Mark Hutchinson

Professor Mark Hutchinson

Director - Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics

School of Biomedicine

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Prof Mark Hutchinson has been recently appointed as the Interim Director of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS).
As a Professor of Biomedicine and lead the Neuroimmunopharmacology laboratory at the University of Adelaide, Prof Hutchinson has a strong record of leadership of successful teams. His expertise spans diverse basic science methods for human and animal research, including biomarker identification, multiomics and complex data analytics. He has a strong record of engagement with consumers and industry and an advocacy for their involvement in research. Hutchinson has a strong record of commercial translation between basic science and knowledge utilisation.
Prof Hutchinson has diverse leadership and Ministerial appointments, including being a member of the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council, Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP), President of the Science and Technology Australia (STA), Members of the ARC Legislative Review, the ARC CEO Advisory Council, and the Australian Economic Accelerator Board. He also serves as the chair of the Safeguarding Australia through Biotechnology Response and Engagement (SABRE) Alliance and is the chair of the Australian Pain Solutions Research Alliance board.
His exceptional leadership of the program of research has been recognised with multiple awards: 2022 Inaugural Coppoc ONE Health Lecture, College of Veterinary Med, Kansas State Uni; 2019 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement – A Culture Of Impact, Uni Adelaide; 2015 James McWha Award of Excellence, Uni Adelaide; 2013 Psychoneuroimmunology Res Soc, Robert Ader Young Investigator Award.

My research addresses the role of neuroimmune signalling in creating exaggerated pain responses, and the creation of sophisticated tools to quantify pain in humans/animals. This work is internationally renowned and has had broad knowledge and economic impacts. My research that changed understanding of how glial cells (non-neuronal cells in nervous system) modulate immune-signalling in the brain and spinal cord has had major impact on understanding exaggerated sensitivity in painful conditions, their role as treatment targets, and as a target for treatment of addiction. Economic impact demonstrated by 108 patents citing 30 of my papers.

I lead the conception & direction of major research nationally/internationally, including the research of my group. I have been CIA of 3 multidisciplinary NHMRC and ARC Grants (2018-22). My multidisciplinary research team of the CNBP over 9 sites has included 200 staff/students, >100 pubs/yr. Under my leadership, the Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics created the bench to boardroom program. Stemming directly from this activity are 19 start-ups and spinouts with more than $500M in collective market capitalisation and demonstrated new market impact value. This represents greater than a 20-fold return on the original investment.

I have obtained >$73M in multiple competitive funding organisations nationally and internationally including NHMRC, ARC, Meat and Livestock Australia, Defence Technology Science Group, NIH, US Drug Authority, DoD (USA). I have published >250 publications with 40% as lead/senior author. I am ranked Top 1% author in ESI filed of Neuroscience and Behaviour. I was invited to present >100 international and >50 national since 2013.

I have several openings for research projects within my team for PhD students

Project 1
Title: Cell-based biomarker of persistent pain in livestock
Description: This project will translate a human biomarker of pain into the livestock setting to predict the chronic pain of animal husbandry practices.
Project available for: HDR and/or Honours
Location: Roseworthy and North Tce
Research Project start date: Semester 1 2023
Special requirements: surgical skills, cell culture experience and some bioinformatics

Project 2
Title: Transcriptome biomarker of persistent pain in livestock
Description: This project will translate a human biomarker of pain into the livestock setting to predict the chronic pain of animal husbandry practices.
Project available for: HDR and/or Honours
Location: Roseworthy and North Tce
Research Project start date: Semester 1 2023
Special requirements: surgical skills, bioinformatics and molecular techniques.

Project 3
Title: Modeling persistent pain in livestock
Description: This project will translate a human model of neuroimmune pain into the livestock setting to better predict the consequences of chronic pain in livestock and allow the development of novel pain therapies.
Project available for: HDR and/or Honours
Location: Roseworthy and North Tce
Research Project start date: Semester 1 2023
Special requirements: surgical skills, animal handling experience and molecular techniques.

Project 4
Title: Drug discovery for novel treatments of persistent pain in livestock
Description: This project will translate neuroimmune pain targeted treatments into the livestock setting to better treat chronic pain in livestock and allow the development of deployable pain therapies.
Project available for: HDR and/or Honours
Location: Roseworthy and North Tce
Research Project start date: Semester 1 2023
Special requirements: surgical skills, animal handling experience and molecular pharmacology techniques.

