Children’s Medical Research Institute lab head, Dr Anai Gonzalez Cordero, has won the prestigious Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research for her work on developing and testing therapies for inherited retinal diseases that she hopes will one day successfully treat children who are losing their eyesight.

Dr Gonzalez Cordero leads CMRI’s Stem Cell Medicine Research Group and the Stem Cell and Organoid Facility, which she established after moving from the UK three years ago.

On 15 November, the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia announced Dr Gonzalez Cordero as one of two awardees nationwide of the 2022 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research.

The prize is designed to promote the study of stem cells in the prevention or control of disease. CMRI has had back-to-back wins – in 2021, fellow CMRI and University of Sydney scientist, Dr Pengyi Yang won the award.

Dr Gonzalez Cordero is a pioneer in the laboratory production of “organoids’’ (large clusters of cells that form ‘mini-organs’ in a dish). She and her team transform small samples of skin or blood into stem cells which are then directed to become specialised retinal, neural or cardiac cells and form organoids, enabling scientists to study the causes of human diseases that affect these vital organs. Organoids also speed up the development and testing of new therapies.

“It is a great honour to be recognised only three years after establishing the Stem Cell Research Group at Children’s Medical Research Institute,’’ Dr Gonzalez Cordero said.

“It really feels like the Australian stem cell research community has embraced our work, which is particularly rewarding because it’s such a close-knit group.

“Everyone works well together and is very collaborative. We are also showing how important Australian stem cell research is on the world stage.’’

Dr Gonzalez Cordero moved from University College London to start her lab and facility at CMRI and now has nine scientists in her team. She has a conjoint appointment with the University of Sydney and her work is supported in part by Luminesce Alliance, a joint venture of CMRI, Children's Cancer Institute, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, University of NSW and the University of Sydney.

“We are growing retinal organoids to try and predict the outcomes of treatments for blinding eye conditions,’’ Dr Gonzalez Cordero said.

“It is exciting to be working in a time where stem cell research is experiencing such incredible growth and is being used internationally to try to predict outcomes for therapies. For so long it was a dream, and now it is reality. The possibilities are now within reach.’’