Professor Grant Ramm

Deputy Director & Chief Scientist

Hepatic Fibrosis

Career History

Professor Grant Ramm is a graduate of the University of Queensland with BSc (Hons) and PhD. He is the Deputy Director and Chief Scientist at QIMR Berghofer and also heads the Hepatic Fibrosis Laboratory.

His research at QIMR Berghofer has included investigation into the molecular, cellular and histopathological events involved in initiating hepatic fibrosis (liver scarring) in chronic liver disease associated with both hereditary haemochromatosis in adults and cystic fibrosis in children. Mechanistic evaluation of these cellular events has aided in identifying patients at risk of serious liver disease complications (including cirrhosis and liver cancer) and has led to the development of new biomarkers as well as novel therapeutic interventions to treat liver inflammation and hepatic fibrosis associated with chronic liver disease.

Current Appointments

2016–current: Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Renal and Hepatic Disorders

2012–current: Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, (Faculty of Health Sciences), The University of Queensland

1996–current: Senior Group Leader of the Hepatic Fibrosis Laboratory

Previous Appointments

2020-2023: President, Organising Committee for World Congress of Iron metabolism – BioIron 2022

2020–2023: Senior Principal Research Fellow (SPRF)

2015: NHMRC Assigners Academy Member (Development Grants)

2014–2016: NHMRC Assigners Academy Member (Project Grants)

2014: NHMRC Program Grant Review Panel (PGRP) Member for review of NHMRC Program Grants for 2016

2013–2021: Member, Research Advisory Committee of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH)

2012–2021: Coordinator, Cellular and Molecular Biology Department

2013: NHMRC GRP Panel 3E (Endocrinology, Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Obesity) Member for review of NHMRC research project grants

2012: NHMRC GRP Panel 6E (Endocrinology, Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Obesity) Member for review of NHMRC Research Project grants

2011: Visiting Professor, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China

2011–2014: Steering Committee Member, Asian-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) 2014 Conference Steering Committee

2010–2011: Member, Local Organising Committee for inaugural international LiverDownUnder conference (FASEB-affiliated meeting)

2005–current: Member, Board of Management of the Liver Foundation

Research Highlights

Identification of dysregulated expression of the hormone hepcidin by mutated HFE protein in hereditary haemochromatosis demonstrating that the site of defect causing this disease is in the liver (published in The Lancet in 2003; cited >800 times)
Demonstrated that tissue derived H-Ferritin (FTH) is a proinflammatory mediator of hepatic stellate cell activation and fibrosis via PKC-zeta/NFkB signalling (published in Hepatology in 2009; cited >320 times)
Demonstrated that hepatic fibrosis is reversible with venesection therapy in Haemochromatosis (published in Int. Med. [now JAMA Int Med] in 2006; cited >250 times)
Identified that an increased hydrophobic and decreased hydrophilic bile acid profile causes liver disease in children with Cystic Fibrosis (published in Hepatology in 2004), and that this induces

chemokines and hepatic stellate cell activation driving hepatic fibrosis (published in Am J Pathol in 2002 and in Hepatology in 2009), and

liver stem cell differentiation into reactive biliary cells that drive hepatic stellate cell chemotaxis (published in Am J Pathol in 2017), resulting in

serum biomarkers (published in J Hepatol in 2004 and Hepatology in 2015), including

novel circulating microRNAs (published in Hepatology in 2018) that

regulate expression of collagen that forms fibrosis, which can be manipulated for anti-fibrotic therapy (published in Scientific Reports in 2019)

Completion of 2 clinical trials in liver biopsy-validated paediatric cystic fibrosis demonstrating clinical utility of non-invasive imaging to detect liver disease/stage fibrosis using transient (published in Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol in 2019) and sheer-wave (published in J Cyst Fibr in 2020) elastography
Demonstrated utility of serum biomarker indices for staging of hepatic fibrosis pre- and post-treatment in haemochromatosis (published in Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol in 2021)
Invited to write a comprehensive review on haemochromatosis by the New England Journal of Medicine (published in NEJM in 2022)
Published clinical practise guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of haemochromatosis (published in Hepatol Int in 2023)
Identified and characterised the mechanisms of hepatic inflammation involving H-ferritin/ICAM-1 interaction driving NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1b secretion in hepatic stellate cells (published in Science Signaling in 2024)

Awards Recognition

2023: Ralph Doherty QIMR Berghofer Prize for "outstanding achievement and leadership in medical research"

2022: Awarded Fellowship of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (FGESA) for “recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology in Australia”. Inaugural year of awards

2020: Distinguished Research Prize, Gastroenterological Society of Australia for "immense research contribution to the field of hepatic stellate cell biology and mechanisms of hepatic fibrogenesis in chronic liver disease combined with mentorship of fellow researchers"

2020: Promoted to Senior Principal Research Fellow at QIMR Berghofer

2019: Long service award by QIMR Berghofer

2014: Promoted to NHMRC Senior Research Fellow (Level B)

2014: Promoted to Principal Research Fellow at QIMR Berghofer

2014: Awarded Fellowship of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (FAASLD) for “significant contributions to the science and practise of hepatobiliary diseases”

2012: Promoted to Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine (Faculty of Health Sciences), The University of Queensland

2012: Appointed Head of Department – Cellular and Molecular Biology, QIMR.

External Collaborations

A/Professor Peter Lewindon, Queensland Children’s Hospital

Professor Darrell Crawford, Greenslopes Hospital and University of Queensland

Professor John Olynyk, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia

A/Professor Janina Tirnitz-Parker, Curtain University, Western Australia

Professor Gary Jeffrey, University of Western Australia and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

Dr Martin Delatycki, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

Dr Richard Skoien, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane

Professor Nathan Subramaniam, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane

A/Professor Sumaira Husnain, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane

Professor Paulo Arosio, University of Brescia, Italy

Professor Christine McLaren & Professor Gordon McLaren, University of California (Irvine)

Dr Daniel Leung, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Professor Carla Colombo, University of Milan, Italy

Professor Edouard Bardou-Jacquet, University of Rennes, France

A/Professor Dirk Schmidt-Arras, University of Kiel, Germany

Educational Background

1993: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – The University of Queensland (Medicine)

1982: Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc (Hons)) – The University of Queensland (Biochemistry)

1981: Bachelor of Science (BSc) – Double Major in Biochemistry and Microbiology – The University of Queensland

Area of Interest

Professor Ramm’s research interests are in both the mechanism, and clinical translation, of research into chronic liver disease, particularly hereditary haemochromatosis (most common genetically inherited disease in caucasians), paediatric CF-associated liver disease (most common lethal inherited disease) and more recently in liver cancer (now the 2nd most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide). His expertise lies in the cellular and molecular biology of hepatic fibrogenesis (liver scarring), i.e. understanding disease mechanisms and pathways, and applying this knowledge to the early detection, monitoring progression, predicting outcome and therapeutic potential of these research discoveries. Professor Ramm’s specific cells of interest are the resident liver myofibroblast precursors, the hepatic stellate cell, and their interaction with liver stem cells in driving inflammation, fibrogenesis, liver regeneration and ultimately in fibrosis, cirrhosis and the development of liver cancer.