Tony TiganisView profile
Professor
Tony Tiganis is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University, where he also serves as Laboratory Head and leads the Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity Program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. He holds a joint appointment as Laboratory Head at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is an Adjunct Professor at Yale School of Medicine. His multidisciplinary research focuses on protein-tyrosine-phosphatases (PTPs) and their roles in metabolism, cancer, and immunity. Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Melbourne (1990–1994) B.Sc. (Hons) in Pharmacology, University of Melbourne (1986–1989) Professor Tiganis’s research centers on tyrosine-phosphorylation-dependent signaling, with a focus on PTPs. His work has challenged long-standing misconceptions about PTPs being 'undruggable' and has revealed their critical roles in obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and immune regulation. His lab has made seminal contributions to understanding redox balance in metabolic health, T cell tolerance mechanisms, and central control of energy balance. These discoveries have significant translational potential, including intranasal therapies for obesity and genetically engineered CAR T cells for solid tumors. His recent publications span high-impact journals such as Journal of Clinical Investigation , Nature Communications , and Cell Metabolism , highlighting trends in redox signaling, immunometabolism, and therapeutic targeting of PTPs in cancer and metabolic disease. His work is frequently cited and has garnered attention from news outlets, social media, and the pharmaceutical industry. Melbourne University Postgraduate Scholarship (1990) C.J. Martin Fellowship, NHMRC (1995) AMRAD Post-Doctoral Award (1998) St. Vincent’s Hospital Research Week, Senior Investigator Prize (1999) Deans Award in Excellence in Research (2009) NHMRC Principal Research Fellowships (2010–2015, 2016–2020) Tony Tiganis actively supervises PhD students and leads multiple research projects funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Cancer Council Victoria. He serves as an editor for FEBS Journal , Molecular & Cellular Biology , and Science Advances . His lab operates the Monash Metabolic Phenotyping Facility and collaborates with clinicians and chemists on translational programs. He is also a Scientific Advisory Board Member at DepYmed Inc. and a Consultant for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. He leads a multidisciplinary team exploring the intersection of metabolism, immunity, and cancer, with ongoing projects investigating the impact of obesity on anti-tumor immunity and phosphatase roles in cancer pathogenesis.