ARMI Strategy 2030 is live. Six pillars, three priority outcomes, a five-year plan for regenerative medicine in Australia. armi.org.au/strategy-2030/

Today ARMI launches Strategy 2030 – five years, six pillars, a clear path from discovery to the people who will benefit. Follow us to stay across the latest!

A/Prof Jenny Zenker attended the joint CSCB-ICCB-APOCB conference in Hefei last week. She is on the APOCB Executive Committee and will organise the 2028 ICCB conference in Australia. The Asia-Pacific region is where regenerative medicine is growing fastest.

Dr Christian Nefzger (Uni of QLD) presented at ARMI this week as part of our External Seminar Series. His work shows ageing is a structured process, reusing developmental mechanisms to reshape cell identity. It focuses on how transcription factor networks, including AP-1, regulate these changes.

Axons from iPSC-derived motor neurons, glowing like lightning under a confocal microscope. This image models motor neuron disease, and won Dr Melinda Wang Best Optical Microscopy Image in Monash Micro Imaging’s annual competition.

Muscle stem cells, tracked for 24 hours, computationally coloured, and mistaken for abstract art. Connor Leayr (Roman Lab) won Best Sci-Art Image at the Monash Micro Imaging competition. Data has never looked this good!

Australian medical research has saved millions of lives. It can save millions more. This new report from AAMRI outlines the role institutes play in Australia’s health system and economy and where funding gaps remain. Closing that gap will determine what comes next.

Heart formation isn’t just genetic. As the early heart beats, blood flow creates mechanical forces that help shape valve development. Disrupt the flow, and valves form differently. New ARMI review explores what this means for congenital heart defects. Read more: bit.ly/4s3yuBI

Congratulations to ARMI postdocs Dr Macsue Jacques and Dr Jean Tan on their selection to QUT’s Bridge Program. A great professional development step as they work to translate their research into new treatments. Read more: bit.ly/4bxiW4f

Meet Anna, one of ARMI’s 2026 social media ambassadors. She studies DNA methylation – how chemical tags organise gene activity – and how that structure shifts with age. Follow for Anna’s take on research life at ARMI.

Great science needs great infrastructure. ARMI brought national capability leaders from Therapeutic Innovation Australia, Phenomics Australia and Bioplatforms Australia together this month so researchers know who to call before the critical moment arrives. Read more: bit.ly/3NINAhY

Meet Thamodi, one of ARMI’s two 2026 social media ambassadors. She studies why brain cancer cells grow so fast, asking whether a growth switch normally involved in body repair is being hijacked. Follow for Thamodi’s take on research life at ARMI.

Last week we welcomed the chair of WA’s QEII Biomedical Precinct Paula Rogers, WA Health’s Director of Innovation Adam James, and WA Chief Scientist Sharath Sriram. Discussion centred on the future of biomedical research precincts & how research, clinical practice and translation intersect.

Your cells keep their own record of age. Last week scientist Andrew Teschendorff visited ARMI and showed how machine learning reads DNA methylation patterns to estimate tissue age, flag early disease signals, and track cell states.

ARMI’s AquaCore team attended ANZAAP 2026 in Adelaide last month. Emily Oliver presented on the species behind the research – from zebrafish to sharks – and how they support regenerative medicine. Read more about AquaCore: armi.org.au/facilities/a...

National Close the Gap Day focuses on coordinated, sustained action to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We support the effort to ensure advances in medical science translate into improved outcomes for this community.

Following International Women’s Day, we share reflections from women across ARMI about their experiences in science. Their perspectives highlight the value of supportive teams, mentors and colleagues in building strong research communities.

Following International Women’s Day, we are sharing a recent ARMI initiative. A couple of weeks ago our Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted the first Women’s Coffee Chat — bringing women across the Institute together to connect, share advice and discuss experiences in science.

Today we acknowledge International Women’s Day. Women across ARMI contribute to research, training and the everyday work that supports scientific discovery. In the coming days we will share a few ways our community connects and supports women in science.

Last week we hosted our Honours and Masters student poster symposium. Around 20 students presented their work through flash talks and poster sessions. All of it an important part of research training.👨‍🎓👩‍🎓

Today is Rare Disease Day. Rare diseases affect 300M people worldwide across 6000+ conditions. Many are under-diagnosed and poorly understood. At ARMI, we study how cells grow and repair to investigate Kabuki syndrome, San Filippo disease, Noonan syndrome, Hardikar syndrome and muscular dystrophies.

After hearing yesterday from Professor Amander Clark (UCLA), we’re thinking carefully about how pluripotent stem cells can model and regenerate ovarian tissue, and what ethical standards must guide that work. With reproductive science advancing, public engagement on these issues is vital.

Tomorrow, @mveg001.bsky.social (aka Marguerite Evans-Galea) co-chairs Session 4 at the ARCS Australia + DIA Cell and Gene Therapy Summit in Sydney. With James Wabby, she’ll discuss positioning Australia as an APAC hub for advanced therapies, diagnostics, data and manufacturing. More: bit.ly/4sdrgM5

We’re recruiting a postdoc in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Lead iPSC and spatial transcriptomics projects in a serious, multidisciplinary lab environment. Applications close 22 March. More: bit.ly/4aJjQJg

Thanks to the Rebecca L Cooper Foundation for awarding a fellowship to Prof Nir Eynon (@nireynon.bsky.social). Prof Eynon will develop the world’s first multi-tissue, cell-type specific atlas of ageing biomarkers. Read more: armi.org.au/news-media/m...

It was fascinating to hear Prof Liran Carmel speak at ARMI today about epigenetics in ancient DNA. By reconstructing DNA methylation maps, his team reveals how the shift to farming reshaped human biology – and how mammoths adapted to polar cold.