My research program has been funded by the following grant schemes

  • Centre for Advanced Defence Research and Enterprise - OCE (CIB)
  • SA Sheep Industry Fund - Pain Mitigation (CIA)
  • DSTG, Centre for Advanced Defence Research and Enterprise – OCE
  • DSTG, Defence Science Technology Group - SynBioGen programs 
  • DSTG, Human Integrated Sensor System Program - Meat and Livestock Australia
  • ARC Future Fellowship (FT180100565; Sole CI)
  • ARC discovery grant that includes an ARF (DP110100297; Sole CI)
  • NHMRC CJ Martin Postdoctoral Fellowship (Sole CI)
  • NHMRC project grant (APP1026178; CIB).
  • ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics ($38M, CE140100003)
  • NIH R01 grants as a PI (R01 DA034185; R01 DA025978; R01 DA23132; R01 DE017782)
  • USA Department of Defence CDMRP grant ($614K)
  • National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia ($112K)
  • USA Fibromyalgia Association pilot grant ($55K)
  • ~$3M contract research on neuroimmune targeted therapies for pharmaceutical companies such as Phebra, Bionomics, Avigen, Covidien, Implicit Biosciences, NovImmune, Merck and J&J.

 

I regularly teach into continuing medical education courses for Medical Colleges, Faculties and Societies.

I also teach into several University of Adelaide undergraduate courses as an invited specialist lecturer

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Co-Supervisor Pharmacological and non-pharmacological (strength training) interventions for older people with osteopenia or osteoporosis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Riccarda Albana Quattlaender
    2022 Principal Supervisor The Human Integrated Sensor System (HISS) Challenge Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Michail Laoumtzis
    2022 Co-Supervisor Oxidative stress activated prodrugs Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Ravindu Ranasinghe
    2021 Principal Supervisor Exploring the neurobiological bases of affective states Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Jane Cerina Morphett
    2021 Principal Supervisor Regulation of the neuro-immune system Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Benjamin Daniel Barry
    2021 Co-Supervisor Effectiveness of Exercise to Improve Patient-Reported and Central Pain Modulation Outcomes in Chronic Neck Pain Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Kexun Kenneth Chen
    2021 Principal Supervisor Quantification of the lifetime experience of pain in livestock and its implications on productivity and animal husbandry practices, including applications to human health and wellbeing Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Charlotte Helen Johnston
    2021 Co-Supervisor The physiological impacts of virtual fencing on sheep and cattle in South Australia. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Megan Beth Willis
    2020 Principal Supervisor Immunophenotyping of Spinal Cord Injured Patients – Advancing Diagnostics and Prognostics. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr James Edward Swift
    2019 Principal Supervisor Investigating the effects of human mesenchymal stem cells and conditioned media (secretome) for the treatment of pain and neuropathic pain. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chrysostomos Constantine Maoudis
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Peripheral-to-Central Neuroimmune Communication and the Sun: Implications for Addiction and Neurodegenerative Disease Pathology Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Ms Krystal Lee Iacopetta
    2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Assessing Pain and Treatment Responsiveness in a Patient Cohort and Mouse Model of Inflammatory Arthritis Using Neurobiophotonics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Florence Jade Lees
    2016 - 2020 Principal Supervisor The Role of Nitroxyl in the Development of Neuropathic Pain Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Vicky Staikopoulos
    2015 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Advanced Preclinical Assessment of Hyper-Nociception Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Azim Arman
    2015 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Investigation of a Functional Relationship Between Toll-Like Receptor 4 and Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily V Member 1 in Relation to a Novel Neuroimmune Pain Model Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Samuel Greig Evans
    2014 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Experimental Models of Alcohol Induced Inflammation-associated Depressive-like Behaviour Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Joshua Luke Holmes
    2014 - 2019 Principal Supervisor From the Bottom Up: Chemotherapy-Induced Gut Toxicity, Glial Reactivity and Cognitive Impairment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Juliana Esma Bajic
    2014 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Exploring the Bidirectional Interface between Stress and Innate Immunity: A Focus on Glucocorticoid and TLR4-MyD88 Signalling Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jiajun Liu
    2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor An optical fibre point temperature sensor for investigation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') induced hyperthermia in the rat brain Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Stefan Tyrone Musolino
    2014 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Exploring the Role of Spinal Glia and Toll-Like Receptor 4 in the Development of Endometriosis and Neuroimmune-Associated Pain Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Kelsi Nicole Dodds
    2014 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Investigating the role of Toll-like receptor 4 in myocardial ischaemic-preconditioning and ischaemic-reperfusion injury Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Sam Man Lee
    2013 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signalling in Inflammation Pathways to Term and Preterm Delivery Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Hanan Hamimi Binti Wahid
    2013 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Exploring the Pharmacology of (+)-Naltrexone on Alcohol Reward and Anxiety Behaviours Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Jonathan Henry Jacobsen
    2011 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Neuroimmunopharmacology of Opioids Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jacob Henry Lloyd Thomas
    2010 - 2014 Co-Supervisor Pharmacogenetics of Ketamine Metabolism and Immunopharmacology of Ketamine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yibai Li
    2010 - 2015 Co-Supervisor Codeine, heightened pain sensitivity and medication overuse headache: A neuroimmune hypothesis and novel treatment strategy. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Jacinta Lee Johnson
    2010 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Sex Differences in Allodynia: A complex Interaction Between 17beta-Oestradiol and the Innate Immune System Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lauren Louise Nicotra
    2010 - 2015 Co-Supervisor The thermal grill as a tool to investigate analgesic clinical pharmacology Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Nicole Martha Sumracki
    2009 - 2011 Co-Supervisor CNS Immune Signalling and Drug Addiction: Role of Interleukin-1 Beta Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Liang Liu
    2009 - 2014 Co-Supervisor Potential peripheral biomarkers for chronic pain Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yuen Kwok
    2008 - 2011 Co-Supervisor The Neuroimmunopharmacology of Alcohol Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yue Wu
    2007 - 2011 Co-Supervisor Two methods of biomarker discovery: applications in neuropathic pain and pharmacotherapy Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Peter Grace
  • Board Memberships

