Anthony Cunningham

Biography

Professor Anthony (Tony) Cunningham, AO,FAHMS is an infectious diseases physician, clinical virologist and scientist, internationally renowned for his research on the immunobiology of HIV and herpesviruses, his work on vaccine and microbicide development, and as an antivirals expert. He is the Director of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (ACH2), a Commonwealth Government-funded institute that aims combat the impact of HIV and hepatitis in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region by bringing together basic researchers with translational scientists and physicians. Professor Cunningham has previously worked at Stanford University, USA, built up the State Reference Laboratory in Virology at and established a state reference HIV laboratory at Westmead Hospital in the mid 1980s before assuming directorship of WMI in 1996. He has generated many key discoveries relating to HIV. His research has been instrumental in defining HIV interactions with host immune cells including dendritic cells (DCs), the initial target in the anogenital mucosa, and macrophages (the virus reservoir), and the process of virus trafficking to the final T cell target. His research aims to develop a treatment (e.g. topical antiviral/microbicide) that acts at the source of infection to prevent the spread of HIV. His team also has made key contributions to human immunology and neurobiology of Herpes simplex virus (HSV), leading to the development and trialing by GSK of a partly successful candidate HSV vaccine and recently, a highly efficacious vaccine for Herpes zoster. Professor Cunningham serves on numerous international expert panels on HIV/HSV, antivirals and vaccines and as a member of the Australian Centre for Vaccine Development Scientific Advisory Committee. In 2010 he was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for ‘service to medicine, particularly in the field of viral research and through the development and leadership of medical and biomedical research’.

Research Interest

Professor Cunningham’s research focuses on HIV and HSV immunobiology including pathogenesis, seroepidemiology, antiviral treatment and vaccine development. He has a particular interest in delineating the interaction of HIV with macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). His is one of the leading groups in the world studying HIV-macrophages and HIV-DCs. His many novel findings include confirming direct evidence of heterosexual vaginal transmission of HIV (with minimal trauma). He participated in the first and only molecular study of a cohort of long-term survivors infected with an attenuated strain of HIV by blood transfusion (Sydney Blood Bank Cohort), which still has important implications for vaccine development. He has helped identify macrophage surface molecules involved in HIV infection, which are potential therapeutic targets, and studied the influence of host genetics on HIV replication. His work demonstrating a two-phase trafficking process of HIV from DCs to T cells has implications for inhibitor drug development.