Professor Andrew Brooks is an immunologist interested in immune recognition strategies, in particular how immune cells discriminate healthy cells from those infected with viruses or tumours.It was here Andrew developed an interest in the receptors used by lymphocytes called natural killer cells that allow them to target tumours or virus-infected cells. Since returning to the University of Melbourne, Andrew’s research has continued to focus largely on receptors that regulate lymphocyte activation.

In addition to running a research program in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Andrew is also the Head of Teaching. He has published over 130 peer reviewed papers, many in leading journals including Nature, Nature Immunology and Immunity, and together with his collaborators has been the recipient of in excess of $45 million in competitive grant funding. He is an authority on natural killer cell receptors having made major discoveries largely centering around how these receptors recognise a group of highly variable proteins called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA), which themselves play crucial roles in transplantation.