    Date Role Board name Institution name Country
    2024 - ongoing Member National Science and Technology Council National Science and Technology Council Australia
    2024 - ongoing Member Australian Economic Accelerator Board Australian Economic Accelerator Board Australia
    2024 - ongoing Board Member the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council Australia
    2022 - 2023 Board Member Ministerial Review of the 2001 ARC Act Legislation Ministerial Review of the 2001 ARC Act Legislation Australia
    2022 - 2023 Member Ministerial Review of the 2001 ARC Act Legislation Ministerial Review of the 2001 ARC Act Legislation Australia
    2022 - ongoing Member the DSTG CBRN STaR Shot OSAC advisory council DSTG CBRN STaR Shot OSAC Australia
    2022 - ongoing Member Ministerial Review of the 2001 ARC Act Legislation ARC Australia
    2020 - ongoing Founder The Animal Welfare Collaborative The Animal Welfare Collaborative Australia
    2013 - 2024 Chair Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics Australia
    2013 - ongoing Board Member Science Technology Australia - Australia
  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2023 - ongoing Chair STEM Career Pathways Review for the Office of the Chief Scientist STEM Career Pathways Review for the Office of the Chief Scientist Australia
    2022 - ongoing Chair the Australian Pain Solutions Research Alliance steering committee the Australian Pain Solutions Research Alliance steering committee Australia
    2022 - ongoing Chair the Safeguarding Australia through Biotechnology Response and Engagement (SABRE) Alliance steering committee SABRE Alliance Steering Committee Australia
    2020 - ongoing Chair Davies Livestock Research Centre advisory committee Davies Livestock Research Centre advisory committee Australia
    2013 - 2024 Convener Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics Australia
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2012 - ongoing Member Australian Pain Society Australia
    2007 - ongoing Member International Association for the Study of Pain United States
    2007 - ongoing Member Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society United States
    2002 - ongoing Member Society for Neuroscience United States
    1999 - ongoing Representative Australasian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology Australia
  • Consulting/Advisories

    Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country
    2022 - ongoing The Australian Research Council, CEO Advisory Council The Australian Research Council Scientific research Australia
    2022 - ongoing DSTG, Human Integrated Sensory System Program DSTG Scientific research Australia
  • Editorial Boards

    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2015 - ongoing Associate Editor Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - -
  • Position: Director - Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics
  • Phone: 83130322
  • Email: mark.hutchinson@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 82240685
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Helen Mayo South, floor Fifth Floor
  • Org Unit: Medical Sciences

Connect With Me
External Profiles

Other Links