Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) will celebrate four decades of groundbreaking discoveries in child health in 2026.

The upcoming 40th anniversary was marked by News Corp's VWeekend magazine with the cover story exploring Dame Elisabeth Murdoch's founding legacy and MCRI's pioneering work in the science of stem cell and genomic medicine, public and global health and infectious diseases. 

Featured in the content was James, 16, who was born with half a heart. His rare condition, known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, is caused when the structures on the left side of the heart don’t develop properly. With no cure, James’ family said MCRI’s stem cell scientists were their glimmer of hope.

Image: James with his parents Nikki and David, brother Max and sister Ruby. Credit: Herald Sun/ David Caird

Professor Enzo Porrello, MCRI Stem Cell Medicine Theme Director, leads a lab dedicated to finding cellular treatments for congenital heart disease.

“By creating bioengineered heart tissues from stem cells, we hope to support heart function in children like James with congenital heart defects, prevent their hearts from failing and ultimately not need a heart transplant,” he said.

Image: Professor Enzo Porrello

The magazine feature also highlighted MCRI’s innovative population health approach with Generation Victoria (GenV), our cutting-edge precision medicine trial expertise including delivering a treatment for achondroplasia and our stem cell-derived 3D models of the human brain and kidney to identify new therapies for brain disorders and kidney diseases.

MCRI Director Professor Kathryn North AC said at its core MCRI was harnessing its resources and the latest technology to deliver for all children an opportunity for a healthy and fulfilled life.

“For 40 years, we have scanned the horizon for what’s next and adopted new technologies,” she said. “When genomic sequencing became fast and affordable, we were ready. We invested early in stem cell science, seeing how transformative it would become. We will continue to harness new technologies to make the biggest impact on children’s health. MCRI will continue to take calculated risks to remain a global leader.”

Image: Professor Kathryn North

Read the VWeekend magazine feature and to help us continue our work for the future of children’s health, Donate Now.