Samuel Norbert Breit

Conjoint Professor Samuel Norbert Breit is a Clinical Immunologist and Immunopathologist at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and a Professor of Medicine at the University of New South Wales. He heads the Inflammation and Cytokine Biology Research Program at St Vincent's Centre of Applied Medical Research, where he leads a team investigating the biology and therapeutic applications of MIC-1/GDF15 and its receptor GFRAL.

Professor Breit's educational background includes:

• MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery)
• MD (Doctor of Medicine)
• FRACP (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians)
• FRCPA (Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia)

With a career-long interest in biomedical research, Professor Breit has established himself as an international leader in the study of GDF15, which his laboratory first cloned and characterized. His research has focused on understanding the biology of this cytokine, particularly its role as a metabolic regulator. Professor Breit's group has spearheaded the investigation of MIC-1/GDF15, discovering its importance in appetite regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and immunity. His seminal work on the role of MIC-1/GDF15 in cancer anorexia/cachexia and appetite regulation earned recognition from the NHMRC through inclusion in their 'Ten best projects 2011' publication.

Professor Breit's research program currently focuses on elucidating the mechanisms by which GDF15 exerts its effects through three main avenues: (1) aspects of the basic biology of the GDF15-GFRAL pathway, (2) the means by which this pathway regulates metabolism, and (3) the mechanisms by which it influences immune and inflammatory responses. His work has significant therapeutic implications for conditions including obesity, cancer-associated syndromes, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular disorders.

His laboratory's discoveries have been licensed to several major international companies for applications in cancer and cardiovascular disease diagnosis and management, as well as for therapeutic development targeting inflammatory diseases, obesity, and cancer-associated syndromes.

Professor Breit has been recognized for his contributions to medical science:

• NHMRC 'Ten best projects 2011' for his seminal studies on MIC-1/GDF15 in cancer anorexia/cachexia and appetite regulation

Professor Breit maintains an active research program involving post-doctoral scientists and PhD students. He supervises multiple PhD projects focused on the role of MIC-1/GDF15 in regulating appetite, sculpting metabolism to resist obesity and inflammation, and regulating inflammatory responses and tumor immunity. He has a long track record of project grant support from various funding bodies, enabling his team to pursue innovative research at the intersection of immunology, metabolism, and inflammation.

As head of the Inflammation and Cytokine Biology Research Program at St Vincent's Centre of Applied Medical Research, Professor Breit leads a multidisciplinary team comprising immunologists, molecular biologists, and clinical researchers. The program maintains state-of-the-art facilities for molecular biology, cell culture, and animal studies, allowing for comprehensive investigation of the GDF15-GFRAL signaling pathway from basic mechanisms to potential clinical applications.