We’re at #LorneGenome this week. Jenny Zenker presents tomorrow on how microtubule organisation shapes stem cell fate. Our posters are covering limb development, muscle adaptation, ageing transcriptomics and exercise proteomics. At Lorne? Come say hello.

For the International Day of Women & Girls in Science we asked our women scientists a simple question: What would you tell your younger self about a career in science? Swipe to see what they said.

Professor Edwina McGlinn (@eddymcglinn.bsky.social) has been appointed our Deputy Director, Research Strategy & Impact. She plans to strengthen ARMI’s international research partnerships and focus on translating discovery science into clinical outcomes. More: armi.org.au/news-media/m...

Ageing is not just a linear process. We’ve developed a new tool, SNITCH, that reveals sharp shifts in DNA methylation at specific ages, exposing hidden genomic complexity. This finding has implications for ageing, disease risk and future therapeutic approaches. Read more: armi.org.au/news-media/m...

Proud to have collaborated on this Nature paper published overnight, revealing convergent evolution in brain immunity. Cells guarding brain borders evolved twice: lymphatic-derived in non-mammals, immune-derived in humans and other mammals.

Our 2025 ARMI reflection is live. A year shaped by people, from student leadership and science communication to discovery, translation and community. Read the end-of-year newsletter bit.ly/4aVBefp

Congratulations to Professor @nireynon.bsky.social and team on securing $2.01M in NHMRC Ideas Grant funding for Molecular Maps of Ageing Across Multiple Tissues.

Our PhD students Brenda Briones Miranda and Thamodi Walpola recently took part in the EMBL Australia PhD Course at SAiGENCI in Adelaide.

Congratulations to Dr William Roman on receiving a Phenomics Australia Pipeline Accelerator 2025–26 award. His project uses genome-scale functional screening to identify new therapeutic targets for muscle atrophy and regeneration. 🔗 phenomicsaustralia.org.au/pipeline-acc...

A pleasure to welcome Professor Robyn Ward AO, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise) @monashuniversity.bsky.social, to Aquacore earlier this month. The visit highlighted Aquacore’s role in supporting world-class research across Monash. Thank you, Robyn, for your time and continued support.

ARMI joined 113 researchers at last week’s XVII Victorian Cell and Developmental Biology Meeting. It was a friendly and supportive day for the Victorian community to share work and connect. More info: www.anzscdb.org/victoria

Some wounds never heal. Dr Yen-Zhen (Angel) Lu is working to change that. Her work reveals how sensory neurons and immune cells coordinate tissue repair and why this matters for chronic wounds. With an ARC DECRA, she is now uncovering how nerves first activate after injury. Read more: bit.ly/4rFbAl7

ARMI PhD candidate Thamodi Wapola joined 130 global students at PITCH 2025 in Jakarta, helping design fairer mobility solutions for Indonesia’s ride-hailing ecosystem. Her team’s model, Jalan Bersama, earned the Judges’ Special Commendation Award 👏 Read more - bit.ly/49K94Ul

We were pleased to welcome Prof Sharath Sriram, ChiefSciWA to ARMI for his first visit. He explored ARMI’s capabilities and was especially excited by AquaCore, our world-class aquatic research facility and the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Proud to celebrate ARMI’s Prof Mikaël Martino and Prof Graham Lieschke AM, recognised on the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list. A testament to their sustained impact and leadership in regenerative medicine and immunology. 🔗 More about the list: top2percentscientists.com/stanford-els...

What gives stem cells their superpower? 🧬 Adam Rogerson (Zenker Group, ARMI) is investigating how the shape and structure of human stem cells help them stay pluripotent — the ability to become any cell in the body. 🧵

An inspiring night celebrating leadership, discovery and collaboration at ARMI’s 2025 Ambassadors’ Dinner. With reflections from @ericfmorand.bsky.social on translating lupus research from lab to clinic, and from our own rising stars on curiosity and impact. Read more 👉 bit.ly/4o2WUsW

New research from ARMI reveals the fetal skeleton’s hidden repair system. When growth goes off track, special stromal cells switch roles, rebuilding cartilage and restoring bone growth. 🔗 Read the full story: bit.ly/4r9gmqG 📄 Published in Nature Communications: lnkd.in/gMwrPqk3

New Scientist features expert commentary from ARMI’s A/Prof @nireynon.bsky.social on research showing that men over 50 may need more weekly exercise than women to achieve the same heart benefits. The study adds weight to the case for sex-specific exercise guidelines. Read more: bit.ly/4rkGOxY

ARMI spinout, Myostellar has received the 2025 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Commercialisation, recognising its first in class biologic therapy for skeletal muscle loss. Across Monash MNHS, 15 winners and 22 nominees were celebrated this year. 🔗 www.monash.edu/medicine/new...

Congratulations to A/Prof Jenny Zenker and the ARMI team at Monash University. Their research has been awarded an ARC Discovery Project to reveal how RNA dynamics guide the earliest cell fates. 🧵+ read more: armi.org.au/news-media/n...

How does ageing differ between men and women? Dr Robin Grolaux (in @nireynon.bsky.social's group) is studying non-linear DNA methylation patterns that reveal key differences in how men and women age and what that means for inflammation and cancer risk.

ARMI takes out the top spot in the Monash Fitness Challenge! Over four weeks, 98 teams across Monash University put their fitness to the test, and ARMI’s Team - ARMIFit came out on top, winning both the Team and Individual categories.

Stem cells aren’t miracle cures, but with the right science, strategy and support, they could transform medicine. 🔬 A/Prof Jenny Zenker from ARMI breaks it down in The Conversation: 📖 bit.ly/47rn2HT