Wednesday, October 21, 2026

9:25 AM - 10:00 AM

Plenary / Clinical Innovation & Patient Impact Breakout Room

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Overview

Sponsored by: CSL

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Details

Details: We are living in the golden age of drug discovery. Our understanding of how biology works on a systems level, how those systems become broken in disease, and how we might mend them, has advanced remarkably in the last quarter century. With AI/ML now driving the agenda, we are primed to make extraordinary medicines. With a focus on cancer and immunology, I will try to explain how we got here, and where we might be heading. The Millis Oration, sponsored by CSL, honours the legacy of Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis, whose pioneering contributions helped establish the foundations of Australia’s biotechnology sector. Each year, the Oration recognises a leader whose career reflects her spirit of scientific ambition, innovation and leadership. In 2026, that leader is Professor Andrew Wilks. Professor Wilks’ story begins at Melbourne’s Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, where his pioneering work in cytokine signalling and cancer biology led him to discover and name the Janus kinase family and contribute to defining the JAK/STAT signalling pathway. From fundamental discovery to global patient impact. Professor Andrew Wilks' research now underpins targeted therapies used to treat autoimmune diseases, inflammatory conditions and cancers around the world. Professor Wilks is also co-inventor of a number of clinically trialled drug candidates, including the JAK inhibitor momelotinib, now known as Omjjara, which has received FDA and TGA approval for myelofibrosis. But his contribution extends far beyond discovery. Professor Wilks founded Cytopia in 1997, one of Australia’s earliest ASX listed drug discovery companies, and has since founded and co-founded fifteen companies spanning drug discovery and drug discovery services. Today, he is Founder and Managing Director of SYNthesis Bioventures and an Honorary Enterprise Professor at the University of Melbourne. A career that is recognised at the highest levels. Professor Wilks’ contribution has been recognised with the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, awarded with Dr Chris Burns, the ATSE Clunies Ross Medal, the Johnson & Johnson and AusBiotech Industry Leadership Award, the Australian BioBusiness Award and the Lackmann Award of the CSTI. He is also an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Sponsored by:

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Speaker