graeme Barnes alongside an amazing team of researchers who all shared the goal of preventing rotavirus diarrhea, which remains a common cause of death and illness in children globally.”
Professor Bines was also recognised for her ongoing WHO collaborations and contributions to global rotavirus surveillance networks.
She received the recognition at the International Rotavirus Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa.
Read more about MCRI’s Enteric Diseases research.
