Patrick BertolinoView profile
Associate Professor
Associate Professor Patrick Bertolino at the University of Sydney's Central Clinical School leads the Liver Immunology Program at the Centenary Institute. With 20+ years of international recognition in liver immunology , he pioneered discoveries about CD8+ T cell activation and hepatocyte-mediated immune tolerance , including the paradigm-shifting finding that liver-activated T cells are deleted via hepatocyte lysosomes. His work bridges transplantation immunology , chronic hepatitis , and malaria vaccine development using transgenic mouse models . Trained by immunology luminaries: Chantal Rabourdin-Combe (ENS-Lyon), Jacques Miller (WEHI), Barbara Fazekas de St Groth (Centenary Institute) Continuous NHMRC funding since 2000: 2 Program Grants, 6 Project Grants 2010 NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship Research Themes explore how the liver uniquely regulates immunity: Induces transplant tolerance via T cell deletion Exploits immune subversion in hepatitis B/C and malaria Develops gene therapy and mRNA vaccines for liver-targeted immunity Investigates hepatitis C reinfection post-transplant Article Trends show sustained focus on T cell-liver interactions , with recent work on mRNA vaccines (2023), neuroinflammation in GVHD (2024), and long-lived TRM cells in malaria (2025). Publications span high-impact immunology , hepatology , and transplantation journals . Awards include: 2010 NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship 2009 Centenary Institute student paper award 1999 Kevin Lafferty Prize for Autoimmunity 1997 University of Sydney U2000 Fellowship Teaching includes 3rd-year Immunology lectures (since 1998). Led liver immunology group since 2011, mentoring students and postdocs. Collaborates with Centenary Institute and National Hepatitis C Elimination Program .







