Professor Trevor Kilpatrick

MBBS, PhD

Professor Trevor Kilpatrick is the Director of The Florey.

Professor Kilpatrick leads a group of scientists focused on the molecular and cellular neuroscience of myelination, demyelinating disease and neural regeneration, as well as the aetiology and pathogenesis of MS. His experience leading translational projects that involve deep collaborative interactions between biologists, molecular geneticists, imaging scientists, clinical researchers, epidemiologists and bioinformaticians means he can provide valuable oversight for proposed research.

Awards and achievements

Professor Kilpatrick’s key career achievements include the cloning of mammalian neural precursors and the discovery of neurotrophic factors for myelinating cells that are damaged by MS. He also co-founded the Ausimmune Consortium, which has since evolved into a pre-eminent national and international resource that has advanced our understanding of the epidemiology of MS – clarifying the contributions of inadequate sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency, smoking, obesity and the Epstein-Barr virus to disease activity.

Trevor Kilpatrick – Leadership profile

Professor Kilpatrick was a founder of the ANZgene Consortium, which has transformed our understanding of genetic contributions to MS, with over 200 susceptibility loci now identified through interactions with the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium.

In addition to his academic interests, Professor Kilpatrick established the MS Research Unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He and his team review over 1000 patients with MS per annum from every part of Australia.

Professor Kilpatrick has supervised 15 PhD students to completion and 11 postdoctoral fellows who have since established independent academic careers or are undertaking postdoctoral studies. He is currently supervising 5 students at The Florey.

Professor Kilpatrick is passionate about translating scientific research into tangible patient outcomes and demonstrated healthcare advancements.